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
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
0.61LIKELY
Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
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PS61
Introduction
Twelve years ago the movie Superman Returns came out.
It might actually be the best of all the Superman movies.
Superman has disappeared from the scene for five years.
He left Lois Lane and all of earth to search for his proper place in the universe.
Lois, for her part, attempted to heal from the disappointment of Superman’s leaving by writing an essay for which she has won a Pulitzer Prize.
The essay’s title is Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.
Of course, Superman returns because he realizes that his proper place is right here on earth.
And, of course, he ends up spending some time with Lois.
When they get the opportunity to talk Lois quotes from her essay and says to him, “The world doesn’t need a savior.”
And for good measure she adds, “and neither do I.” Then he takes her on a ride as only Superman can, high above the clouds looking down over the earth and he asks her, “What do you hear?”
She says, “I don’t hear anything.”
He responds, “I hear everything.”
And you get a glimpse into what it’s like to have Superman’s hearing.
You hear the sound of sirens and screams and violence.
Then he says the most powerful words in the movie.
He says, “You wrote that the world doesn’t need a savior, but everyday I hear people crying out for one.”
Twelve years ago the movie Superman Returns came out.
It might actually be the best of all the Superman movies.
Superman has disappeared from the scene for five years.
He left Lois Lane and all of earth to search for his proper place in the universe.
Lois, for her part, attempted to heal from the disappointment of Superman’s leaving by writing an essay for which she has won a Pulitzer Prize.
The essay’s title is Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.
Of course, Superman returns because he realizes that his proper place is right here on earth.
And, of course, he ends up spending some time with Lois.
When they get the opportunity to talk Lois quotes from her essay and says to him, “The world doesn’t need a savior.”
And for good measure she adds, “and neither do I.” Then he takes her on a ride as only Superman can, high above the clouds looking down over the earth and he asks her, “What do you hear?”
She says, “I don’t hear anything.”
He responds, “I hear everything.”
And you get a glimpse into what it’s like to have Superman’s hearing.
You hear the sound of sirens and screams and violence.
Then he says the most powerful words in the movie.
He says, “You wrote that the world doesn’t need a savior, but everyday I hear people crying out for one.”
Superman has disappeared from the scene for five years.
He left Lois Lane and all of earth to search for his proper place in the universe.
Lois, for her part, attempted to heal from the disappointment of Superman’s leaving by writing an essay for which she has won a Pulitzer Prize.
The essay’s title is Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.
Of course, Superman returns because he realizes that his proper place is right here on earth.
And, of course, he ends up spending some time with Lois.
When they get the opportunity to talk Lois quotes from her essay and says to him, “The world doesn’t need a savior.”
And for good measure she adds, “and neither do I.” Then he takes her on a ride as only Superman can, high above the clouds looking down over the earth and he asks her, “What do you hear?”
She says, “I don’t hear anything.”
He responds, “I hear everything.”
And you get a glimpse into what it’s like to have Superman’s hearing.
You hear the sound of sirens and screams and violence.
Then he says the most powerful words in the movie.
He says, “You wrote that the world doesn’t need a savior, but everyday I hear people crying out for one.”
I don’t know if the script writer knew how profound he was in that line, but every human heart in some way or another is crying out for a savior.
That is so often the case because there is so much that is lamentable in this world; so much cause for lamentation.
That’s why I love this psalm.
Stress, distress, grief, sorrow, feeling overwhelmed are woven into the fabric of our lives.
You cannot live in this world and not experience these things.
And they bring with them a sense of desperation.
The question is how will we respond to the desperate times?
I don’t know if the script writer knew how profound he was in that line, but every human heart in some way or another is crying out for a savior.
That is so often the case because there is so much that is lamentable in this world; so much cause for lamentation.
That’s why I love this psalm.
Stress, distress, grief, sorrow, feeling overwhelmed are woven into the fabric of our lives.
You cannot live in this world and not experience these things.
And they bring with them a sense of desperation.
The question is how will we respond to the desperate times?
P
I plucked this sermon title, Long Live the King, from David’s words in v. 6.
This title is meant to be a declaration of praise from us to God for the eternal King, Jesus Christ.
As this psalm moves from distress to praise, we can find ourselves taking that same journey because Jesus Christ has taken it for us.
We’ll look at this psalm under these three headings, Song of Lament, Singing for Shelter & Security, and the Song of Praise.
Song of Lament
The life situation under which this psalm was written can be found in .
Particularly in .
David is on the run again.
He had been on the run before when Samuel had anointed him king and king Saul was trying to kill him.
But now he is fleeing for his life from his own son Absalom.
God had delivered him from the hand of Saul and established his throne.
And at the high point of his kingdom, God made a covenantal promise that he would always have a son on the throne.
He must be wondering, “Surely, the Lord did not mean for it to take place like this?
Here I am in exile, in Mahanaim, while my son sits on the throne and is trying to kill me.”
The life situation under which this psalm was written can be found in .
Particularly in .
David is on the run again.
He had been on the run before when Samuel had anointed him king and king Saul was trying to kill him.
But now he is fleeing for his life from his own son Absalom.
God had delivered him from the hand of Saul and established his throne.
And at the high point of his kingdom, God made a covenantal promise that he would always have a son on the throne.
Surely the Lord did not mean for it to take place like this?
Here I am in exile, in Mahanaim, while my son sits on the throne and is trying to kill me.
He is far away from home and the place of security.
He says he is at the end of the earth.
He is under duress and the situation seems unbearable.
He says that his heart is faint.
This is a vivid picture of his suffering.
Displaced and lacking control over the situation; lacking the ability to alter the circumstances.
His suffering is a double whammy, both displaced and helpless.
That is what’s so awful about suffering.
Whether we are physically removed from our place of security, or we are only mentally and emotionally dislodged from the place of peace, we suffer pain and become frightfully aware of the fact that we lack control.
This makes our hearts faint.
It brings grief upon us.
Yesterday, on the flight out here I was reading Nicholas Wolterstorff’s book, Lament for a Son.
It was written over 30 years ago, but it’s timeless.
He published the lamentations he wrote after the tragic death of his 25 year old son, Eric.
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