Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Conscientiousness
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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! O Rest in the Lord
Psalm 37 vv 1-11
/Do not fret because of evil men /
/or be envious of those who do wrong; /
/2 //for like the grass they will soon wither, /
/like green plants they will soon die away.
/
/3 //Trust in the LORD and do good; /
/dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
/
/4 //Delight yourself in the LORD /
/and he will give you the desires of your heart.
/
/5 //Commit your way to the LORD; /
/trust in him and he will do this: /
/6 //He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, /
/the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
/
*/7 /**/Be still before the LORD/*/ and wait patiently for him; /
/do not fret when men succeed in their ways, /
/when they carry out their wicked schemes.
/
/8 //Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; /
/do not fret—it leads only to evil.
/
/9 //For evil men will be cut off, /
/but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
/
/10 //A little while, and the wicked will be no more; /
/though you look for them, they will not be found.
/
/11 //But the meek will inherit the land /
/and enjoy great peace.
*[1]*/
It is impossible for the preacher to avoid the lasting effects of that dreadful day in New York, even though I am sure that many have addressed themselves to it in the last month.
I want to share some thoughts with you from the opening verses of Psa 37.
In the face of an hostile world the psalmist offers :
A new view of the wicked
A confidence in the future, and
A series of instructions concerning our relationship with God.
\\
Over-arching all of that is his emphasis in verse 7 which has been so beautifully set to music by Mendelssohn and offered as a remedy to Elijah as he sits beneath the desert tree, running from Jezebel.
*/“O rest in the Lord/*
*/Wait patiently for Him/*
*/And He will give thee thy heart’s desire”/*
Over and over again lately we have been presented with the features of the World’s present most wanted man.
It is difficult not to be depressed.
The psalmist offers a remedy:
Against a background full of wickedness, exploitation, wealth and corruption, the believer is to have a SETTLED CONFIDENCE IN GOD.
His life is to marked by PEACE and OPTIMISM, SECURITY and A SECURE FUTURE.
How is this realised?
!
1.
A new view of the wicked
(a) This requires a radical change of view :
They are not to be fretted over the Hebrew means “get hot about” v2
They are not to be envied the value system we have is altogether
different
(b) The Psalm is realistic about the wicked
They succeed 7 and 35
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
and are wealthy 16
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
They are threatening 12 and 14
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
They exploit the poor and needy 14
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
(3) But the psalmist also stresses their final judgement:
They pass away 2
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
Will be cut off 9
Have no future 10
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
God laughs at them 13
and takes the side of the oppressed 33
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
It is possible to have a settled confidence in the face of all the evil events in the world if we recognise GOD’S VIEW OF THE SITUATION
That will give us ….
! 2. A new confidence for the future
A secure dwelling place 3, 11, 29
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.
29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it for ever.
Realised ambitions 4
4 Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
An expectation of justice 6
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
A lasting inheritance 18
18 The days of the blameless are known to the Lord,
and their inheritance will endure for ever.
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