Willie Shamabanse: Thank you, Dan, and thank you, Sarem, for that beautiful reading.
Willie Shamabanse: So before I begin with uh the sermon, let's go ahead and open with a word of prayer.
Willie Shamabanse: Lord, we are here today.
Willie Shamabanse: And thanks to you, we are here.
Willie Shamabanse: And thank you, Lord, that your Holy Spirit is here with us.
Willie Shamabanse: We ask you to abind to be in us.
Willie Shamabanse: Father, we ask you that you teach us your word.
Willie Shamabanse: Speak through through me today in your name.
Willie Shamabanse: Amen So I'll begin with a short uh story.
Willie Shamabanse: That I'm gonna share with you today.
Willie Shamabanse: There's a story about two friends
Willie Shamabanse: These two friends would meet quite often to go hiking.
Willie Shamabanse: On this beautiful day, the trail up Kamerback Mountain, which you all know in Phoenix.
Willie Shamabanse: was already glowing with the morning sun.
Willie Shamabanse: Meyer needed this hike
Willie Shamabanse: Meanwhile, her work inbox was a disaster, and her patience was running thin.
Willie Shamabanse: At the beginning of the trail, she met her longtime friend Leo
Willie Shamabanse: Usually she loved his mannerisms, but today everything seemed to be getting on her last nerve
Willie Shamabanse: He talked entirely too loudly, stopped to photograph every single blooming desert shrub, and then, as they started on the trail,
Willie Shamabanse: He complained that his laces kept coming untied.
Willie Shamabanse: With every delay
Willie Shamabanse: Maya's irritation seemed to be going through the roof.
Willie Shamabanse: He is so self-absorbed, she thought
Willie Shamabanse: And she would walk even faster.
Willie Shamabanse: Does he not see that I have a schedule to keep?
Willie Shamabanse: As they neared the Echo Canyon summit, Leo stepped on a loose rock and badly rolled his ankle.
Willie Shamabanse: Then quickly sat down, groaning in pain.
Willie Shamabanse: Instantly, Maya's irritation
Willie Shamabanse: Fled into a full-blown sigh.
Willie Shamabanse: But as she turned to finally snap at him, she stopped
Willie Shamabanse: Pale and biting his lip, Leo complained.
Willie Shamabanse: Leo did not complain, instead he forced an apologetic smile.
Willie Shamabanse: And said, I'm sorry, Maya.
Willie Shamabanse: I know you are busy.
Willie Shamabanse: You should probably go on ahead without me.
Willie Shamabanse: At that moment, something shifted in Maya.
Willie Shamabanse: She remembered how Leo
Willie Shamabanse: Had sat with her for hours, every single night, when her mother was in hospital
Willie Shamabanse: Listening to her cry, never rushing her to simply get over it
Willie Shamabanse: He was bearing with her heaviest grief.
Willie Shamabanse: And here she was, frustrated by a few loud stories.
Willie Shamabanse: And a loose shoelace.
Willie Shamabanse: Immediately Maya said to him, Don't worry, don't be don't be ridiculous, Leo.
Willie Shamabanse: Her frustration evaporating into thin air.
Willie Shamabanse: She took off her backpack, wrapped her arm around his waist
Willie Shamabanse: And offered her shoulder as a crutch, and said to him, We're in this together.
Willie Shamabanse: They took the descent painfully slow, step by agonizing step.
Willie Shamabanse: It took three times longer than she had planned.
Willie Shamabanse: But somewhere along the rocky switchbacks
Willie Shamabanse: They fell into a quiet rhythm of grace.
Willie Shamabanse: Meyer learnt that
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with one another isn't making excuses for flaws.
Willie Shamabanse: It's about adjusting your pace to help someone carry theirs.
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with one another is the title of my sermon this morning.
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with one another means choosing patience and grace over frustration when someone's quirks, flaws, or mistakes test your limits.
Willie Shamabanse: It's an essential part of lasting relationships, community, and everyday life.
