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
0.16UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.16UNLIKELY
Fear
0.13UNLIKELY
Joy
0.59LIKELY
Sadness
0.46UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.66LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.19UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.77LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.65LIKELY
Extraversion
0.12UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.62LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.57LIKELY

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
* Why do we have mission reports, mission conferences, sermons on missions?
Why talk about problems and needs of people we don't know in some strange and remote coutnry, when we have enough problems and needs right here in our own church and in our neighbourhood?
* Shouldn’t we be talking about the economy or the environment rather than talking about missions?
* Why be concerned about people in Morocco, Mongolia or Macedonia when we can serve God right here in my church, my neighbourhood, my family?
* Don’t those people in those other cultures have their own religion?
Why bother telling them about our God?
Shouldn’t we just focus on helping those people who already think like we do, and will at least appreciate our help?
* Does God really care about missions?
I mean, does He seriously expect that we should try to change the thinking and belief system of people who have grown up in another culture with another religion?
* This is not new thinking.
In fact, the Jews in the Old Testament tended to think like this.
But is this the way God thinks?
Text: Ezek 36:16-23
* Ezekiel is writing to exiles in Babylon.
Those Jews who had been taken to Babylon before the fall of Jerusalem.
* First half is all about judgment, explaining why God had to allow Jerusalem to be destroyed in view of the tremendous wickedness of the people.
* The second half from Ezek 33:21 on is given after the news of the fall of Jerusalem had reached the exiles in Babylon.
It becomes a message of hope, explaining that God’s glory will once more return to the land of Israel and to the new temple.
* Just as in the first half, God explains why He will now restore the Jews and bring them back to the Promised Land.
He not only says what He will do, but He explains why He will do it.
* And so we get an extraordinary glimpse into the heart and mind of God - and I warn you, we may not feel completely comfortable with everything we see.
!! God's name has been profaned among the nations.
* The nation of Israel is in bad shape.
* Jerusalem has fallen.
The temple has been destroyed.
The king and all the people have been taken into exile to Babylon.
* And what does God talk about when He gives a message to His people through His prophet?
* “They profaned my holy name”  Repeated 4 times in this passage - Ezek 36:20-23.
9 times in the book of Ezekiel.
This is a big thing to God!
* Ezekiel is not referring to swearing, to taking the name of the Lord in vain.
Name - not just the word “God” or “Yahweh” but a reference to His character, his reputation.
* What does it mean to profane God’s name?
* to defile, make common.
* by making God common place, by treating Him as if he was inferior and weak, and not holy and unique and superior to all others.
* by encouraging other people to think poorly of God
* in other words, acting in ways that embarrasses God
* The Israelites had profaned God’s name by their wickedness and idolatry - Ezek.
36:17-18
* They even went so far as to sacrifice their  children to foreign gods and to God Himself
* How did this profane God’s name?
It gave the impression that God desired or even demanded the sacrifice of children to keep Him happy and on their side!
* But the Israelites had also profaned God’s name by what the nations said after God’s judgment on them (Ezek 36:19-20)
* Israel’s disobedience and subsequent judgment reflected very badly on the God whom they were supposed to be serving
* The nations didn’t understand the reason for the judgment.
All they understood was that the Jews were defeated, crushed, impoverished and exiled, they knew that this people group were identified with Yahweh, the God of Israel, and they drew the apparent, but very wrong conclusion that the God of Israel was not able or unwilling to save His people from destruction.
* They ridiculed the Jews, and in so doing, ridiculed their God.
God was getting a very bad reputation because of what was happening to the Jews
* About 10 years ago, Tony Campolo wrote a book entitled "Following Jesus without embarrassing God".
I haven't read the book, but the concept is an important one.
Is God ever embarrassed by our actions and words?
Do we give God a bad name by the way we live?
* We profane God’s name by living just as all other people around us, by living as if God does not make a difference, when we respond to circumstances and problems just like non-Christians do.
* I remember how I struggled when as a young pastor in the Philippines, I learned that one of the men in our church who was under church discipline decided to report us to the town authorities, and the local barangay captain called me and the other church leaders to a meeting to publicly discuss these complaints.
I did not want our laundry to be washed in public!
This was a great embarrassment to me and to the church.
But was I just as concerned about how it might embarrass God?
* If we attend church, even on an occasional basis, we are identified with God.
We carry His name.
Our behaviour reflects on His reputation!
!! God always acts to show the holiness of His name
* So now what?
If the Jews have disgraced the name of God so badly, is He going to just walk away, disown them as His people and let them suffer their justly deserved punishment?
* No, the Lord makes it clear through His prophet that He has every intention of restoring this sinful, disobedient and disgraceful people to their land and former prosperity ([[vs 24 - 38|bible:Ezek 36:24-38]]).
Read [[vs 35-36|bible:Ezek 36:35-36]].
* First thing God clarifies is why He is going to do what He plans to do
* Ezek 36:22 - not for your sake, but for the sake of my holy name
* This is what is driving my actions.
* I will show the holiness of my great name ([[vs 23|bible:Ezek 36:23]])
* This is God’s first priority
* other translations of [[vs.
23|bible:Ezek 36:23]] -  I will magnify my great name, I will sanctify my great name
* God does not want people to think He can be safely ignored.
He does not want His reputation to be sullied, to have people saying and thinking about Him in ways that are untrue and unworthy of the Creator and Lord of the universe.
* “then the nations will know that I am the Lord”.
Then they will know that I am the Lord (Ezek 36:38).
53 times this expression is found in Ezekiel.
Do you think this might be important to God?
* If we malign His reputation, and give people the wrong impression about who He is and what He does, He will act decisively to correct that.
* How would God act to show His holiness?
How would he stop the ridicule of the God of Israel?
* by disciplining them - sending them into exile
* by restoring the Jews to the Promised land of Palestine.
* by cleansing His people, forgiving their sins and purifying them of their desire to chase after other gods (Ezek 36:25, 29)
* by giving His people a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek 36:26-27)
* But so that the Jews would not forget the overriding motive for all that God was doing for them, He repeats in [[vs 32|Bible:Ezekiel 36:32]] - I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake.
* That is also His motivation today.
His methods may change, but His motivation remains the same.
God always acts the way He does because He is seeking His glory, to show the holiness of His name.
* That sounds strange to our ears because we unconsciously act and pray as if God exists for us, to do us good, to help us, rather than that we exist for God, to give Him glory.
We so often make ourselves the center of the universe, rather than God.
* But to understand why God is so concerned about missions, we need to understand that God is deeply and passionately concerned about His Name, his reputation, His glory.
* He wants all people to think right thoughts about Him and acknowledge Him for who He is.
This is His passion, His overriding concern, His primary motivation.
It is a huge theme in Scripture.
* The saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”.
Not true as we have all experienced.
* And it is not true for God.
God cares what people think about Him.
Amazing!
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9