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
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Anger
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The minister advertises for a servant to help around the house.
The next morning, a nicely dressed young man comes to the front door.
The minister opens the door and wastes no time.
Can you start breakfast by 7 o’clock?"
I guess so.
Can you polish all the silver, wash all the dishes, do all the laundry, take care of the lawn, wash all the windows, iron all the clothes and keep the house clean and tidy?
For a moment the young man is speechless.
Finally, he says:
Look, pastor, I came here to see about getting married to my girl.
But if it’s going to be that much work, forget it!
Service is something we expect from other people.
You expect the waitress to keep your tea glass full.
You get annoyed when you’re asked to wait for the next available operator.
You assume the maid will make up your bed at the hotel.
Some people say service is a thing of the past.
But Jesus says you and I are called to be servants.
Jesus’ most faithful follower is not the boss.
It is the servant.
The question is how can you and I live as good and faithful servants of God?
The answer can be found in a story about one of His most faithful servants.
It’s found in 1 Kings 18:1-16.
PRAYER
Do you ever ask yourself what is he doing here?
You’re reading a novel, watching a TV show or a movie.
Suddenly a new character shows up.
They make their entrance and then disappear.
He doesn’t seem to add anything to the story.
He doesn’t seem to be important at all.
But nine times out ten, that unimportant character will end up being crucial.
On first reading, Obadiah seems like an unimportant character.
What is he doing here?
The main players in this story, other than God Himself, are Elijah and Ahab.
Why introduce Obadiah?
One clue is his name.
Obadiah= servant of God.
Through him, God shows us how to be a faithful servant of God.
Consider first:
To be a faithful servant of God,
1.
You must be a good servant.
(v.
1-3)
A British lady woman is interviewing a gentleman applying for the position of servant.
She asks "Can you serve company?"
He replies, "Yes, mum, I can serve guests both ways."
The lady looks puzzled and asks,
"What do you mean, both ways?"
"I can serve them so's they'll come again...
Or I can serve them so they’ll stay away."
What is the old saying?
Good help is hard to find.
Ahab has found some good help.
Obadiah is a good servant of a bad king.
What kind of servant do you put in charge of a palace?
A skillful man.
Not just anybody can keep a palace running smoothly.
It requires skills in administration, in dealing with money and with people.
As evil as Ahab is, he understands he needs someone skillful in charge of his
house.
What kind of servant does the king need?
A diligent man.
You don’t want a lazy servant overseeing your palace.
You don’t want a servant who half-does his job.
You want someone who works hard, who does their best in everything they do.
As foolish as Ahab is, surely he understands he needs a servant who is diligent to be in
charge of his house.
Finally, one thing a king needs above all else in a servant:
A trustworthy man.
Ahab is an ungodly man.
Yet vs.3 tells us
It is beyond belief to think Ahab doesn’t know this.
Why does an idolatrous king put a godly man in charge of his house?
Perhaps because Ahab knows he can trust a godly man.
He knows Obadiah’s loyalty to God will make him loyal to Ahab.
What does all this mean for me and you?
It means this:
Being a servant of God means being a good servant.
It means realizing you serve the Lord by serving others.
The most obvious application is to the workplace.
A good servant of God is a good employee.
Being a good servant of God means being a skillful, diligent, trustworthy worker.
This same thing is true when it comes to serving in your home.
Whether it’s cooking a meal, vacuuming a rug, balancing a checkbook or mowing the lawn.
You serve your family skillfully, diligently, worthy of the trust of those you love.
It applies to serving in the church.
Using your skills talents and abilities.
Being diligent, not sloppy in your service.
Being trustworthy, dependable, being reliable.
Sometimes it is embarrassing how sloppy our service to God can be.
Of some of us did our job in the workplace the way we work in the church…
How many of us could keep our job?
If you are going to be a servant of God, it begins by simply being a good servant in every area
of your life.
Another characteristic of a faithful servant of God is
2.
You must be willing to serve in secret.
(v.
4-7)
Did you hear about the preacher voted the most humble pastor in America?
The congregation gives him a medal that says, “To the most humble pastor in America.”
Then they take it away because he wears it Sunday morning.i
Everybody like to be recognized for their service.
That’s not always a bad thing.
But a faithful servant of God has to be willing to serve in secret.
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