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
0.13UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.13UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.61LIKELY
Sadness
0.2UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.7LIKELY
Confident
0.49UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.95LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.76LIKELY
Extraversion
0.19UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.49UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.75LIKELY

Tone of specific sentences

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction
One of the most embarrassing and saddening realities of the modern church is the issue of sexual abuse.
We have been saddened by so many accounts of this abuse that has happened within the church.
I know that it has happened in many other institutions as well.
But the church ought to be a safe place to be.
The world sees much of the church now as an organisation of hypocrites.
People who profess one ethic and yet, live another.
This is the essence of hypocrisy - professing one standard of living but living by another standard.
When I think of hypocrisy, I think of actors or acting.
I’m not saying actors are hypocrites.
What they do is for entertainment.
We all know they are deliberately playing their part.
But when serious people merely play a part to deceive, but don’t really in their heart believe in the standard, they are truly actors playing a part.
However, when a person lives what they believe - no matter how bizarre their beliefs - we cannot not say they are hypocrites.
Take Adopt Hitler for example.
Hitler was not a hypocrite even though he was a murderer.
He truly lived out what he believed.
What he believed, he lived out - not that I excuse him - but he does live out the system & ethics he believed in
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Christ system the only one
1.
Recap on the Righteousness of God
Last week, we spoke a lot about the righteousness of God
What do we mean by the righteousness of God?
Isolate the word “right” as a key to understanding this
The righteousness of God is the right ways of God (the uprightness of God) & the right ways of God are found where?
Are now found exclusively in Jesus Christ
To enjoy a right standing with God & an on-going right relationship with God, a person must place their faith firmly in Jesus Christ
Jesus & Jesus alone is the right way of God & the way to be in a right relationship with God
------------------
But Israel stumbled over the right ways of God by declaring another way which they determined for themselves as the right way of God
But Paul says that they refused to conform to God’s way so, in fact, their ways was the wrong ways of God - it is unrighteousness
This is obvious, because Jesus was the right way, right from the start - He was always God’s plan & throughout Jewish history hints of this had been given, but not heeded
Q.
Why do you think that is? ans = Because they wanted God for themselves
---------------------
They used the law as a fence to retain God & keep Him to themselves
Gentiles who wished to know God could know God, but the Jews insisted that they needed to be converts to Judaism
In other words if you, as a Gentile (a non-Jew) wanted to know God, they insisted that you conform to the Jewish ways - in short, you needed to become a Jew
That is done by circumcision, if you happen to be male &, for both male & female, to bound to the law of God
You, as a Gentile, could not be saved as a Gentile
-----------------------
That immediately poses a problem, since the law came as a package deal
The status of being “Jew” is defined by the works of the law – sacrificial offerings, temple services & worship, festivals & feasts, dietary regulations, circumcision, Fasts, Sabbath days & the like
Binding themselves to the law meant that the Jews refused to move forward with God’s plan to bring the Messiah into the world
They would only accept a Messiah that would put them before Gentiles & a Messiah that would subdue the Gentile nations under them.
----------------------------
this had been
They determined that the Law would be the right ways of God
This is why they had such a huge problem with accepting Jesus as the promised Messiah
Firstly, He allowed Gentiles, as Gentiles, to come into the Kingdom of God
Secondly, He appeared as a NON conquering Messiah.
In fact, the Romans hung Him on a cross - that is hardly being triumphant nor is their any hint of Him subduing the Gentile nations under Israel - that didn’t happen.
This is what happens, however, when you have rose-coloured glasses on, when you are trying to read the Scriptures
Israel could not see what God was doing because their own desires got in the way
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God ().
But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num.
25).
But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num.
25).
But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
Douglas J. Moo, Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 328.
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num.
25).
But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num.
25).
But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
2. The Way of Law and The Way of Christ
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num.
25).
But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
I have struggled to work out how I can present this section to you today & I keep coming back to the best way as by going verse by verse or verses by verses
Nothing fancy, other than that I will try to bring out the essence of what the apostle is saying here.
So keep this heading in mind as we go through this section - twos ways presented...
The way of Law & the way of Christ
Some people read this & try to make a divide between law & faith or works & belief as if this is what is being contrasted here
I was taught that way in church, but as I have studied & studied the Scriptures, I have come to the opinion that we have failed to account for the reality of what is happening in the apostle’s own day - what his issues are, not ours
In other words, our concerns were not the apostle’s concerns & vice versa
We have divided faith from works or doing as if this is the issue in this passage - I don’t believe this is the case
-------------------
-------------------
Verse 5 here, reflects a passage in
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Christ system the only one
Lev.
18:5
A man may live - how? Live eternally?
- No! A man may live & not die prematurely
That is certainly the case for those who disobeyed the law & became idolaters
Israel had been accepted by God by His grace & it was always intended to be a faith system.
---------------
Doing the law was a way to experience a fruitful & God-honouring life, under the Old Covenant.
Doing the law was not an “achievement” nor a “notch” in your belt
Believing & doing are two sides of the same coin
A man may live long life & find fruitfulness & blessing by abiding in God’s law
But again, for that time when they were under the theocratic rule of God
The old covenant was a theocratic rule of God over the physical land & nation
God blessed that nation of Israel, when they obeyed Him & they experienced the curse when they disobeyed & became idolaters
The Jews or the apostle never recognised a distinction between
The reformers 500 yrs ago were in dispute with the
This is not a topic on faith & works but a delineation of the places of law & faith in God’s history
Believing & doing are two sides of the same coin
a. Two Eras or Two Ages
What the apostle is contrasting here are two ages, two eras
The Jews or the apostle never recognised a distinction between
The reformers 500 yrs ago were in dispute with the
This is not a topic on faith & works but a topic on the two ages
This is not a topic on faith & works but a delineation of the places of law & faith in God’s history
The apostle says a similar thing in Galatians
Faith in Christ does not occupy the same “turf” as the Law in the OT era
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9