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Real Wisdom
‘Get Real’ Series on James
James 3:13-18
Life is full of Choices.
What are we going to eat for breakfast?
Where are we going to lunch today after services?
What color car do you want?
Which house to you want to buy when you move to Vermont on Pastor’s Salary… In fact, when we make choices, we are actually saying no to everything else except what we choose.
When you pick a dessert at the restaurant, you are saying no to all the other desserts.
When you get married you are saying that you will forsake all others.
Choices set the direction of your life.
Wisdom is what makes the difference between good choices and bad choices.
What is at the top of your list of requests to God?
I wonder, if I were to take a poll this morning and ask you to write down your top 10 requests to God, would wisdom be on that list?
Would you ask for wisdom?
Have you ever met someone that you loved to get advice from?
Someone who just seemed to have been in every circumstance, a wise experienced person.
We all seek advice from others from time to time.
It is funny in the movies, especially in the hero movies, comic book movies that have been coming out recently.
You have this person who has all this power but often does not know how to use it.
There is always someone in the background giving wisdom and advice to the hero.
Batman had Alfred, in Star Wars the Jedi had Yoda, the X-Men had the professor, Rocky had Mick in his corner.
The point is this, even those with incredible skill sought wisdom.
Even professional athletes seek wisdom from others.
These athletes have personal coaches and trainers, they know that there is a limit to what they know.
They have natural ability, but they are constantly looking for people who know more and are wiser in certain areas that will help their career.
So, what exactly is wisdom?
How do you decide who is wise, and who isn’t?
Webster’s dictionary says that wisdom is the ability, developed through experience, insight, and reflection, to discern truth and exercise good judgment.
Discernment is the key word in that definition.
Wisdom is the ability to discern!
Wisdom is the Ability to Discern!
Go ahead and turn your Bibles to James chapter 3 verse 13.
We have spent the last several weeks looking at this letter written to the early 1st century Jewish Christians.
This letter was written by James, the brother of Jesus.
On this topic of wisdom, I would think that James would know a thing or two.
Two weeks ago, we looked at the beginning of chapter 3, where James spends a lot of time talking about how we use our tongues.
Then he moves into this discussion about how we use our tongues.
James 3:13–18 (ESV)
13Who is wise and understanding among you?
By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
15This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Throughout this letter that we have been studying, James compares and contrasts a lot of things.
In Chapter 1 he contrasts the person who considers himself religious with one who has a religion that is pure and faultless.
He moves on to whether we will treat the poor with respect or not.
Will we assist needy people, or will we talk about assisting them?
Will we tame our tongue, or will it be a destructive force in our lives?
Here in this passage, he contrasts two kinds of wisdom.
James begins this discussion by looking at false wisdom.
He says that if our thoughts and motives have jealousy and selfish ambition, or envy in them, that is not wisdom.
Question?
Do you have any jealousy, selfish ambition, or envy in your life right now? OUCH!
We all have that don’t we!?
Let’s take a moment to look at each of these words, because it all to easy to convince ourselves that we don’t have those problems.
Envy and Jealousy.
Daniel Doriani says, “Envy is the enemy of Christian living.
It is the opposite of grace, for it wants to grasp rather than to give.
Envy is the opposite of caring for the needy.
Envy sees only its needs and desires.
Envy thinks other people should care for themselves.
Left to ourselves, we all live for ourselves and envy what others have.”
Envy is the Enemy of Christian Living.
Envy and jealousy simply are when we want what others have.
Maybe it is a house, a car, boat, a spouse; we wish our kids were like someone else’s.
We wish we had someone’s job.
James is saying that there is a connection between Godly wisdom and envy and jealousy.
What about selfish ambition?
Selfish ambition is not being “Goal Oriented.”
It is not “going after things in life.”
Selfish ambition is when we make decisions solely for our benefit.
Do you ever do that?
Be honest!
I know I do.
Selfish Ambition -- Making Decisions Solely for Our Own Benefit.
James calls that way of life, marked by envy and ambition, a kind of wisdom because envy and ambition do have a certain logic to them.
The logic runs like this; I must look out for my interests.
If I don’t, no one else will.
I must get what I deserve.
I see other people that I am around.
People at school, people at work.
People that were hired with me.
Some have passed me, even though they have no more skills and work no harder than me.
I deserve more… I deserve what they have, the logic goes...
We think, “haven’t I earned that right?”
It is really the wisdom of the world to boast, “I will take care of myself’ I will get what I want.”
There is no God in that kind of thinking.
James tells us in verse 16:
James 3:16 (ESV)
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
This is what shows up in churches a lot.
Someone might have an idea and it is usually a good idea, something that is near and dear to their heart.
They present that idea, and nothing happens, and they get very upset.
Why? Well sometimes, not all the time mind you, but sometimes it is selfish ambition.
Ever been in a group of people and said something to make someone else look stupid?
We do that to make ourselves look better.
This is selfish ambition.
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