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
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.06UNLIKELY
Joy
0.66LIKELY
Sadness
0.46UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.62LIKELY
Confident
0.26UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.85LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.94LIKELY
Extraversion
0.15UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.77LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.8LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
God's people have always had adversaries to contend with.
In the Old Testament, Israel faced countless enemies both within and without its borders.
The early church was persecuted by both the Roman government and Jewish leaders in the New Testament.
Our modern era is no exception.
Opposition to God and His Son, Jesus Christ, is stronger than ever.
Untold millions of Christians around the world are persecuted because of their faith in Christ.
At the time of writing, an organization called Christian Freedom International stated that more than 200 million Christians worldwide were undergoing persecution.
Furthermore, every five minutes, a Christian is martyred somewhere in the world!
Persecution against believers will only escalate as we get closer to Christ's coming.
We who believe in Christ confront spiritual enemies in addition to any persecution from a world that despises Christ.
Paul taught us that we are fighting against demonic forces rather than just humans (Eph.
6:12).
Psalm 118 is a song of joy that celebrates God's deliverance of His people from their foes.
It was sung by the remnant of God's people who had returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.
This Psalm was most likely sung at the dedication of Jerusalem's walls and gates, which had been rebuilt under Nehemiah's supervision (Ne.
12:27–43).
It was the final of a series of psalms performed in honor of Israel's festivals and the Passover banquet (113–118).
Jeremiah had predicted that this happy day would arrive while God's people were still in Babylon:
Nehemiah and the citizens of Jerusalem faced fierce opposition while they built the city wall.
Because their adversaries were so ferocious, only half of the men worked, while the other half stood guard, ready to protect the city from attack.
The builders, in fact, worked with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other (Ne.
4:16–17).
But God empowered Nehemiah and his team, and through God's faithfulness, they completed the mission.
It is possible this Psalm was composed in Nehemiah's day, perhaps by one of the worship leaders in the reconstructed temple, or even by Nehemiah himself.
Some historians believe David wrote it years ago and then it was altered for use at this celebration.
Psalm 118 is a Messianic psalm that is frequently mentioned in the New Testament.
It commemorates not just Israel's deliverance from her foes, but also the salvation that Jesus Christ will bring.
We can be confident that, just as God freed the Jewish people from their enemies and Christ delivered us from sin, God will aid us when we confront strong opposition and suffering.
I. God is Good
(118:1–4)
The psalmist encouraged the people to worship the Lord by encouraging them to give thanks (v. 1).
God deserves our eternal thanks because He is good and His mercy or unending love remains forever.
This particular call to worship was utilized repeatedly in Israel's history.
It appears that referring to three groups who composed the assembly was also a prevalent practice in temple worship:
Israel—natural-born Jews (v. 2)
The house of Aaron—the priests or ministers (v. 3)
All who fear the Lord—most likely, Gentiles who converted to Judaism and lived in the land (v.
4)
All three groups were urged to freely extol God's mercy (chesed)—His unfailing, covenant love.
This statement of God's faithfulness also expressed complete trust in Him.
The people confessed that the Lord's unfailing love endures through all of life's difficulties and trials.
Our salvation is based on God's unchanging love and faithfulness.
God, in His infinite love, sent His only begotten Son to redeem us.
God is faithful to us under the new covenant just as He was to His people under the old covenant.
The Bible teaches that we have a better covenant with better promises than Israel did under the old covenant.
Because God is faithful, we are saved, forgiven, and secure.
He will not abandon us, forget us, or forsake us.
Every day, we should thank Him for His continuous goodness and love.
We should also trust Him wholeheartedly in all circumstances, knowing that He will never let us down.
II.
Call on God
(118:5–14)
The Israelites presented powerful testimony to what the Lord had done in their hour of need.
They were referring to their years of captivity in Babylon as well as the difficulties of rebuilding Jerusalem after they were freed.
They begged the Lord for help, and He delivered them.
God's covenant name is The Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah).
By using this name exclusively, the psalmist was highlighting God’s commitment to His Word and to His people.
The usage of the personal pronouns I, me, and mine throughout this passage suggests that the writer was speaking of his own experience rather than that of the congregation.
This section of the psalm may have been sung by one of the remnant's leaders, either Ezra or Nehemiah.
As noted before Psalm 118 could have been written by David or another of Israel's monarchs and adapted for this occasion.
A. He Has Set You Free (v. 5)
The Lord had delivered His people from their precarious situation.
This verse's words provide a stunning picture.
Metsar (distress or anguish) is derived from a root term that means to be constrained or confined in a small space.
The Lord delivered His people from captivity, transporting them to a vast place (merchab).
He delivered them from the conditions that had imprisoned their souls, allowing them to live in fullness of joy once more.
B. He Is with and for You (vv.
6–7)
The remnant that returned to Jerusalem faced tremendous opposition from the neighboring countries.
Nevertheless, God's people knew He was with them and for them.
His strong, encouraging presence assisted them in overcoming their fear of the enemy (v. 6).
With the Lord on their side, they declared with confidence that their adversaries could not harm them.
They were certain that they would triumph over their opponents since the Lord was on their side (v.
7).
C.
He Is Trustworthy (vv.
8–9)
God's people discovered that He alone is entirely trustworthy as a result of their tough situations.
Human leaders had repeatedly failed them.
In fact, rulers who did not love the Lord were largely to blame for the nation's spiritual downfall.
Throughout everything, the Lord has never let His people down.
During their time in Babylon, He had blessed them.
Then, as promised, God freed them free to return to their homes.
Rebuilding Jerusalem had been a difficult work, but the Lord had kept them going.
They had persevered and won because of His faithfulness.
They discovered that He, rather than any other person or leader, was the ultimate source of their power and security.
D. He Is All Powerful (vv.
10-13)
God's people also discovered that His name is all-powerful.
No foe is stronger than He; He can destroy them all.
God's people appeared to be in a desperate situation since their adversaries encircled them on all sides (vv.
10–11).
The psalmist underlines his predicament by noting four times that enemies encircled or surrounded him (vv.
10–12).
He compared the relentless opponents to a swarm of angry bees that encircles its prey and strikes from all sides, or to a ring of flaming fire that engulfs a thorny cluster.
Nevertheless, the psalmist testifies repeatedly that his enemies did not prevail over him.
E.
He Is Your Strength and Song (v.
14)
God's people gave Him full credit for what He had accomplished.
Many people never achieve what God desires for them or become what God desires for them because they do not endure in the face of adversity or opposition.
When we endeavor to carry out God's will, we should expect difficulties.
Similarly, we must be prepared to face opposition from both demonic and human opponents, as well as our flesh—our fallen, weak human nature.
There will be times when we feel as if we are going to fall, as if we cannot carry on any longer.
We must pour out our hearts to the Lord during these moments.
We must remember that He is with us and for us.
When everything else fails, we can still rely on God.
He promises to strengthen and assist us, as well as to lead us to triumph.
We can endure and do everything He has called us to do because of the power of His name.
Nehemiah's faithfulness teaches us a crucial lesson: God does not always deliver us from our adversaries, but He will strengthen us to persevere in the face of adversity.
We, like Nehemiah, win the struggle one day at a time by obeying God and refusing to give up.
As Paul teaches, after we have done everything we can to resist our adversaries, we must simply continue to stand firm in the Lord (Ep.
6:13–14).
Our circumstances may not improve, and our adversaries may not leave us, but we can triumph by being committed to God's will for our lives.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9