Willie Shamabanse: It isn't about ignoring deep wrongs.
Willie Shamabanse: It's about extending the same forgiveness and understanding you hope to receive.
Willie Shamabanse: And I would add it is about extending the same forgiveness and understanding you have received in the past, because we all have
Willie Shamabanse: How often do you find it genuinely difficult?
Willie Shamabanse: Genuinely difficult to put up with someone?
Willie Shamabanse: Let's be honest, relationships can be hard.
Willie Shamabanse: Whether it's a stubborn spouse, a frustrating co-worker, or a fellow believer
Willie Shamabanse: Who has wrapped us the wrong way?
Willie Shamabanse: We all face moments where relationships test our patience.
Willie Shamabanse: I'm glad I don't have a stubborn wife.
Willie Shamabanse: I had to say that.
Willie Shamabanse: Today we are exploring what it means to truly bear with one another and why Jesus makes that possible.
Willie Shamabanse: In the original Greek, the word bearwith implies patience, endurance, and being slow to anger.
Willie Shamabanse: It means not giving up when relationships get tough.
Willie Shamabanse: It means suspending a rightful demand.
Willie Shamabanse: out of consideration for someone else's weaknesses.
Willie Shamabanse: It means choosing not to attack
Willie Shamabanse: gossip or walk away in anger when we hurt.
Willie Shamabanse: It is the opposite of a cancer culture mentality
Willie Shamabanse: It means hanging in there, recognizing that everyone is flawed.
Willie Shamabanse: We can bear with others because Jesus bore with us
Willie Shamabanse: But if we rely on our own human strength, we run out of patience very quickly
Willie Shamabanse: The secret to this command, the Bible says, isn't gritt our teeth and trying harder.
Willie Shamabanse: It is looking at what Jesus did for us and asking for his strength to be able to do it.
Willie Shamabanse: Jesus bore the weight of our sins on the cross.
Willie Shamabanse: He constantly bears with our shortcomings our doubts
Willie Shamabanse: And our failures.
Willie Shamabanse: He sympathizes with our weaknesses.
Willie Shamabanse: And because Jesus bore our ultimate unpayable debt
Willie Shamabanse: We should be able to absorb the minor offenses and quirks of the people around us, shouldn't we?
Willie Shamabanse: We'll go ahead and up uh read a text.
Willie Shamabanse: It's from Ephesians 4, verse 2.
Willie Shamabanse: It will be on yeah, it's there on the on the screen
Willie Shamabanse: I'll read from the screen too.
Willie Shamabanse: I therefore, prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called
Willie Shamabanse: With all loneliness, loneliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love.
Willie Shamabanse: So this was a letter to the Ephesians from Paul
Willie Shamabanse: So Ephesus was once a major center for the worship of Greek and Roman gods.
Willie Shamabanse: So the book of Ephesians is Paul's letter that encourages these new believers.
Willie Shamabanse: To abandon their former lifestyles.
Willie Shamabanse: Paul's core message
Willie Shamabanse: To this audience is that Gentiles and Jews are now on equal footing, tearing down the religious and social boundaries.
Willie Shamabanse: that previously divided them.
Willie Shamabanse: Unlike some of the letters to churches that Paul had written, he had never visited some of those churches.
Willie Shamabanse: Paul spent over two years ministering in Ephesus, meaning he had a relationship, deep connections, with many of the people there.
Willie Shamabanse: So he tells them in the second verse that you need to walk with loneliness and gentleness.
Willie Shamabanse: With long-suffering bearing with one another in love
Willie Shamabanse: That's the message for Mr.
Willie Shamabanse: Palms today.
Willie Shamabanse: That's the message for you and I.
Willie Shamabanse: So love requires to be completely humble
Willie Shamabanse: Gentle, patient, bearing with one another, which means patience is a choice that we make
Willie Shamabanse: When we understand what others are carrying, it's much easier to overlook their minor irritations.
