June 21, 2026
Forgive Others Who Cause Your Suffering
- Andrew Cullen
Sermon Notes
Acts 5:42 NIV
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 6:8 NIV
Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Stephen was a follower of Jesus.
Stephen walked the path Jesus walked.
Luke 9:23b NIV
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Acts 6:9-10 NIV
Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
Acts 6:11–15 NIV
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 7:54 NIV
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
Acts 7:55-56 NIV
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:57-58 NIV
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 7:59-8:1 NIV
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
And Saul approved of their killing him.
Luke 23:34 NIV
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Stephen forgave because of what he saw.
Jesus stood as Stephen’s empathetic witness.
1 Peter 2:21-24 NIV
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”