Sermon Tone Analysis

Bear With One Another

John 12:12-19 & Ephesians 4:1-10

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:2

Today is Palm Sunday!

Hosanna in the Highest!

This is the day in the Jewish calendar that was called “Lamb Selection Day.”

It was the day that the Jewish people selected the lamb that would be sacrificed for the annual Passover Meal.

The Passover meal was shared four days after lamb selection day.

The people gathered together and sacrificed their lamb and shared a meal in remembrance of the days of old when God had brought them out of slavery in Egypt and into the freedom of the promised land.

Can you enter into the picture?

A million people are milling around Jerusalem.

There are people everywhere!

Today would be Sunday, the Sunday before we all celebrate the Passover.

This is the reason why all of these people are here: it is our “Lamb Selection Sunday.”

Thousands of lambs are being led into town for Thursday’s annual Passover sacrifice event.

Everyone is selecting their family’s sacrificial lamb.

Think of the tension that is in the air as the Roman centurions walk around—angry that the crowd is so large and unruly.

Their swords and shields are ready at a moment’s notice in order to keep the peace.

We are there—with a million others as Jesus makes his way through the nearby town of Bethany, he travels down the Mount of Olives and is ready to enter the city of Jerusalem.

Jesus has been in ministry for three years.

The people have seen Him in action, or they have heard about Him and His miracles.

Think of the biggest sporting event or concert you’ve ever been to—and multiply that by 100!

This crowd is energized, and the excitement just keeps building and building!

Jesus is riding on a donkey and the crowd goes wild.

They have been waiting for this day!

All of sudden, it’s the biggest parade you’ve ever seen!

Everyone is breaking off palm branches from the palm trees and taking off their outer coats, tossing them on the dirt road that Jesus is riding into town on!

Are you with me?

Can you hear the excitement as the crowd begins to shout, “HOSANNA --- HOSANNA --- HOSANNA!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the king of Israel.”

The Hebrew word “hosanna” literally means “save us, we pray, save us now, save us--we beseech you.”

The crowd is shouting at the top of their lungs, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna!”

Today is Sunday.

“Church day” was yesterday—Saturday.

Our Sabbath day is over and today is the day we select our family’s unblemished lamb for the Passover sacrifice--held four days later on Thursday.

This is a really big day—think of the four days before Thanksgiving, or Christmas and you kind of get the idea!

Everyone is out!

Everyone has something to do! Everyone is super excited about the upcoming holiday celebrations!

It’s mayhem and this is the day that Jesus had decided to enter Jerusalem--lamb selection day.

The crowds are pumped, and they are shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna --- save us we beseech you --- save us now!”

The people are tired of the harsh Roman rulers.

They see their King fulfilling the long-awaited Scripture and they are wild with excitement.

Zachariah 9:9 is unfolding before their very eyes.

The crowd is passionate and praising God with every ounce of their being.

What about you?

Can you see yourself in this crowd?

Let us read our passage from John’s account of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Let us pray.

“Lord Jesus, during this Holy Week give us eyes to see You in our everyday lives.

Today we pray that you will ride triumphantly into our hearts and save us.

Hosanna!

Amen”

John 12:12-19

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

(Zachariah 9:9) 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this.

Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.

18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere.

Look how the whole world has gone after him!”[i]

Over the past five weeks, we have been looking the “One Another” passages in the bible.

We have learned how to “Greet One Another,” “Honor One Another,” “Be Devoted to One Another,” “Serve One Another,” “Submit to One Another,” “Live in Harmony With One Another,” and “Accept One Another.”

Today we will learn what it means to “Bear With One Another.”

Ephesians 4:1-10

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)[ii]

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”[iii]

Show THE SKIT GUYS video on Palm Sunday.

Bear With One Another

I loved the video of the Skit Guys.

In this video, these two guys are total opposites: Tommy and Eddy.

Can you think of someone in your life who just kind of, sort of, grinds on you the wrong way?

You say up, they say down.

You say black, they say white.

Yep.

THAT’S the person this bible verse is talking about.

And today we are supposed to hear about how to love them.

How to bear with them.

How to forgive them?

I want to take a few minutes this morning and reflect on the thought of what it means to “bear with one another.”

When you hear those four little words what comes to your mind?

Bear with one another!

Do you see what comes just before this in our Scripture: Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.

Yep, today’s message is going to get personal as we learn how to bear with one another.

Paul says, “Bear with one another in love.

Bear with one another and forgive one another as you have been forgiven.”

As we “live together” as brothers and sisters in Christ, we get to know each other’s idiosyncrasies and we are faced with this challenge to “bear with one another in love.”

When we are tempted to be impatient with one another, we need to think about Jesus Christ and His attitude toward us.

Christ has forgiven us.

Christ has also forgiven the one whom you are learning to bear with!

The Greek word for “bear” --- ἀνέχομαι (anechomai) means to “endure, to have patience, to accept, the endure something unpleasant or difficult.”