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
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
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Anger
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Introduction
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
. . .
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
And that has made all the difference.
I took the one less traveled by,
- Robert Frost
And that has made all the difference.
Whom do you Trust? (Preaching Today)
Two ways of life described with two plants.
גֶּבֶר (geber).
Man.
As distinct from such more general words for man as ʾādām, ʾiš, ʾenôš, etc., this word specifically relates to a male at the height of his powers.
As such it depicts humanity at its most competent and capable level.
Sixty-six occurrences.
Two ways of life described with two plants.
This passage has the ring of a proverb:
‘Cursed is the man,’ ‘Blessed is the man’/ ‘Like a shrub,’ ‘like a tree’
With the authority of a prophet:
“Thus says the Lord”
The question to ask as we go through this passage is: Which describes your life?
Not the environment - the plant.
Cursed life vs the Blessed life - Which would you like?
ILLUST - TV commercial “Nobody ever says, ‘I want to be a junkie when I grow up.’”
**Where you place your faith determines your fruitfulness.
The place you place your faith determines your fruitfulness.**
Context:
גֶּבֶר (geber).
Man.
As distinct from such more general words for man as ʾādām, ʾiš, ʾenôš, etc., this word specifically relates to a male at the height of his powers.
As such it depicts humanity at its most competent and capable level.
Sixty-six occurrences.
Definition, description, prescription of a cursed life
What is a cursed life?
(5)
1-4
Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
Trusts in man - depend, rely, place security in
Makes flesh his strength - or “arm”
Heart turns away from the Lord.
Cursed life is found with a person who trusts in self, someone, or something other than the Lord.
Take a look back at the beginning of the chapter to get a better picture of what Jeremiah meant by a person who trusts in self, someone, or something other than the Lord.
(we are ALWAYS teaching our children spiritual lessons)
Jer 17:
jeremiah
How was Judah ‘trusting in man’ and ‘turning from the Lord?’ Understanding how Judah was trusting in man might help us avoid the same mistake.
I see four ways:
they had hard / stubborn hearts (v1) - you don’t need a pen of iron with a diamond point for a soft heart - this is no ball-point!
Deut 6:6-7
Judah was doing the exact opposite
idolatry - ‘Asherim’ - wooden poles - possibly like totem poles - additional altars - only one true altar in the Temple.
God had given Israel good things (the Promised Land) and Israel had used some of that good thing to make ‘god things.’
Idolatry is not something stuck only in OT - Apostle John warned NT believers against idolatry - last verse of his first letter:
John Calvin likened the human heart to an idol factory.
It doesn’t take long for us to take a good thing and make it a god-thing.
When it becomes a god-thing it becomes an idol.
it becomes a god-thing when you look to it as your source of power, protection, provision, or pleasure
God is the source of all of these things.
He may choose to use some good things in our lives to give us
The new job title that increases your influence and power or provides for us
The relationship that makes you happy or makes you feel safe and protected.
Marriage, children
Idolatry = Craving or experiencing satisfaction in anything that you treasure or pursue more than God.
Tim Keller regarding idols: “If I have that, then I will feel like my life has meaning.
Then I’ll know I have value.
And I’ll feel significant and secure.”
— Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
Idolatry begins in the heart, and it never ends well.
Materialism - ‘Your wealth and all your treasures’
Pride - ‘You shall loosen you hand from your heritage.’
What does a cursed life look like?
(6)
Shrub in the desert.
I think tumbleweed
A faithless life is loneliness.
I’ve never seen a ROW of shrubs in the desert.
The desert is a lonely place.
If people and things are your source of power, protection, provision, and pleasure then you will need to keep drawing on them to stay satisfied.
A faithless life is helpless.
“shall not see any good come”
seems out of sync from what we see - good things happening to the faithless
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