Full of the Spirit: Forgiving Those Who Hate Us
June 2, 2021 · 1:27:51 · Watch on YouTube ↗
These notes - summary, key points, and highlighted thoughts - were generated by AI from the recording and are not the preacher’s exact words.
Summary
The service opens with a study of Acts 7, where Stephen, falsely accused before the high priest, refuses to defend himself and instead preaches the whole story of Israel from Abraham and Joseph to Moses and David. He shows how God faithfully guided His people, yet they repaid His love with ingratitude, resisted the Holy Spirit, persecuted the prophets, and finally betrayed the Messiah.
Stephen becomes the model believer. Full of the Holy Spirit, he sees heaven opened and Jesus standing at God's right hand, and even as the stones strike him he keeps praying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." The preacher contrasts this with Zechariah in 2 Chronicles 24, who under the old covenant cried out for the Lord to see and avenge. Under the new covenant we follow Christ instead, blessing our enemies, and the very man who guarded the executioners' coats was later forgiven and saved.
The evening closes with the presentation of water baptism candidates, who confess before the church why they want to follow Jesus. Citing 1 Timothy 6:12 and 1 Peter 3:15, the pastor urges them to make a good confession before many witnesses and to be ready, even at work or among strangers, to give a reason for their hope without shame.
Key Points
- Stephen did not justify himself against false charges; he entrusted everything to God and kept preaching the truth.
- A heart full of the Holy Spirit answers hostility with prayer instead of anger.
- The old covenant said an eye for an eye, but the new covenant calls us to love our enemies and bless those who hate us.
- Like Christ, Stephen prayed for his killers, and that grace later reached Saul, who became Paul.
- We are called to imitate Christ and walk in His steps, even when injustice is painful.
- Baptism is a public covenant with God; confess Him boldly before many witnesses.
- Always be ready, with meekness and reverence, to give an answer for the hope that is in you.
Devotional
When we are wronged, our first instinct is to defend ourselves or to call down judgment. Stephen shows another way: filled with the Spirit, he looked up to Jesus and prayed for the very people stoning him. That same forgiving grace reached Saul, who would become the apostle Paul. Ask God today to fill your heart so completely that, even under pressure, your words and prayers carry the grace of Christ rather than a cry for revenge.
Stephen did not defend himself; he placed it all in God's hands, just as Jesus did.
The old covenant cried 'avenge me,' but the new covenant prays 'do not hold this sin against them.'
Be ready, with gentleness and respect, to give an answer for the hope that is in you.
