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This is the last part of our series on REAL peace.
Overcome... Does it sound like we are out to win the conflict?
Not exactly.
Let's just quickly review what we have seen so far.
We all want peace.
But what we want, and what we get are two different things.
We have conflict.
Everything from mild irritations, to full out war.
And though what we want is peace, the way we deal with conflict tends to lead to more conflict.
Remember the Slippery Slope?
Slippery Slope Slide
We try to escape, Peace-faking, but that does not end the conflict, in fact, it is unresolved and often comes up again.
We try to win, to attack, Peace-breaking, but when we do, that only escalates the conflict or alienates others.
That is how we typically respond in our own strength, and though what we want it REAL peace in the midst of this conflicted world, we end up adding to the lack of peace.
I heard of Ernest Gordon this week while preparing.
Ernest was from Scotland, and joined the army in the War to End all Wars (World War II).
He joined the fight to win the conflict.
Fighting didn't work...
He was captured.
He was then put into a Japanese POW camp, and was a part of the Railway of Death, the railway the Japanese forced the POW's to build from Burma to Thailand.
What is the better way?
What is the way to REAL peace?
God has shown us the pathway to REAL peace in His word.
And He has demonstrated it to us.
Pathway to REAL peace
Go Higher - 1 Corinthians 10:31
Overlook - Proverbs 19:11
Imitate the Heart of God - Lamentations 3:22-24
Look Within - Matthew 7:3-5; James 4:1
Accept Responsibility - Proverbs 28:13
Gently Engage - Galatians 6:1
Forgive - Colossians 3:12-17, Ephesians 4:32
What if you do all of this and it doesn't end in REAL peace?
What if the other person will not come around?
What if they continue to mistreat you?
What if they purposely do things to hurt you, to show their contempt for you?
Personally, I want to strike back!
Our natural response is to go back down that slippery slope, either avoiding or attacking.
But we already know that is not the pathway to REAL peace.
It will not give us the peace that we so desire.
What do you do?
Once again, God has shown us what to do.
That is what we are going to look at today.
How to Overcome when others refuse to join us on the pathway to peace.
Our passage today is Romans 12:9-21.
Let's pray and ask God to speak to us.
Love must be sincere
This reminds me of what Jesus said in Luke 6:27-28, 35-36.
Remember Peter, Jesus' disciple?
He learned this lesson through his life.
Peter was the rough and tough fisherman.
The one that said he would never leave Jesus.
He was determined to fight for him.
He even cut off the ear of one of the men who came to arrest Jesus the night he was betrayed.
Peter learned what Jesus was talking about, and he said:
Love sincerely.
Love deeply from the heart.
Paul learned this lesson too.
He was the one who was violently dragging men and women who were followers of Christ, out of their homes, and beating them, throwing them into prison, even putting them to death.
But he found Grace!
And learned from Jesus, Love sincerely.
Love even your enemies, sincerely.
What does that look like?
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Love does not just overlook evil.
Love deals with it.
Is not that what Jesus did for us?
Remember, we were enemies of God.
We were not only sinners by birth, but sinners by choice.
We followed our own evil desires, and continue to do what is wrong, even encouraging others to do what is wrong.
Romans 1 is a great picture of who we were as enemies of God.
But how did God deal with the conflict?
He loved.
He loved and sent God the Son, Jesus into this world.
Jesus came, He loved.
He hated what was evil, calling a spade a spade, but clung to what was good.
God does not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
He continually taught the truth, what is good, even to the Pharisees and others who opposed Him.
He sought to glorify God.
He overlooked, He showed mercy.
He did not have to look within, He was holy.
He did not have to accept responsibility, because He was 100% innocent.
He did gently engage.
He did forgive.
But, how did they respond to Him?
They continued to taunt Him and crucified Him.
Was that the end?
What did He do?
He sent the spirit on the day of Pentecost, and 3000 of those who said His blood be on our heads, and our children were saved!
Including a number of priests!
He spoke to Saul, who was persecuting Him by putting believers to death!
He hated the sin, but clung to what was good.
The gospel that God wants to save, and can save and change lives!!
It is because of that hope of God who changes lives that we can cling to what is Good!
We can
Be devoted to one another in love!
God has made us new creations, to partake His divine nature.
To be like Jesus, looking at people through eyes of love.
Then, we can also see them as God does:
We can realize that God has us here to be ambassadors for reconciliation.
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