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
0.52LIKELY
Disgust
0.15UNLIKELY
Fear
0.62LIKELY
Joy
0.12UNLIKELY
Sadness
0.25UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.47UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.61LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.64LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.77LIKELY
Extraversion
0.27UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.77LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.7LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*
*/Part 34: God’s Investment Strategy/*
*Matthew 25:14-30*
*/October 3, 2010/*
*Prep*
· Entire section in Matt and Luke
· Dave’s e-mail
*Scripture reading: Matt 25:14-30*
Intro
Announcements:
· CG’s
· Visitor cards
· Potluck
This *week* and *next* we are going to talk about a couple of Jesus’ *parables* – short stories that make a really big point.
Prayer
The story begins with:
NIV *Matthew 25:14a* ¶ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey...
To really get what is going on here, you have to know the *context* – in just *three* *days* Jesus is going to be *crucified*.
Then he will be raised, and *ascend* to heaven.
Q Who is the “man going on a journey”?
For past *three* *years* he has been trying to *prepare* them for this.
He has been pouring into them, teaching them, getting them ready for him to go on his *journey* and leave them for a *long*, *long* *time* (2,000 years and counting).
It’s all his
NIV *Matthew 25:14b *...who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
In this short portion he gives the most *important* *truth* of the parable.
If you get this, then everything else is *superfluous*:
· “His property”
Everything is God’s, nothing is truly ours.
He made it.
Q Whose *church* is this?
Q Whose *body* is this?
Q When you drive home, whose *car* will you be driving?
Q When you are texting instead of listening to the sermon whose *phone* will you be using?
We have this *silly* *idea* that we *own* anything – every time we say “this is my *car*, my *house*, ‘*me* *time’*,” we *lie* through our teeth.
· My *daughters* always fight over the “pretty spoons,” saying “That’s my *spoon*.”
Actually, *it’s* *mine*.
I let them use it.
*Job* said “*naked* I came out of the womb, naked I will depart.”
He has the right idea, but he still is taking *too* *much* for *granted*.
· Not just our *possessions*, but our every *skill*, every *attribute*, our very *existence* comes from him.
It’s not like we have some did something to *deserve* our *genes*, like God did some *pre*-*screening* in heaven.
Q Have you ever noticed how we take *pride* in things we have *no* *control* over?
Have you ever known people who are *arrogant* about their *physical* *features*?
I’m sure they worked really hard to be that tall!
Granted, *some* *feature* may have been *paid* for.
· For some reason, they *don’t* *brag* about the *artificial* stuff!
But *God* *convicted* me one day that I don’t have any more right to brag about my *IQ* than they do their looks (That was low of God – he knows I *don’t* *have* *looks* and that IQ is all I have.)
Time, talents, and treasures
In this story “*God’s* *stuff*” is *symbolized* by *talents*, the *largest* monetary *unit* available.
It would take a common laborer about 20 years to earn one talent, so it’s a lot of money.
· From this story, the word talent *entered* the *English* language to mean a skill or ability.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking talents means “talents.”
We need to think of talents as meaning everything God has lent us: *Time*, *talent*, and *treasures*.
Q Who has control of your *time*?
Q Who do you believe is responsible for your *talents*?
Q Who do you think owns your *possessions*?
So when it says “*talents*”, it means “*time*, *talent*, and *treasure*.”
I know it’s confusing, but work with me.
Doubly his
If you are *not* a *Christian* and you don’t believe this is his, it might get unpleasant when he *calls* the *note*.
· If you are, everything is *doubly* his: When you call him *Lord*, you are saying he has complete control of everything you have.
What if Jesus *appeared* in your *house* and told you to *sell* your house and everything you own and take your family to *India* to work in an orphanage for the rest of your life?
· You’d either have to *obey* or *admit* that he *isn’t* really *Lord*.
What if he then said, “*Psych*!
You can keep it all, but I want you to give *10*% of your income to the church, *teach* *Sunday* *School* every month, *clean* the *church* occasionally, and tell your *neighbor* I love him.”
· We would be *relived*, *thrilled*, and *grateful* – amazing what a change of perspective will do!
The question isn’t really how much of *your* *time*, *talent*, and *treasures*, it’s how much of *God’s* you get to *keep*.
Renter, owner, or steward?
So don’t this of this stuff from an *owner’s* perspective.
But think of it like a *renter* either.
Why?
Q What do you do when you’re driving your car and see a *pothole*?
Q What if you are driving a *rental*?
My neighborhood has a *Home* *Owners’* *Association*, and one of the rules prohibits renting your house.
Why is that?
Because people tend to take *better* care of thing they *own*.
\\ We tend to think either in terms of being an *owner* or a *renter*.
But there is another perspective – a *steward*.
A steward doesn’t own, but has been entrusted to care for, kind of like a *manager*.
· A good steward has a *pride* of *ownership*, knowing that he doesn’t own it.
It is as if you have been *paid* to *take* *care* of the house, and your job depends on it.
You get to *use* it, you get to *enjoy* it, but you always must remember that is it *his*, and he gets to tell you *what* *to* *do* with it.
\ The *big* *idea*: Everything you have is *God’s* *property*.
Entrusted
Q Back to the parable: *Why* did the owner *lend* them his stuff?
So that they could *invest* it and *earn* *more*.
Jesus was reminding them that God *lent* us our time, talent, and treasures, for us to *invest* them.
· God wants a good return on his investment, not like a CD, but like investing in Microsoft in the 80’s.
A good spiritual return
Q And *what* kind of *return* is God looking for?
A bigger *house*, nicer *car*?
All of that is mere *trinkets,* little *toys*, things that mean nothing to God.
He is looking for *spiritual* *returns*.
*Luke 16:9 * 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
When we *die*, none of this will *matter* to us.
Take the entire sum of your earthly wealth, convert it dollar for dollar for *monopoly* *money*, that’s how much it will be worth in heaven.
· He lends us *material* *things* to gain *eternal* *returns*.
/He has given you your /*money*/; is he getting a spiritual return?
/
How are you *investing* it?
Maybe in ministry, or a cup of *coffee* a friend who needs to talk?
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9