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.
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be truly acceptable to you - Amen
Ø WHAT WE DO - even things that on the surface look righteous and pleasing to God
o Mean nothing to God - if we don’t do them with a *truly* sincere heart
Ø Our Old Testament reading, today from second Samuel, shows us how even one of the greatest heroes of scripture, King David, gets it wrong
o Wrong, yet on the surface it all seemed right
Ø I will set the scene for you
o In the two chapters right before today’s some pretty significant events transpire
§ All the leaders of the tribes of Israel have come together - and in their uniting together they anoint David as King over all Israel
§ Jerusalem is made capital of the united Israel
§ David leads the March of the ark covenant to Jerusalem
· He was dancing before the ark of covenant with all his might
Ø Then today’s passage - which starts out innocently enough
o we are told that the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies
Ø David - in this moment of rest - gets a bright idea
o David contemplates that he is living in a mansion - a house built of cedar and he wants to build a temple for the Lord to house the ark of the covenant
§ The prophet Nathan, which seems to be David closest advisor agrees
· As far as he can see the Lord has been *with* David, therefore the Lord must be *with* David in his intention to building the temple
Ø On the surface it all looks to make sense
o On the surface David’s intentions seem honorable
§ David is showing his respect for God and the things of God by wanting to build a temple for the ark of the covenant
Ø But God knows better!
Ø There is an old joke “how do you make God laugh?
o tell him YOUR plans” (pause)
§ This joke runs to the very heart of passage today
Ø You see God instructs Nathan through a vision that David’s is to be rebuked (told that his plans for building a temple are not going to happen and why)
Ø So what was God saying when he rebuked David
o God questions David with a wonderfully sarcastic line “Are you the one to build me a house to live in?”
Ø God knew David’s heart - knew his intentions and his motivation
o You see David thought he was doing something for God
o And God called him on it
§ /He says through Nathan…/
· “Go and tell my /servant/ David”
· no longer is this David the King - but David the servant
· /he says that /God has been present with them in all their wanderings in every situation
· /God says through Nathan that /All of David’s success is due to God and not to David’s effort alone
o David is taken “From the pasture to the prince”
· /He says that /It is God has defeated his enemies
· /That /God will appoint a place for /his/ people - and they will be disturbed no more
Ø Why was God putting a halt to the best intentions of David
§ Or at least - what on the surface seems like the best intentions
o Because God knows our hearts - God sees through it all - and knows our true motivation
o God knows that David was trying to do something FOR God
o God doesn’t want our stuff
§ God wants our hearts
§ There are countless examples of how God through the prophets telling us that what WE give to God is not the important thing.
Ø So why David - why his house - his lineage
o why does David get such an important role
Ø Because David gets it right some times
§ gets it right in a big way
o Like his righteous zeal against the taunting of Goliath - the cursing of the Lord by Goliath
o Or like dancing before the procession of the ark of the covenant coming into Jerusalem - and it says “dancing with all his might”
Ø David was rightly rebuked for thinking of doing anything FOR God
Ø David *is* there to show us that /attitude is everything/
o and God’s knows our hearts and knows when our attitude is rightly pointed to His will not our own
/ /
/I will close with a story involving Mark Twain/
A businessman well known for his ruthlessness once announced to writer Mark Twain, "Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top."
"I have a better idea," replied Twain.
"You could stay in Boston and keep them."
Amen
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