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
0.14UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.1UNLIKELY
Fear
0.07UNLIKELY
Joy
0.64LIKELY
Sadness
0.18UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.55LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.08UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.88LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.75LIKELY
Extraversion
0.16UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.56LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.63LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
1 John 2:12-17
Stephen Caswell © 2001
Love & Hate
A group of first-graders had just completed a tour of a hospital, and the nurse who had directed them was asking for questions.
Immediately a hand went up./ /A little fellow asked,/ How come the people who work here are always washing their hands?/
After the laughter had subsided, the nurse gave a wise answer: They are always washing their hands for two reasons.
*/First,/* /they love health/; and */second,/* /they hate germs./
A husband who loves his wife is certainly going to hate anything that would harm her.
*Psalm 97:10:*/ You that love the Lord, hate evil.
/John’s epistle has reminded us to exercise love, but the right kind of love.
John warns us that there is a /wrong/ kind of love, a love that God hates.
This is love for what the Bible calls */the world.
/*Two weeks ago we saw how John emphasized the importance of love.
Today he describes two kinds of love.
/Firstly,/ love for God and then love for the world.
We must be careful on what we set our affections.*
*So John instructs us how we should love.
We will see two things, */Abiding In Godly Love/*/,/ and */Abstaining From Worldly Love./*
/Firstly,/ Abiding In Godly Love
To start with John raises a practical and important question about the nature of a Christian.
/How are we to keep ourselves from becoming worldly?/ God graciously assists believers to remain in His love.
The Father has showered many spiritual blessings upon his children.
In verses 12 to 14, John describes living in God's family.
In God's family we find mature believers called */fathers,/* growing believers, called */young men/*, and new believers called */little children./*
John shares some interesting truth's about each group.
/a.
Little Children/ /- Forgiveness/
*1 John 2:12:* /I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
/
/ /
The words */little children/* in *1 John 2:12* teknia means */born ones/*.
/All/ Christians have been born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, and their sins have been forgiven.
Forgiveness of sins marks the beginning of our Christian life.
This happens at conversion.
We become little children by being born again through the Gospel.
In fact the new birth is the only way to enter God's family.
The Father forgives us for Jesus' sake.
Christ paid the price for our forgiveness.
*An unmarked tombstone outside of Sydney, New York, has but one word on it, three syllables: /Forgiven./
All God's children are forgiven.*
The very fact that one is in God’s family, sharing His nature, ought to discourage him from becoming friendly with the world again.
It required Christ's sacrifice to free us from the world in the first place.
To be friendly with the world is treachery!
Our love for God should lead us to please Him.
/ /
*1 John 2:13 says:*/ I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father./
The word */little children/* paidia in *1 John 2:13* carries the idea of immature ones, or children still under the authority of teachers.
Although they have become God's friends, these young Christians haven't grown up yet.
Like physical children, these spiritual children know their father, but need to grow.
Nevertheless they do enjoy a friendly, loving relationship with God.
They have recognized how much He loves them and have been born into His family.
Now it's up to them to grow in the faith; to press on towards maturity.
/b.
Young Men - Victory/
*1 John 2:13-14:* /I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one./
The */young men/* neaniskoi are the conquerors: they have overcome the wicked one, Satan, who is the prince of this world system.
The word */overcome/* nikaw means */to conquer, to be victorious.
/*/How did they overcome him?/
They became strong through God's Word!
The young men, then, are not yet fully mature; but they are maturing, for they use the Word of God effectively.
The victory they enjoy is derived from Christ's finished work on the cross.
It was on the cross that Christ defeated Satan.
This victory is appropriated by believers as they claim the promises of God's Word.
They abide or continue in God's Word.
Everyone starts life as a baby.
But we don't remain that way for long.
By eating healthy food and exercising we grow bigger and stronger.
The process of life works this way.
The same is true of spiritual life.
New Christians feed on God's Word and then exercise it in their lives.
In fact the Word of God */abides/* or */remains/* in them.
They live by its counsel.
The Word is the only weapon that will defeat Satan.
Satan seeks to deceive believers through lies, but God's truth enables us to overcome him.
Not A French Word
Napoleon proposed to cross the bridge at Lodi in the face of the Austrian batteries that swept it.
It is impossible, said one of his officers, that any men can force their way across that narrow bridge in the face of such an annihilating storm of balls as must be encountered.
/How impossible?/ exclaimed Napoleon.
That word is not French.
He himself, bearing a standard, was the second across.
Unlike Napoleon, Jesus Christ was the first to overcome Satan.
Just as Napoleon conquered under the French standard, /believers can conquer Satan with the Word./
/c.
Fathers/ /- Friendship/
*1 John 2:13-14:* /I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
/
The */fathers/* pathr of course, are mature believers who have an intimate personal knowledge of God.
They know the Father and live to please Him.
They behave like God's children.
They have been conformed to the image of Christ.
They have come to know God over many years of fellowshipping with Him.
Because they know God, they know the dangers of the world.
No Christian who has experienced the joys and wonders of fellowship with God, and of service for God, will want to live on the substitute pleasures this world offers.
To become mature in the faith requires more than just the passing of time.
You can be old in years yet a spiritual babe if you don't learn about the Lord and His ways.
It requires walking with the Lord each day.
Our personal relationship with God grows only by spending time with Him and obeying His Word.
Personal knowledge of God always leads to a life of dedication and holiness.
Application
/ /
God wants His children to abide in His love.
/Are you in His family?
Have you been born again into the family of God? Are your sins forgiven for Jesus' sake?
Are you strong in faith like a young man?
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9