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
0.09UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.63LIKELY
Sadness
0.49UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.79LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.02UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.86LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.76LIKELY
Extraversion
0.14UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.67LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.73LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Read the Text
Pray
Introduction to the Centurion’s Servant
Jesus finishes his talk with his disciples and then goes back into Capernaum.
The pressing need: A man is sick and about to die.
The elders of the Jews are sent to Jesus on behalf of the Centurion.
The elders state that the Centurion is worthy or deserves to have his servant healed.
The Centurion sends some friends to tell Jesus that (vs.
6) “I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof” and (vs.
7) “say the word and my servant will be healed”.
Substantiation: The Centurion explains authority based on his own leadership position.
Jesus is amazed at the faith of the Centurion and the servant is healed
(Both Luke and Matthew give us the same account.)
Imagine the editorial process that Luke undertook as he gathered up the various narratives about Jesus.
He told Theophilus:
The Holy Spirit leads Luke to include this story in the narrative.
Luke has checked it out… carefully investigated it.
And he decides that this is important.
Why?
Why does Luke include this story in the narrative?
The outcome is amazing:
The servant is healed… God rescues this man from the brink of death.
A centurion get’s to have his most valuable servant.
The Jewish elders in Capernaum get to see the Centurion blessed.
Isn’t this the type of thing that humanity longs for?
Don’t we want God to work in our circumstances in such a way?
Why did God do this amazing miracle?
Verse 4-5 Basis for God’s work:
The Jewish elders suggest that the Centurion deserves this
The man loves the nation of Israel
He paid for the construction of a synagogue in the town.
The context suggests
He cares about the health of his servant.
He has significant social status in the town because of his leadership role and his money.
No doubt, this Centurion sounds like an honorable man.
He sounds like a quality guy.
If this Centurion lived in Baltimore he would be invited to the Mayor’s events.
We would often see him being commended by the Baltimore Sun.
He probably would have a park named after him or maybe even a library would bear his name.
And the outcome of the story is a dream come true: Jesus worked to heal the servant.
Arn’t these the reasons why we think God should work in our life?
Or maybe the absence of these things are the reason why God isn’t working in our life?
We may believe that we deserve God’s blessing because:
I’m a patriot.
I love my city and my country.
I have done good stuff for other people.
I have made huge sacrifices for other people.
I care for the people around me.
Other people like me.
I have good standing at work or among my peers.
I get lots of likes on my Instagram posts and this famous person retweeted me.
My grades are impeccable.
When my friends are out goofing off I’m home studying.
I give money to the homeless.
I attend church every week.
I give money to my church.
I deserve the favor of God because of “x”.
Did Jesus heal the servant because the Centurion deserved it?
Does God work in our life because we deserve it?
Paul answers this question when he writes to the Philippians:
The most religious man had to count his credentials as loss for the sake of Christ.
NO!
The Centurion was not healed because he deserved it.
In fact no human has ever earned the favor of God other then Jesus Christ.
What do we deserve?
Each one of us have sinned and because of that sin we deserve death.
We have earned a wage off of our sin work: that wage is death.
But we long for the outcome of this story.
We need the touch of God upon our life.
We need the touch of God upon our city.
We need God’s touch upon our families.
We see how broken the world is around us.
We see fellow human beings murdering one another without mercy.
We see doctors and scientist dedicated to discovering cures for death.
We see artist longing to express beauty and truth.
We need God to say the word and it will be healed...
This story illustrates the two human attitudes necessary for God to work.
Look back at verse 6-7:
“for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.
But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.
But say the word, and my servant will be healed.y
I do not deserve… an expression of humility, lowliness, meekness.
6 So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.
But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Say the word and my servant will be healed… an expression of faith, trust, belief.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .
Jesus then praises the man’s faith: “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
The Big Idea: God works where there is humility and faith.
I have a question for you…
How does a person become a Christian?
Does going to church make you a Christian?
Does Christian music make you a Christian?
Does reading the Bible make you a Christian?
Answer: A person becomes a Christian by expressing humility and placing their faith in Christ.
The legal term for this is justification:
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9