Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.07UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.04UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.62LIKELY
Sadness
0.21UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.46UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.09UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.84LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.8LIKELY
Extraversion
0.3UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.79LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.71LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
The Holy Spirit – My Helper
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you knew that you couldn’t get it done on your own?
That is the way I was feeling earlier this week about ministry.
As I thought about the needs of our church and the community, I thought about how inadequate I was to be able to make things happen.
But I also realized that it was okay to feel that way because I knew that God had provided the Holy Spirit to help me.
So, where I find it difficult to love, I pray that the Spirit gives me the ability to love.
When I lack joy, I can pray that the Spirit fills me with joy.
I especially like the 25th verse, “let us keep in step with the Spirit”.
I imagine marching.
“left, right…1, 2, 3, 4”.
Get into step with the Spirit.
In the same way, I found myself praying for the gifts of the Spirit.
There are 9 gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor 12.
So, when I find that my faith is insufficient, I prayed, “Lord, increase my faith”, “Give me wisdom”, or “heal my friend”.
Whether it is for emotional or character help or supernatural manifestation, we can pray for the HS to move.
That is what I found myself praying earlier this week.
It was interesting to hear John Bevere’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit at the men’s conference on Friday and Saturday.
As believer’s it is our privilege to enjoy a life expecting the help of the Holy Spirit.
Spirit Filled Living
In the book of Romans Paul describes the beauty of the Son and the Spirit at work making us into people of the Spirit:
I know, that is a lot of ground to cover but it offers tremendous power for Christians who consider it and apply it.
Do we truly realize our dependence on the Spirit?
If we do, we find that it answers some questions that we have:
• How are we going to live a victorious life?
• How are we going to see people freed from their destructive behaviors?
• How are “good people” going to recognize that without Christ they are hell-bent?
• How are we, as a church, going to be a light to the community?
The Benefits of Spirit Filled Living
Covering everything in these 17 verses would take us awhile but we can look at a few things that Paul emphasizes.
All of them come from the work of the Holy Spirit.
Spirit filled and Spirit led believers are free from condemnation, free from the power of sin, and are enabled to live self-controlled lives.
The Spirit Frees Us from Condemnation
Paul’s ‘therefore’ links the fact that there is no condemnation for Christians with the power of the Cross that we discussed last week, and that Paul covers in the earlier chapters.
The law of sin and death said that unless we were redeemed from sin, we would live in sin.
Fortunately for us, Jesus paid the price (His life) and we have been granted freedom.
In the Greek the word order is quite different.
The authors would put the word of emphasis first.
In this case, the word “no” is first.
In the English it is 5th.
Paul emphasized the word “no”.
Ray Pritchard suggests that the 1st sentence would be more accurately read, “There is no condemnation – none whatsoever – for the believer in Christ Jesus.”
We have a hard time believing it –
- Our consciences remind us of guilt
- Family and friends will notice and point our inconsistencies
- Past memories of events and actions haunt us
- The perfection of the law will show us how imperfect we are
- The devil can even use Christ’s perfect example to discourage us
- Unhealthy comparisons with others can make us feel inadequate.[2]
But, the Spirit frees us from condemnation, “There is no condemnation – none whatsoever – for the believer in Christ Jesus.”
The Spirit Frees Us from the Power of Sin
What is the secret to an abundant Christian life?
The secret is the Source—the Holy Spirit living in the hearts of believers.
The overflowing Christian life is the Spirit-filled life: when there is more of Him in you than you.
Paul tells us to live victoriously and to avoid excesses of the flesh.
[D.L.] Moody once illustrated this truth as follows: “Tell me,” he said to his audience, “How can I get the air out this glass?”
One man said, “Suck it out with a pump.”
Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.”
After many impossible suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass.
“There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.”
He then went on to show that victory in the Christian life is not by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but rather by being filled with the Spirit.
More of Him … less of me … from sin, Holy Spirit, set me free.[3]
Stanley Horton wrote:
We as Christians live by the Spirit in the sense that we have our life by the Spirit.
But we must also live by the Spirit if tendencies, impulses, and desires of the sinful nature are to be truly crucified in our daily experience (Romans 8:4, 5).[4]
The Spirit Enables Us to Live Controlled Lives
Paul was always careful lest by overemphasizing a truth he would have caused people to go in the wrong direction.
The Gentiles were indeed free from the Law.
But this must be balanced by the fact that they were free, not for self-indulgence, but for life in the Spirit.
They were not to “use [their] freedom to indulge the sinful nature [to allow the desires and impulses of the sinful nature to take over].”[5]
What governs our behavior?
Is it the Spirit or the flesh?
Our personalities can operate in the flesh or in the Spirit.
Analytical
Balcony: well thought out, logical, deep, thorough, comfortable with numbers, figures, and charts, smart
Basement: rude, short, tough, never satisfied with the answer, too many questions
(Reference: Strength-finders survey)
The flesh will produce death.
The Spirit will produce life.
So, how do we cooperate with the Spirit’s control?
- Ask for greater openness and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
- Consciously humble ourselves before God, so we are not too proud to change.
- Look to God’s Word for guidance.
- Obey where we have clear direction, so that our forward movement will enhance the Holy Spirit’s leading.
(It makes little sense to steer a parked car!)
When was the last time you prayed as Jesus did, “Nevertheless, may your will, not mine, be done”?[6]
When we pray that kind of prayer, we are allowing the Spirit to help us live controlled lives.
The Spirit Gives Us Life and Relationship
My children know me – maybe it is not so good at times because there exists the ‘imperfect’ me.
I can see in their eyes that they expect a response.
They know what I like and dislike.
They know what I’ll tolerate, and what I won’t.
As the sons and daughters of God we have to know Him and know the ways of God and the Spirit of God.
John Bevere said that we need to desire intimacy with God more than anything else.
More than doing great things for Him we need intimacy – then we begin to know His heart.
It reminds me of a statement made by a pastor friend of mine, “If you seek the heart of God, you’ll see the hand of God.”
It is through the Spirit that we have life and relationship.
Let the Spirit Take You Past the ‘Verge’
For the last 8 months we have been talking about the VERGE that the Lord has us on.
We’ve talked about the fact that sometimes when we think that we are on the edge of a cliff, we are really on the VERGE of something great!
I believe that living in the Spirit takes us beyond the VERGE and into where God wants us to be.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9