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
0.44UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.58LIKELY
Sadness
0.57LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.57LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.39UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.89LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.7LIKELY
Extraversion
0.16UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.64LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.57LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction
If you have been with us lately then you know that we have been studying the book of Romans together.
And next week we will pick that study up again with Romans chapter 12, but this week I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about our God, His Word, & His People.
Why? Every two years since 2014 Ligonier Ministries alongside Life Way Research has released a report on the state of theology in America.
They make statements about God, people, the Bible, the gospel, etc. and ask people to mark their agreement or disagreement.
And what is really fascinating about this study is that they differentiate between evangelicals and non-evangelicals.
So you get an idea of what the average American thinks about theses things and what the belief is within the professing church of Christ.
Just so you know the defining terms of the study.
They labeled a person as an evangelical if they agreed with 4 statements.
The Bible is the highest authority for my belief.
It is important to personally encourage others to trust Jesus for their salvation.
Jesus sacrifice on the cross is the only sacrifice that can remove my sin.
The only path that leads to eternal salvation is trust in Jesus Christ.
And of the people that agreed with all these statements…what’s surprising...
Is, as we’ll see this morning, a large percentage of professing followers of Jesus believe some really un-biblical things.
Which is concerning.
2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”
Maybe we’re living in times such as these.
So this morning I wanted to take the main thrust of these things and respond to them.
And I’m not mainly concerned this morning with the state of theology in the average, unbelieving American.
It’s not surprising that people who are not saved do not have a biblical worldview or a biblical theology.
But what is surprising is that as I combed through the questions and made notes it seems that even church people are confused about God, His Word, and His People.
And so this morning I’m going to present to you some of the findings of the 2022 State of Theology and then respond to them as God’s Word does.
But first let’s pray because I think there is the potential here for arrogance and a lack of humility.
Pray for humility.
Belief About God
“God accepts the worship of all religions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
How many people who are professing followers of Jesus believe this to be true?
56% of church folk believe this to be true.
I was having a conversation with a frend the other day about the exclusivity of Jesus—that unless you come to Jesus you cannot be saved—and our conversation steered to distress for those who are not saved.
And I told him and I’m telling you that we should be concerned for those who are not saved.
It is a tragic thing that people will go to Hell—it’s not an unfair judgment or an unjust judgment—but it is tragic.
If the idea of people in Hell doesn’t bother you then you either don’t really think about it or you have a compassion problem.
It’s bothersome!
But what we must not do, what we cannot do is create other avenues by which people can be saved.
In our compassion or in the name of political correctness or to not be offensive or to keep ourselves comfortable—we cannot tell a faithful follower of Hinduism, for example, that they are okay with God.
Nor Judaism, Nor Islam, nor Bhuddism, or Wicca, or worshippers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Because they are not.
Their worship is not acceptable to God.
What does scripture say?
And for times sake I’m going to fight my temptation to list 15-20 verses for each topic this morning.
Even though we could do that, we don’t need to do that.
The authority of God’s word is not found in its repition.
God need only say something one time.
Amen?
So what does God’s word say about other gods, other religions?
Exodus 20:3-5 ““You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,”
God has revealed himself to mankind in his word and by the testimony of His people.
He has not revealed himself in different ways to different peoples.
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that the God of all religions is basically the same.
And I’m not trying to offend, but that is an ignorant statement.
The God of Islam is not the Gods of Hinduism or the God of Judaism or the God Mormonism.
If you read those texts they present very different Gods.
“Well you are missing the point pastor—God presented himself differently to different peoples that more people would be saved.
These multiple expressions of God is an act of God’s kindness towards humanity.”
Is something that I would expect an unbeliever to say—but not a person within the church.
Why? Becasue that is not what God’s Word says.
Deuteronomy 4:35 “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.”
Transition: So much more could be said here—but our next question is related and sheds more light.
“Does God learn and adapt to different circumstances?
Does God change?”
How many people who are professing followers of Jesus believe this to be true?
48% of church folk believe this to be true.
On it’s face this question seems harmless.
As does it’s answer.
Sure, as God sees things He learns and adapts to what is happening.
If I make a decision then God makes a decision based off of what I’ve done.
That’s normal.
That’s what people do and that’s what God does.
But friends, God is not people.
People are imperfect and must learn and adapt because we are not sovereign.
But God has no need to change.
Perfection doesn’t need to change because it is perfect.
God has no need of change becasue He is perfect in His power, his knowledge, and His ways.
If God learns and adapts as he observes the world—if God changes then He is not God.
But what does God’s Word say?
Isaiah 46:10 “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”
1 John 3:20 “for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
God knows all things, has declared all things, and no part of His perfect plan needs to change.
Everything that has happened and everything that will happen is known by our God.
And this is good news because if God didn’t know all things—wasn’t aware of all that makes up a man—then surely his mercy would change too.
For we are not worthy of mercy or grace.
But God knows all that is in a man and as He died on the cross for our sins he knew how lost and broken and evil humanity is.
Malachi 3:6 ““For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
Transition: There is no thing, moment, second unknown by our perfect God.
But what do God’s people in His churches say about God’s attention to their daily lives?
“God is unconcerned with my day to day decisions.”
How many people who are professing followers of Jesus believe this to be true?
23% of church folk believe this to be true.
And because these other numbers have been so high—you might be a bit unphased by this one.
But that means that out of a church of 100 people about 23 believe that God doesn’t care about what they do on a day to day basis.
This idea is that God is too high.
He is to mighty.
He is too otherworldly to be concerned with the affairs of humans.
This is a wild disconnect from the teaching of the Bible.
The cross of Jesus Christ is a loud objection to this idea that God is not concerned with people.
God has endured much to save people.
“Well yea, but God is not concerned with what I wear, or watch, or whether or not I exercise.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9