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
0.11UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.06UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.64LIKELY
Sadness
0.48UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.7LIKELY
Confident
0.31UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.9LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.64LIKELY
Extraversion
0.29UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.67LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.38UNLIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Have you ever been so tired that when you have to wake up your not really ready to wake up yet.
You were still in such a deep sleep that when you force yourself you feel disorientated.
It takes you a while to figure out what is going on.
I often see this in my kids if you wake them up from their nap too early.
One time when I was working third shift, I had to get up when I wasn’t ready and disorientated I stumbled into the bathroom and I trying to remember what I needed to do to get ready to go.
Oh, yeah I need to make my hair look presentable.
So I mindlessly grab something out of the cabinet and just before I spread this something in my hair, I realize that it is hand soap not hair gel.
And so I wash my hands and fumble for the hair gel only to realize that this time I grabbed the tooth paste.
I finally did get it right.
Sometimes we live our spiritual lives this way.
We get disorientated.
Our hearts and our minds get off the right track.
We live our lives orientated to earthly things rather than to Christ.
This is what Paul is addressing in Colossians 3. Paul wants these believers to grow spiritually by actually seeking a relationship with Christ.
In Colossians 2:6-8 Paul gives these believers two commands to follow if they are to actually grow in their spiritual lives in the Lord.
Last week we examined the command found in v. 8
Paul gives the command to beware, or to be on guard concerning empty deceptive philosophy- according to human tradition and according to elemental spirits (evil spirits).
How do we do that?
Paul tells us how in 2:16-23
Guideline #1- Do not allow anyone to condemn your spiritual growth with standards that do not have Christ at the center
Guideline #2- Stop submitting yourselves to unbiblical rules and regulations
There are two fundamental flaws in attempting to grow spiritually through this empty deceptive philosophy
Flaw #1- This philosophy doesn’t hold fast to Christ who is our Head, and therefore it doesn’t produce genuine growth- the growth from God.
Flaw #2-This philosophy has an appearance of wisdom, but it is of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
That begs the question- if human philosophy is this flawed, then how can we grow spiritually?
How can we stop the indulgence of our flesh?
Back in Col 2.6 Paul gives these believers a command that is at the heart of spiritual growth
We growth spiritually through dependent faith in Christ.
What does that look like?
How do we do that?
Paul’s answer is found in Col 3
Paul wanted these Colossians believers to grow spiritually, he wanted them to be able to stop the indulgence of their flesh.
He wanted them to realize that this was only possible as they grew in their relationship with Christ.
Christians, genuine spiritual growth is only possible in our relationship with Christ.
What does a relationship with Christ for the believer really look like?
And how does that effect spiritual growth in our lives?
Paul gives us several guidelines that we must follow if we are to have a relationship with Christ and actually grow in our spiritual lives.
I.
You must reorient your heart and your mind IN CHRIST (3:1-4)
A. The pattern of spiritual growth (3:1-2)
Εἰ οὖν συνηγέρθητε τῷ Χριστῷ,*
Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ
Paul begins with a conditional phrase- Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ.
He wants every one of us to consider this truth.
Have you been resurrected together with Christ?
Paul has already made this wonderful declaration of our spiritual reality IN CHRIST.
If you are IN CHRIST, then you have participated in His death and his resurrection.
You share in HIS life, you walk in newness of life because of your faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
Can you make this statement about your identity?
I AM RISEN WITH CHRIST?
God has made me alive together with Christ by forgiving me all my trespasses.
God did that by taking all my sin, with its debt and legal demands, and nailing it to the cross.
I believe with all my heart that I am saved, I have experienced forgiveness of my sins because of Christ and I now experience newness of life because of Christ.
IF THIS IS YOUR IDENTITY- then...
Pattern #1 of your new identity in Christ
SEEK the things that are above- where CHRIST is, seated at the right hand of God (v. 1)
Seek- devote serious effort to realize one’s desire or objective, strive for Christ, aim for Christ, desire Christ
Present tense imperative- keep on seeking Christ
Be preoccupied with the eternal realities that are ours IN CHRIST.
This is to be the pattern of a believer’s life.
When Paul says we are to seek after the things that are above, he does not mean that we should seek to possess those things- they are already ours because of Christ.
Rather the idea is that we must seek to orient ourselves totally to these heavenly realities.
We must make our heavenly status, our relationship with Christ, the guidepost for all of our thinking and acting.
We should be constantly occupied in striving for this orientation.
This idea of seeking is dealing primarily with the heart.
It’s like the needle on a compass.
If you have a compass and you take it out and hold it still what will the needle eventually do?
It will reorient itself to point north.
Here Paul calls for us to seek Christ- that is reorient our hearts so that they point towards heavenly realities.
Jesus said it this way:
Whatever is our treasure- whatever we love the most- there will our heart be also- that is exactly where the needle of the compass of our hearts will point.
Paul is saying this: you want to know the pattern for actual spiritual growth?
You want to know how to actually stop the indulgence of your flesh?
Then this must be a pattern of your life.
Constantly reorient your heart so that it points toward Christ.
Folks, it is so easy for our hearts to point towards earthly things.
The loves of this world creep into our lives and our hearts and we live our lives with the things of this earth orienting the needle of our hearts.
Real spirituality comes from a heart that is seeking Christ- that is constantly reorienting itself so that it points toward Christ.
Pattern #2- of your new identity in Christ
SET your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (v. 2)
Set your affection- to give careful consideration to something, to set one’s mind on something.
The term implies more than a way of thinking; it includes values and loves as well.
It could well be translated “delight in things above.”
We are to set our minds on things above, where Christ is, our heavenly realities should so dominate our thinking that they become our delight.
Obviously, the thoughts of heaven that are to fill the believer’s mind must derive from Scripture.
Is this the way you consume Scripture?
Do you so fill your mind with heavenly realities, that Christ Himself becomes the delight of your mind?
Illustration: riding my bike and having Scripture run through my mind-
Not saying that you have to have a Bible verse in your mind 24/7, but we do need to regularly set our minds on things that are above, you need to purposefully consistently delight your mind with Christ.
We probably all know people, who claim to be Christians, who are living in such a way that it is really hard to tell the difference between them and an unsaved person.
Their life is filled with earthly things.
Their mind, their thoughts are earthly- atheism, homosexuality, alcohol- why are they growing spiritually?
Because their minds are not delighting in the things above- their thinking is not being transformed IN CHRIST
Here are people that claimed to be Christians, but now they are the enemies of the cross of Christ!
Why?
They have orientated their hearts toward the pleasures of sin- their god is their belly (sinful lusts), and their glory is in their shame.
The needle of the love of their heart points toward earthly things.
And so too is their thinking.
They mind earthly things- their mind is set on things of this earth.
That which they delight in in their mind is only earthly.
BUT our conversation our citizenship is in heaven.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9