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
0.07UNLIKELY
Fear
0.08UNLIKELY
Joy
0.69LIKELY
Sadness
0.49UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.33UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.52LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.82LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.81LIKELY
Extraversion
0.27UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.83LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.72LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
We began talking about the 7th commandment by saying: God isn’t against sex, intimacy, beauty, or physical pleasure; he invented them!
Tackling the commandment, “you shall not steal,” we can say something similar: Enjoy God’s blessings and gifts!
I studied this letter to Timothy a few years back and was struck by God’s command to enjoy what he gives you.
Paul tells Timothy:
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
I Timothy 6:17 (NIV)
If you are even a little bit rich, you’re invited to enjoy everything God has entrusted to you.
If God has given you the resources, enjoy the truck, take a vacation, and go ahead with the kitchen renos.
Enjoy all that God provided for you.
Thank the Lordfor his gifts.
The thing you can’t do is: put your hope in riches.
Don’t take luxuries for granted.
Don’t trust you’ll get happiness or security from having the latest and greatest of everything.
Wealth is uncertain.
Markets rise and fall.
Moths and vermin destroy.
Thieves break in and steal.
Natural disasters come w/o warning.
Wealth is uncertain.
But God is more solid than a mountain.
In Ps 75, we hear God say:
When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.
Psalm 75:3 (NIV)
If the Lord allows you to enjoy riches or if he provides your daily bread, enjoy it and give thanks to your heavenly Father.
The goal? Godliness w/ contentment.
Be content with what God provides for each day.
The bar for being content surprisingly low:
We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that
I Timothy 6:7–8 (NIV)
Can you say the same?
Food þ, Clothing þ; I’m content?
This is where we begin to stray into behaviour covered by the 10th commandment.
Do you remember what it is?
“You shall not covet.”
Coveting is the desire to have something that belongs to someone else.
Coveting is just the tip of the iceberg.
In the NT letter James, we find a description of how sin progresses:
Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
James 1:14–15 (NIV)
Stealing starts w/ coveting food, clothing, a house or car belongs to someone else.
That covetous desire gives birth to sin: taking what does not belong to you.
The sin of stealing, gives birth to death.
Paul warns how harmful desires lead to sin and death in this letter to Timothy and the Chr. in Ephesus:
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
I Timothy 6:9–10 (NIV)
The problem isn’t w/ having or enjoying God’s good gifts.
The problem is with being discontent with God’s gifts.
The problem is wanting to get rich . . .
as if riches are the key to happiness, long life, and security.
The problem is idolatry – “the love of money.”
In one of Paul’s other NT letters, greed is identified as idolatry:
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
Colossians 3:5–6 (NIV)
That probably requires some unpacking.
The 1st Commandment addresses idolatry.
You remember the 1st Commandment?
I am the Lordyour God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:2–3 (NIV)
If you are looking for security or happiness from owning lots of stuff, then “having stuff” has become an idol for you.
If accumulating land or animals, sports cars or pairs of shoes is more comforting than the assurances of the God who rescued you from slavery to wrongdoing and death, then you’ve made stuff #1 in your life.
Your possessions are in God’s place.
That is idolatry.
God’s word warns that wanting to get rich is a temptation to sin.
It’s a trap.
It leads to ruin and destruction.
Esp. if you’re willing to take what isn’t yours.
Stealing leads to broken relationships and all kinds of grief.
Maybe you saw it on the beach this summer.
It happens even among young children.
If one kid takes off with another kid’s pail or shovel, there’s going to be a chase and yelling and hitting – all of which might include murderous thoughts.
W/ adults, ruin and destruction, evils and grief are even greater:
Grandparent scam – In the news on Thurs.: Newmarket couple lost $100 000 b/c someone posing as a “grandchild” phoned, first needed bail, then more and more money
You might have your own stories of when someone stole from you.
It’s an awful feeling to stand where your van was parked and you find it . . .
gone.
You don’t forget that experience quickly.
But we don’t do that stuff, do we?
I doubt any of us have robbed a bank at gunpoint.
But . . .
In a store, anyone ever tempted to put something in your pocket and walk out w/o paying?
What about keeping something not yours?
hammer
Would you take gov’t benefits you don’t truly qualify for?
We’re tempted to defend such actions.
You’ve heard the rationale:
Gov’ts are wasteful; if they’re handing out cheques, I should get my share.
I wouldn’t steal from a Mom & Pop shop.
I have standards!
But Costco & Walmart budget for theft; nobody local gets hurt.
Right.
We can cook up all kinds of excuses that won’t work in a court of law.
Our excuses don’t work before our Maker & Redeemer, the Judge of all the earth either.
Here’s the thing: We should be as concerned about other people’s stuff – even gov’ts and multinational corps.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9