Sermon Tone Analysis

What is the problem?

Have you ever met someone that was so unaware of themselves you couldn’t stand it?

Did they seem to think something of themselves that just simply wasn’t true?

Did they hold people to a standard that they themselves weren’t attaining?

We live in a culture today that doesn’t live with integrity nor do they care to.

Who is the audience?

Those who judge others for sins they are guilty of themselves.

These people “look down on” the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience.

They take take God’s kindness and mercy for granted.

God’s kindness is not supposed to lead us to look at what is wrong with other people, it must first lead us to look at what is wrong with ourselves (i.e.

repentance)

Impenitent means to not show shame or regret about one’s actions or attitudes.

A heart that is shameless toward sin is a heart that cannot be trusted.

Hypocritical people are full of self-delusion.

Their hearts have deceived them into thinking that no one else sees their hypocrisy.

“Here's the thing about soothing yourself with self-delusion: no one buys it but you.” - Rosaria Butterfield

When people see us judging others their first thought isn’t to look at the person you are judging and do the same, their first thought is to look at your life and weigh whether or not you are worthy to make such a judgement.

This is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7.

What makes us so oblivious to our own sin?

Romans 2 tells us it’s our hearts.

It says that a hypocrites heart is hard and impenitent or un repentant.

Impenitent means not feeling shame or regret about one's actions or attitudes

If we have not sought to understand the depths of the stains on our heart we will always be deceived by it thinking the problem is with everyone else except myself.

Your discontentment, turmoil, and chaos comes from a rampant undisciplined heart.

A lot of christians are living a life full of self-delusion because they have never or will never meditate on their hearts.

When we are saved our hearts start the process of sanctification where all the hard parts start to become soft and fall away as God through His holy spirit leads us through a life of transformation through repentance.

An undisciplined heart is the root of hypocrisy and self-delusion.

Today we call this self-awareness and that is what it is, but even more so it’s an awareness of our need for someone to help us.

Most of us are afraid of what we will find when we go treading through the muck and mire that is the tragedy of our rampant and deceived hearts, but when we walk through those hard dark places with God by our side is when true healing and transformation will come.

Testimony Example of Meditating on my Heart

It does not require great learning to be a Christian, and to be convinced of the truth of the Bible.

It requires an honest heart, and a willingness to obey God.

- Albert Barnes

This is how you pull the log out of your own eye.

This is how you don’t despise God’s kindness and mercy.

This is how we can truly love.