Willie Shamabanse: So we adjust our expectations.
Willie Shamabanse: By extending patience, we foster deep real resilient relationships with
Willie Shamabanse: within us.
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with one another stops minor irritations into escalating.
Willie Shamabanse: To major arguments by allowing space for human imperfection.
Willie Shamabanse: Couples, friends, coworkers who practice mutual forbearance build deeper trusts and psychological safety among them.
Willie Shamabanse: Letting go of petty grievances reduces personal stress, lowers anxiety, and promotes a more positive outlook.
Willie Shamabanse: So it helps with emotional well-being.
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with others creates supportive environments
Willie Shamabanse: Where individuals feel accepted, encouraging a culture of empathy
Willie Shamabanse: Let us read another verse from the Bible.
Willie Shamabanse: Colossians 3, 13.
Willie Shamabanse: It's up there already.
Willie Shamabanse: And it says,
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with one another and forgiving one another.
Willie Shamabanse: If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you
Willie Shamabanse: So you also must do.
Willie Shamabanse: Unlike Ephesus, Paul did not plant this church in Colossae.
Willie Shamabanse: He had never even visited this church before.
Willie Shamabanse: But when his friend visited him while he was imprisoned in Rome,
Willie Shamabanse: He reported to Paul the troubling new philosophies threatening the church there.
Willie Shamabanse: People had started to fall back into pagan worship.
Willie Shamabanse: So Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians.
Willie Shamabanse: To refute these ideas, he emphasized that Jesus Christ is fully divine
Willie Shamabanse: Supreme over creation and entirely sufficient for salvation.
Willie Shamabanse: In addition, Paul urged the Colossians to focus on spiritual matters
Willie Shamabanse: And maintain unity, encouraging them to clothe themselves in virtues like compassion, humility, and love for one another.
Willie Shamabanse: rather than following the man-made rules they had started following.
Willie Shamabanse: So what does Jesus teach us about this topic?
Willie Shamabanse: Jesus taught that forgiving others is absolute and unconditional.
Willie Shamabanse: Directly link our own forgiveness from God to how we forgive others.
Willie Shamabanse: We talked about this today in our class, and I'm sure a lot of you did.
Willie Shamabanse: He emphasized that holding on to resentment Holding on to irresentment
Willie Shamabanse: blocks spiritual peace and called for limitless grace toward those who wrong us.
Willie Shamabanse: That's a tough one, isn't it?
Willie Shamabanse: When asked if one should forgive seven times, Jesus replied, Seventy times seven.
Willie Shamabanse: Signifying that forgiveness should never have boundaries.
Willie Shamabanse: Jesus taught his followers to pray, forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.
Willie Shamabanse: Linking the two directly.
Willie Shamabanse: In Matthew six, fourteen to fifteen
Willie Shamabanse: He says, For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you.
Willie Shamabanse: But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will neither will your father forgive your trespasses.
Willie Shamabanse: There was quite some debate in our class when we're talking about that verse.
Willie Shamabanse: He states that if you do not forgive others, God will not forgive your trespasses.
Willie Shamabanse: This underscores the necessity of letting go of bitterness.
Willie Shamabanse: That's the main thing.
Willie Shamabanse: Jesus taught that if a brother repents, we must forgive them.
Willie Shamabanse: And why did he teach that?
Willie Shamabanse: It's because if we repent to God, we confess our sins, God will forgive us.
Willie Shamabanse: But he also urged us to pray and to bless our enemies who cause harm on us without remorse.
Willie Shamabanse: That's where difficulty that's where Christianity becomes difficult.
Willie Shamabanse: You we need to forgive people that have no remorse.
Willie Shamabanse: That's tough.
Willie Shamabanse: Ultimately, Jesus models this teaching through his own actions, demonstrating that forgiveness frees us from anger.
Willie Shamabanse: and mirrors the boundless mercy God showed humanity
Willie Shamabanse: So we've learned that bearing with one another is an active and not passive behavior.
