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
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.09UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.62LIKELY
Sadness
0.52LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.62LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.61LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.9LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.87LIKELY
Extraversion
0.26UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.57LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.68LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Psalm of the Day: Psalm 131
Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:9-16
Sermon
Good morning Church!
I was Glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the house of the Lord!
Well after last weeks, sort of interlude to discuss how we read and interpret and read and how we can understand parables.
This week we will start diving into a series of particular parables.
In particular the ones that make up what we would call the parable discourse in Matthew 13.
This is the third large discourse section of Matthew.
And the parable in particular we will be looking at, well I would not say that it is the most famous parable, that's most likely the prodigal son, but this one is surly in the top three most famous parables of Jesus.
Partially I think this is one of the ones that Jesus himself explains the meaning of for us.
So for us it serves as a wonderful way to be shown practically how to think through parables.
So if last week our discussion was a sort of meta level how do we interpret parables, this week is a sort of “practice problem one.”
This is the worksheet that your teacher sent home to make sure that you understand the assignment.
So again, like last week we have two different passages and again like last week we are going to skip, but as we look at them I am sure that the reasoning why will make sense to us all.
We will be reading Matthew 13:1-9 and then we will read Matthew 13:18-23 together this morning.
These are the words of the Lord for us this morning, Lets Pray
PRAY
SO here we have the parable of the Sower, we have a little bit of introductory comments and they are worth at least just a passing note to see some cool things.
We have the location and timing here as Jesus speaking from a boat to, verse 2 the whole crowd.
If look back to the sermon on the mount, and the way that was introduced, it was a long time ago, but Matthew 5 1 says that seeing the crowds he left up to the mountain top and HIS DISCIPLES CAME TO HIM.
Then the next large discourse which was the missions discourse was a message to his disciples, calling them, equipping them and warning them as they go out to the world.
But this one, this discourse is different.
Jesus is speaking to the crowds.
This speaks to at least a little bit what we looked at last week.
Now the crowds are gathering, and instead of talking to just his disciples or calling just his disciples he goes out onto a bot not to flee, but in order that he has a bit of a stage if you will.
a position of authority that he speaks to the crowd from.
The crowds are gathered around him and he begins to teach THEM.
And so it is to these gathered crowds that he teaches in parables.
Last week we noted the reason that this is important because parable teach those who will follow and conceal from the world.
SO we note first the audience then we dive right into this parable.
Interestingly called the parable of the sower but I would argue that the sower is NOT the most important part of the parable.
Ultimately this parable is about two things.
It is about the seed and the soil.
the parable of the sower is more about the seed that is sown and what it is sown into than t is about the one who does the sowing.
If that thought interested you and you want to dive into the part of the sower you will have to come on Thursday and we will talk about that at Grace Group.
But the heart of this text, and the heart of this parable is the seed and the Soil - and so it is those two things that we will spend our time this morning looking at.
We will start by looking at the seed.
What is the seed that is being sown.
And Jesus is very clear that the seed is the gospel
The Seed: THE GOSPEL
Matthew 13:19 (ESV)
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom
Matthew 13:20 (ESV)
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word
Matthew 13:22 (ESV)
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word,
Matthew 13:23 (ESV)
As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it.
It is the word of the kingdom.
It is the message that Jesus gave to his disciples in chapter 10 in the missions discourse.
the word that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
It is that God comes to save., It is that Jesus is the Messiah.
The seed that is planted is the gospel message.
And that is an important place to start.
When we sort of think through he gospel in general.
What are we saying? it is a transliteration of a word that literally means GOOD NEWS.
and we often will think, and even we might often say: if it is good news why does everyone not believe and accept it?
and the parable here of the sower gives an explanation for this phenomenon.
Why does the world not accept this good news.
For those of us that do go out and fulfill the great commission (news flash: that should be all of us!).
We call people to see and hear and know and understand this good news.
and the dying world apart form the good news we wonder: why do they not see and hear and understand and hope in this good news?
this parable s Jesus telling tells us why.
Disciples: go on this difficult missionary journey.
Preach the gospel to people that will reject it, and reject you.
In fact, your family may reject you, those you love and who claim to love you will reject you.
You will face persecution.
you will be brought before kings and courts on account of this good news.
That doesn't sound like that good of news.
So the disciples go out and you can understand the questions of WHY? why will they not accept this.
Jesus will tell us.
The seed is the gospel, the reason the seed does not grow has NOTHING to do with the seed itself.
It has everything to do with the soils.
The Soils:
we need to start with this thought.
The problem (or the solution) is the soils!
For we might have the temptation to think, and even if we don’t say we think this, our actions betray our true thoughts here: We think the problem is not the soil it is the seed.
The gospel, we think: that is the problem.
It is not friendly enough.
The gospel of Jesus Christ our lord is not quite palatable to the taste of the world.
and so you will see people claiming to try and do the work of the Lord, but the news is this: I don’t know what seed they think they are working with, but it is not the gospel.
They compromise the Seed because they have not evaluated the soils.
In stead of doing what we will be doing today, which is spending the bulk of our time at the soils, making sure that t is good and right and prepared for the seed, instead they try to change the message.
You know, God is JUST love.
You know, that lifestyle is not really a sin.
You know, who am I to judge, I just want to tell you God loves you.
That’s the good news.
REALLY?
Let me help us here.
the Good news is that for sinners such as me and you there is hope in Jesus Chrsit.
The GOOD NEWS is that it does not matter how sinful and vile you are three is hope in the gospel.
The GOOD NEWS IS that in spite of your sinfulness God saves.
Don’t change the seed.
Proclaim the life changing redeeming power of Christ.
The sanctifying good news that calls us out of darkness and sin and into righteousness.
If is the message of forgiveness and the message of GO AND SIN NO MORE.
But now we look at four different soils that this seed is given to.
This is not a difficult passage to grasp.
In fact, it is one of the more straightforward of the parables of Jesus, but it is critical.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9