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
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.1UNLIKELY
Fear
0.13UNLIKELY
Joy
0.61LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.8LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.48UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.83LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.43UNLIKELY
Extraversion
0.14UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.32UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.36UNLIKELY

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
Background Information
Habakkuk is a late seventh century prophet, which places him pre-exilic time period and post Northern Kingdom.
Right between Nahum and Zephaniah and a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah.
It is likely that he knew a young Daniel and Ezekiel.
The prophet does not state his age or any Judean kings.
Using the Babylonian invasion as a point of reference and the lack of mentioning Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC it is likely his life and ministry extended from Manasseh’s reign to the rule of Zedekiah Judah’s last king.
Habakkuk lived during turbulent times, in both the political sense and in the spiritual sense.
He witnessed the invasion by the Babylonian armies and Judah’s fall from spiritual revival high point under King Josiah to the depths of spiritual depravity under Josiah’s son Jehoiakim.
The name Habakkuk is derived from the Hebrew word for “embrace” and so his name likely means “He Who Embraces” or “He Who Clings”.
Which is quite fitting in that Habakkuk holds and an embraces or clings to His faith through wrestling and grappling with difficulties and tough perplexing questions.
Habakkuk wrestles with questions that if we are honest we all wrestle with in our faith walk.
Habakkuk teaches us our faith is perplexing and we must cling through the perplexity.
Theme verse is Habakkuk 3:17-18
Perplexing Problems
Introduction
The world is unraveling.
I dont just say that because of the way things seem to be going, but because the world is literally coming apart and winding down.
The end of all things is at hand we have been in a time known as the last days and the Bible describes the last days and how it all ends - it ends in calamity.
The world as a system is in view here.
Most of us know ( the rest will soon know and understand) that Jesus is coming back again just as He promised.
First He is coming to snatch out the church in what is known and taught as the rapture.
After the rapture of the Church there is a period of time and prophecy known as the Great Tribulation.
Now many may have the wrong idea that just because they are Christian that our lives will be without trouble and will only know peace and tranquility.
Now the Bible teaches it is true as God’s children we will not go through the Great Tribulation, but it also teaches that events will happen that are not the tribulation but point to its coming.
Birth pangs they are called and even though we will not enter the tribulation we must be prepared that we are living in this age and in this day we may see tribulation like we have never seen before.
Nationally, Internationally and in fact Globally.
Disturbing Ideologies
False Religion Heresies - JW’s, Mormonism, Prosperity Gospel, Word of Faith Movement, Emergent Church, inclusivism, open theism and liberalism
Communism, modernism, post-modernism, supremacy (White or Black), feminism, gender dysphoria.
Universal Violence
Terrorist Attacks
Mass Shootings
Abortions
Shifting World Powers
The geo-political stage is awash with anti-Christian nation-states seeking dominance.
Russia, a once-crippled world power, increasingly exerts worldwide influence.
China’s size and increasing strength is threatening Western powers on multiple fronts.
In an age where knowledge and information are power, cyber warfare is at its height.
Who will rise out of the Middle East?
Can western influence stem the tide of oppressive and militant regimes?
And with birthrates far exceeding our own in America, what will the picture of the world’s super powers look like in 25 or 50 or 75 years?
Whether we live through God coming to judge with pestilence, famine and war we will experience our own private tribulations.
We all know financial problems, heartache, sorrow.
We have experienced sickness and trouble and distress.
If we aren’t understanding truth and arent careful when trouble comes we will cry out for rescue and for God to do something and when He doesnt we stand on the precipice of stumbling and falling.
Your sick and hurting or someone else is and your praying and asking God to do something your faith will become perplexed and it is in that perplexity we must cling to God and our faith in Him.
It used to be the greatest resistance to faith was people had trouble trusting and believing the Bible - Science and the Bible but as science and the Bible bring more agreement - now the trouble becomes history.
If God is God how can the news be what it is?
War, Crime, Rape, Strife, Murder, Hunger and Oppression.
Habakkuk is going to show us that even in the darkest times God is still God, He is on His throne in Heaven and remains in control.
Cling to Him with perplexed faith for He cares for you and has a plan for you.
Puzzling Questions
The pronouncement from Habakkuk was a weighty one.
The word pronouncement is Massa - to lift up as in a heavy burden.
If there ever was a heavy message surely Habakkuk has one.
Habakkuk saw a vision and it was heavy and it brought Habakkuk puzzling questions.
Why Is God Indifferent?
Habakkuk speaks to God saying “LORD how long?”
How long must I call for help and you do not listen?
I see what is going on around and I call out for help but no help comes.
It is as if God you are not listening!
Why God do you not hear me?
Why God do you not help?!
The question how long indicates the agony of the period of waiting and the endless delay for the help and for the answer.
Many if not most of us today if we are honest we sense the same problem.
Why does not listen and answer when we pray and when we call?
Like David and Asaph (as well as others recorded in scripture and many who were not recorded at all) Habakkuk saw the injustice and troubles of him and his people all around and asked how long, and why - why does it go on?
I cry out - literally I scream with a loud voice and a disturbed heart.
The wickedness in the land burdened Habakkuk more and more and God just seemed indifferent to it all.
I mean why does He not save - Habakkuk asks.
The concern is not only are his cries and calls going unanswered and unheeded, but corruption continues.
Evil summed up as violence as well as oppression going on and continuing on unchecked by God at all.
Why Is God Inactive?
Sin was abounding and God seemed not only indifferent but also idle.
Habakkuk with his next question sort of calls out God asking “Why do you FORCE me to look at injustice?”
Then presents an even greater question “Why do you tolerate wrong doing?”
Not only does Habakkuk say that God is causing him to look at injustice but that God is also tolerating it.
We can understand people tolerating sinful behavior but a holy and righteous God seeing evil and doing nothing about it is beyond our comprehension and beyond our understanding in faith.
Strife is ongoing, violence are right in front of me escalating.
Habakkuk lived in a culture that was not ashamed of their iniquity, they celebrated it with much pride.
Sound familiar?
We live in the same kind of generation - witness to the same depravity of men and the same celebration of such depravity and we cry out and we call out and God hasnt stepped in and stopped it yet.
The seeming unanswered cry for help brings perplexing problems to our faith.
The law is ineffective and justice is never seen because the Lord is the only one who can fix it and He hasnt.
The wicked are in power and restrict the righteous and therefore justice that does come out is perverted.
When one’s faith is in God and His sovereign control they cant help but look around and ask why God do you allow this?
Where does God allow us to see sin and iniquity?
Ourselves
Others
I believe there are several reasons why God might do this
It keeps us humble
To make us truly see the wickedness of sin, that we would hate it and fight it in and around us
To make us value and admire grace and salvation from God toward us all as sinners
God's Answer
God responds to Habakkuk’s questions.
Though he was lamenting and the questions were rhetorical God chose to answer the complaint - and I for one am grateful that He did and that it was recorded for us to look at and understand.
Turns out that the LORD was neither indifferent nor was He inactive.
God is not idle, in fact He was already at work to discipline the erring nation of Judah and He reveals this to Habakkuk.
“Look at the nations and observe” The words in Hebrew are plural and they indicate not only the change in speaker but that the speaker is speaking to both Habakkuk and the people.
Being Too Me Oriented
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9