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
0.19UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.1UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.52LIKELY
Sadness
0.55LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.74LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.45UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.69LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.89LIKELY
Extraversion
0.1UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.93LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.66LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
*Philippians IV: Prayer – In, Through, and Among Us*
*Philippians 1:19*
*/November 18, 2007/*
· Welcome on this Sunday before *thanksgiving*.
Last week I almost got *whiplash* trying to look at all of you from *side* to *side* and *up* and *down*, so I have move the *podium* onto the *stage*.
Plus I want this *table* to *protect* me in case anyone goes *postal*.
Today we are continuing our study on Philippians, so let turn to 1:18.
It is at the bottom of *page* *830* in the *pew* *Bibles*.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
/Philippians 1:18b-19 NIV/
And *that* is as *far* as we are *getting* today.
I’ve slowed down to *one* verse.
But it’s *not* my *fault*!
Earlier this week, I got into a *discussion* on *prayer* and it really got me thinking, so *considered* *dropping* Philippians for a week, but *changed* my *mind* and decided to stick to the series.
But then I read the passage for the sermon and was *struck* by the fact that Paul basically gives the Philippians *equal* *billing* with the *Holy* *Sprit*.
· He says that “*through*,” the Philippians’ prayers, he will be *delivered* – they are the *means* of his *deliverance*.
I realized that I must *not* *grasp* the *power* of *prayer*, not the way *Paul* *does*, and decided that I *had* to *camp* on this verse and *study* *prayer*, if just for my *own* *sake*.
· This study has *dramatically* *adjusted* my perspective on prayer, specifically because of one *ten*-*word* *verse*.
So today, we are going to *focus* on *prayer* and what God wants to do *in*, *through*, and *among* us by prayer.
*Delivered from what? *
But *first*, let’s look at the rest of the verse:
Paul says that he *knows* that he will be *delivered*.
As you recall, he was in *jail* facing the *capital* *charges* of promoting an *unsanctioned* *religion*.
It sounds here like Paul is *sure* he will be found *not* *guilty*.
But in *verse* *20*, which we will study next week, it’s *clear* that he doesn’t know if he will *live* or *die*.
Paul is *actually* alluding to something *Job* said in the OT.
As you may remember, Job was a *righteous* *man* that God allowed to *suffer* greatly, and he didn’t understand why:
Though [God] slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Indeed, this */will turn out for my deliverance.../* /Job 13:15-16 NIV /
· Like Job, Paul isn’t looking to the earthly courts, but the heavenly one.
He knows that he will not be ashamed when he *faces* his *Lord*, because he is *confident* that he will *continue* to *preach* the Gospel and be *true* to *Christ*.
· And so he rejoices even in the midst of suffering.
*Good grounds for certainty*
Q: But how can Paul be *so* *sure* that he will stay the course?
1.
The Philippians’ prayers
2. The help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ
The *second* one makes *sense*: Through the *help* of the Holy *Spirit*, here called “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
But the *first* *one* is *surprising*, especially since Paul puts it *first*: He is *depending* on the *prayers* of the *Philippians*, and the word *implies* that it’s in the *same* *way* he is depending on the Holy Spirit.
· *Not* to the same *degree*, but in the same *manner*.
· *Think* about that for a second – Paul is *depending* on them.
*My problem with prayer*
Perhaps this is a bit of a “*no-duh*.”
But I am speaking from where *I* *am* *at* and prayer – specifically prayer that *calls* *God* to *act* – has always been a difficult for me.
Q: Why is it so hard for me to understand?
I’ll get to in a *second*, but because of my *make* *up*, the *less* I *understand* something, the *harder* it is for me to *embrace* it.
I think this is true of *all* of us; otherwise when our parents used to tell us “Because I *told* you *so*,” or “Because I’m the *mommy*, that’s *why*,” we would have found that *satisfying*.
Q: It wasn’t for me, was it for you?
Q: Does it work with your kids?
· I have found that that it is easier to *do* something with *conviction* when I *believe* in it with *conviction*.
So I am driven to better *understand* prayer, so I can *believe* it with greater *conviction*.
I am *not* saying that we should *only* *do* or *believe* things we *understand* *100%*.
Most things have to be taken on *faith* to *some* *degree*.
That does not mean we must accept things *without* *thought* or *mechanically* follow directions.
God finds *great* *joy* in watching us *dig* and *grapple* with things we don’t understand.
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
/Proverbs 25:2 NIV /
· Today we get to be *kings* and search out *prayer*!
This sermon is *not* *exhaustive* I apologize in advance because I *will* *skip* many of your *favorite* *Scriptures* and neglect many *key* *points* about prayer.
My *focus* is on prayers that *asks* *God* to *do* something.
· My *goal* is to simply *explore* what God does *in* us, *though* us, and *among* us, as believers, using these prayer.
*What is prayer?*
Of course prayer, in the broadest sense, is simple *talking* to *God*, and there isn’t anything to *difficult* about that – no *forms*, no *rituals*, no *set* *programs*.
Just talk.
· Just don’t do it out loud, during a psychiatric evaluation.
Aside from that, it is pretty straight forward.
There several specific types of prayer:
#.
Adoration: Proclaiming love and wonder for who he is.
#.
Confession: Confessing sins to God.
#.
Thanksgiving: Expressing gratitude for all he has done.
#.
Petition: Pleading with God to act.
All of these should be *components* of our prayer life.
Any one practiced to the *exclusion* of the others will be *dysfunctional*.
· *Adoration* without *confession* makes for a *mystic* faith without *holiness*.
· *Confession* without *thanksgiving* makes for a *joyless* faith.
· *Thanksgiving* without *petition* makes for an *inactive* faith.
· *Petition* without *adoration* makes for a *man*-*centered* faith.
But that last type of pray, *petitionary* *prayer*, has difficult for me: Why would an *almighty*, *all*-*knowing* God want to *hear* from *us* before acting?
· Isn’t praying like a *3-year* old advising the *president*?
· We’re just not quite on the same level as the Almighty.
Jesus taught us many things about prayer:
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
/Matthew 6:7-8 NIV/
Jesus *doesn’t* answer what I consider a pretty *obvious* *question*:
Q: If he *already* *knows*, why do we still *have* to *ask*?
Most of the time, I’m pretty sure that I’m praying for the *wrong* thing, so I hope God *ignores* me.
· As near as I can tell, Scripture never specifically says *why* we should pray, but it’s clear *that* we that we should pray.
It does, however, give us *bits* and *pieces* that allow us to see *some* of *God’s* *purposes*.
· As a starting point, we can all agree that God does not need our prayers.
He is a *debtor* to *no* *man*.
He is the *Sovereign* *Lord*, all things are in his hands.
So when tells us to pray, it is for *our* *benefit*, not *his*.
· I believe that God uses prayer to work *in*, *through*, and *among* us as believers.
*In us*
Perhaps the *most* *important* thing God does through prayer is what he does *in* *us*.
God could *easily* *remove* *prayer* from the equation and handle it all *by* *himself*.
· *God* doesn’t *need* prayer, *we* do!
Did you ever watch the movie “*Shadowlands*”?
In it C. S. Lewis, played by Anthony Hopkins, says, “[Prayer] doesn’t change *God*.
It changes *me*.”
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9