Sermon Tone Analysis

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Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
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We are starting a new series today as we enter the Lenten season.
You may know, or you may not, that Lent is a season of the church that marks a time of preparation for Easter.
It’s a time to prepare us.
Not start saving eggs or getting the candy for the baskets.
Not that kind of preparation, but soul preparation.
Normally in the church we focus on spiritual training during Lent.
It’s as though we recognize that most of the time we don’t pay much attention to our spiritual health, but there is something different about Easter, it draws it out of us.
This lent is no different.
Usually we use devotionals.
We have asked people to write short essays as reflections on a scripture verse.
This year, I’d like us to stick to the scriptures and allow God to write the devotional on us.
Here is what I’d ask you to consider this year during Lent.
Set an alarm on your phone where you can set aside 10 minutes a day.
During that 10 minutes, you read along with the rest of us a short passage, maybe a chapter, maybe less from the gospel of Matthew.
As you read, listen to what God may say to you.
When you finish, reflect on three questions.
1.
What does this tell me about God?
2. What does this tell me about humans?
3. What does this tell me about my relationship with God?
Close in prayer and get back to the rest of your life.
We made a journal for you to keep track of daily prayers and to keep track of how God might teach you through time with him in the scriptures.
If you prefer a devotional, NT Wright wrote one that I would highly recommend Lent for Everyone through Matthew.
It is free if you use the youversion bible app and sign up for it.
I’ll send a link out this week if you would like to use it as well.
But more importantly than reading what God said to NT Wright, is what is God saying to you.
I pray you will invest yourself and your time in growing this Lent.
I can tell you that for me, it was during lent in 1999 that my faith grew more than it ever had before.
That year, every day during Lent I fasted my lunch.
I would work until I really got hungry.
Until it was distracting me, usually mid afternoon, then I would take my bible and go find a place, usually at the dock, instead of eating a sandwich, I would spend my time reading the bible and praying.
I can tell you that I have never been as close to God as I was that spring.
I didn’t do it perfectly, some days I wasn’t able to get out, but I put it on my calendar.
I planned for it to happen.
As the lady said in that movie War Room…miracles don’t happen by accident.
Get close to God and he will be close to you.
I could go on all day, but I don’t have the time really.
I need to get into today’s text.
WE are going to be looking at the last 7 words, the last 7 statements, of Jesus from the cross.
I’ve titled this series “Love Ran Red” because that’s exactly what was happening on the cross.
God’s love for us was displayed on the cross.
If you ever start thinking that you aren’t worth much.
People and life seem to be going against you, if it seems you can’t get a break, at every corner you find setbacks, think of the cross.
On the cross, God didn’t just tell you how important you are to him, he put it on full display.
His love for you ran red on the cross.
As his love for you was being poured out, Jesus said some very powerful things.
Keep in mind that Jesus’s crucifixion was a travesty.
He had not done anything wrong but love people, heal them, teach truth to them.
His death was just wrong, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he acted and the things he said.
Listen to these first words from the cross.
None of us have experienced anything to this level.
But we can relate a bit I think.
Today’s message is for those of us who have been wronged.
Is that you?
Have you ever been wronged?
Have you ever been unjustifiably blamed or punished?
We know what this is like to some degree right?
WE have all experienced this to some degree right?
How did you respond?
I’ve grouped the ways we might respond into two camps:
Two options when we are wronged:
first,
The ‘before Christ’ response
This is how we naturally respond.
Instinctively, i respond to being wronged in predictable ways.
I take things personally, I want to get even.
You OWE me and justice is MINE .
That’s not new to us, that’s the way people have been behaving since the beginning of time.
That’s where the phrase an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth came from.
This has been the standard for centuries.
Then Jesus came along and changed the rules.
For centuries we had to be restricted to just an eye for an eye.
Cause honestly if someone takes out my eye, something in me wants to take both of theirs.
If i’m real honest, their nose too, sometimes their whole face.
But where does that get us?
Where does revenge ever get us?
Jesus knew the answer was NO WHERE.
That’s why he changed the rules.
The ‘after Christ’ response
Jesus’s words from the cross were forgiveness, not revenge.
God FORGAVE me so I’ll forgive YOU .
We shouldn't be surprised that Jesus would forgive his persecutors from the cross.
But we are.
Who does that?
Jesus would say we all can.
Before we get to understanding how forgiveness fits into tour life.
Let’s make sure we are talking about the same forgiveness.
Forgiveness is NOT:
Forgetting what was done.
It would be impossible to forget some things that have been done to you right?
We don’t get to control what we forget.
It doesn’t mean Removing consequences.
There are consequences for behavior that are as sure as gravity.
I can’t expect to live on bourbon and not have liver problems, I can’t expect to take advantage of people and there not be fall out.
One of the biggest fall outs is a lack of trust.
Forgiving is not the same as Trusting.
If you’ve been hurt by someone repeatedly, you should be leery.
You should put protections around you.
That’s what forgiveness is not, but what is forgiveness.
Forgiveness IS:
Refusing to seek MY revenge.
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