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
0.06UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.09UNLIKELY
Fear
0.61LIKELY
Joy
0.64LIKELY
Sadness
0.16UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.75LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.21UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.81LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.54LIKELY
Extraversion
0.16UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.47UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.36UNLIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Getting Attention
Mindset: A mental attitude, an inclination, or a fixed state of mind.
Question: What are examples of a mindset?
(positive, pessimistic, etc.)
How would you complete this sentence: An anxious mindset describes someone who __________.
Thriving Light Principle: Thriving in stressful times requires the knowledge, application, and practice of God’s Word.
Knowing & Understanding the Bible
The Christian desiring to thrive in stressful times must remember God's Word as a daily provision that gives a godly perspective on both the common and the unusual stresses of life.
(Last week we talked about focusing on God during stressful times.)
First, the believer must remember to trust in God as the mindset needed for all of life.
Then the believer must remember to bolster this mindset by heeding practices that tangibly demonstrate a trust in God.
I. Mindset Needed (Matthew 6:25-34)
In Matthew 5:1-7:29, often called the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described the life of faith.
In verses 6:25-33 Jesus addressed the issue of daily and ordinary life needs.
People in His day, as are people today, were concerned about the basic necessities of life: food, drink, and clothes.
These concerns were (and are) legitimate and worthy of appropriate attention.
That people are concerned with these needs is not the focus of Jesus' message in verses 25-33.
The priority and intensity of the concern is the focus of His teaching.
Don’t worry!
(6:25)
Jesus gave a simple and profound directive:
"Take no thought for your life."
These words could understood to mean do not be careful, or don't be anxious, or don't worry about these things.
Worry is unnecessary.
Would you agree with that statement?
Why or why not?
Jesus went on to challenge His hearers with a rhetorical question: "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
Of course it is!
Do consider your worth.
(6:25)
While this is the point that was in the material, I don’t like this point.
In fact, I believe it to be a dangerous point if understood incorrectly.
There is much talk in our world and society today about the need for individuals to focus on their self-worth.
I’ve even heard Christians make this statement, We need to love ourselves more.
That, however, is not Biblical!
The teachings of self-love, self-esteem, and self-worth have been brought in from the world rather than gleaned from Scripture.
They are products of humanistic psychologists, rather than the truth from the Word of God.
Bobgan, Martin; Bobgan, Deidre.
PsychoHeresy: The Psychological Seduction of Christianity (pp.
159-160).
EastGate Publishers.
Kindle Edition.
No where, in Scripture, are we commanded to love ourselves or to increase our self-worth.
No, quite the contrary.
We are to love God more; love others as we love ourselves; and we are to esteem [value] others more than ourselves!
Now, back to Matthew 6...
First of all, verse 25 doesn’t speak, at all, about our worth.
The phrase that they are focused on is at the end of vs. 25:
Matthew 6:25 (KJV 1900)
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
That question has little to do with our worth and more to do with our perspective upon the things needed to live.
Do we need food?
Yes.
Do we need clothing?
Yes.
But...
As Christians, our perspective should not be a physical perspective but an eternal perspective.
Why are we so predisposed to focus on our physical needs?
I believe that one reason is for the fact that our faith in God to truly take care of these needs is lacking.
We see this in vs. 30 when Christ says, O ye of little faith?
To help us understand this...
Do consider these things.
(6:26-32)
Barn-less birds (vs.
26)
Insufficient stature (vs.
27)
Temporary lilies (vs.
28-30)
Worry as a mindset of life is, on the one hand, a statement of one's inability to provide for his or her needs and, on the other hand, a statement that God also can't provide.
Worry is, Jesus taught, a faith issue.
Worry says,
"God, I don't think You can provide, and I am not sure I can either.
And this worries me."
Believers must adopt a mindset that refuses to let worry control their life to the point of having no time for God and His work.
Jesus' teaching is quite clear: Don't worry!
(Pagans worry, because they have no god to provide for them.)
Jesus then stated what was surely obvious, but was good to hear.
God knows your needs.
Do seek God!
Don’t worry!
(6:33-34)
God does know our needs.
Therefore, we are to replace the attention we give to worry with a higher and nobler pursuit.
The believer is to seek God; that is, he or she is to be concerned with the things of God.
The mindset of the believer thriving in stressful times is God-centered and worry free.
It is the way a person of faith thinks.
Additionally, Jesus reminded His hearers of a truth that seems just as applicable today.
Worry over what may happen tomorrow is senseless.
There is enough to occupy our attention each day.
So, believers are to approach each day with their minds set on God and not on worry.
This mindset will need to be a conscious decision and will (most likely) need to be affirmed throughout the day as invitations to worry invade this sense of trust in God.
In four words or less, summarize the mindset God desires for the believer.
Don’t worry; Seek God!
II.
Practices Heeded
Heeding the following four practices as tangible expressions of replacing worry with trust can bolster your potential for thriving in stressful times.
These four practices put feet to the don't worry, seek God mindset called for in Matthew 6:25-34.
They describe the activities chosen by Christians who desire to thrive in stressful times.
The four practices are not presented as a formula or plan or strategy.
They are not to be thought of as a sequence of practices to be observed.
Instead, consider them to be tools in your toolbox that can be used as needed.
Also, don’t assume that these are the only actions that you can take when tempted to worry.
They have been selected, however, to represent a fair and concise list of the more commonly and typically needed actions.
I’m sure that you could think of others.
Don’t worry; pray instead.
Anxiety seems to be the "default" emotion of life for most.
Paul encouraged that prayer be the chosen "default" activity of the believer.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9