Willie Shamabanse: It means holding up
Willie Shamabanse: Supporting and remaining firm under the weight of others' imperfections, ensuring they do not struggle alone
Willie Shamabanse: It is not just about putting up with them.
Willie Shamabanse: It's doing so in love, with humility, gentleness, and patience.
Willie Shamabanse: As believers, we are called to bear with others because Jesus bore the ultimate burden of sin and continues to be patient with us.
Willie Shamabanse: Sometimes people will confuse bearing with one another and bearing one with one another's burdens.
Willie Shamabanse: While they go hand in hand, they look a little different in practice.
Willie Shamabanse: Let's explore the differences a little bit, even if bearing one another's burdens can be a separate topic altogether.
Willie Shamabanse: But I thought I should include it here.
Willie Shamabanse: So we talked about bearing with one another.
Willie Shamabanse: It's about active sacrificial help during major crises or tragedies.
Willie Shamabanse: In contrast,
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing with one another is a daily relationship, relational discipline focused on patience, grace, and overlooking minor faults and personalities
Willie Shamabanse: That cause clashes in unity.
Willie Shamabanse: Understanding this distinction helps clarify these two biblical principles.
Willie Shamabanse: Let's go over them again.
Willie Shamabanse: Bearing another's burdens.
Willie Shamabanse: This refers to helping someone carry an overwhelming weight they cannot handle alone.
Willie Shamabanse: A good example is severe illness, grief, or a major life tragedy.
Willie Shamabanse: Stepping in to help through prayer, financial support, physical labor, or simply being there to listen.
Willie Shamabanse: And share the emotional weight.
Willie Shamabanse: In fact, in Galossians two, Galossians six verse two
Willie Shamabanse: Paul says, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Willie Shamabanse: So Paul encourages believers that by carrying each other's burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ.
Willie Shamabanse: And bearing with one another is a relational tolerance and grace.
Willie Shamabanse: It deals with a day-to-day friction, annoying habits, differences of opinion, and minor offenses.
Willie Shamabanse: So what do we do in that case?
Willie Shamabanse: We exercise patience, maintain peace, and choose not to retaliate or hold grudges.
Willie Shamabanse: With someone who frustrates you.
Willie Shamabanse: So in the scriptures we've read, the Bible instructs Christians to forgive and maintain unity.
Willie Shamabanse: Through love.
Willie Shamabanse: Isn't that what we need to do in church?
Willie Shamabanse: So what's the goal?
Willie Shamabanse: It is to maintain the unity of spirit, allowing the church to thrive, even when personalities clash.
Willie Shamabanse: And how do we do that?
Willie Shamabanse: Before reacting to someone's mistakes
Willie Shamabanse: Let's remember our own flaws and the grace we have received from God.
Willie Shamabanse: We should seek understanding.
Willie Shamabanse: Look beneath the surface.
Willie Shamabanse: Recognize that a difficult or irritable person
Willie Shamabanse: is often hurting and needs compassion rather than judgment
Willie Shamabanse: We maintain the bond of peace by putting away malice and arguments deliberately
Willie Shamabanse: Choosing to protect the unity of the community over proving to be right.
Willie Shamabanse: We also need to recognize who used to in in closing I'll I I'll say this
Willie Shamabanse: As a church, I'm going to ask everyone to uh write down these few bullet points.
Willie Shamabanse: I want us to recognize who you struggle with to get along and intentionally choose to show them grace.
Willie Shamabanse: Ask God to help you see these individuals.
Willie Shamabanse: Ask God to help you see these individuals from His perspective.
Willie Shamabanse: Pray for those who irritate you by name for at least two weeks to transform your relationship with them.
Willie Shamabanse: And continuously forgive faults immediately.
Willie Shamabanse: This is my prayer for this morning to you all.
Willie Shamabanse: I'll wait for the the the singing group to come up come up before we close with a prayer.