Take the Blame and Forgive Others

I was just thinking of that, what we were just saying. Took the blame and we stand forgiven. Have you learned to take the blame and forgive others? That is the question we can think about as we break the bread, whereby we testify we are partaking in that broken body of Christ and the shed blood.

I pray it will never become something we become so familiar with. There are many churches that break bread every week because it says in Acts 20, verse 7, that they broke bread every week. But I tell them, it says in Acts 2, verse 42, they broke bread every day.

Why only once a week? But most people, most Christians are not in the place spiritually whether they can break bread every day. Meaningfully, it will become a ritual. And I have discovered through the years that most Christians are not even in the place where they can break bread once a week without it becoming a ritual.

That's why we do it only once a month. The ideal would be not once a week, the ideal would be every day. Acts 2, verse 42.

But we have to be at a certain level of spirituality that every single day I can break bread meaningfully and really feel. I believe I can do it now. I could not do it many years ago.

And there are a few who can meaningfully break bread once a week. I think that's also a limited number. But for most Christians, even once a month, to really meaningfully take part and, you know, to... One of my prayers was that I would never become familiar with the truth that Jesus died for a sinner like me.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. That it will never become a familiar truth to me. I got that from once when I was meditating on Revelation chapter 5. And I was reading there how they sing in heaven.

In Revelation 5. The four... Revelation 5, verse 8. When he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb. That's Jesus Christ. And they sang a new song saying, verse 9, Worthy art thou to take the book, to break the seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and people and nation.

You were slain. Now my question is, in verse 9, the first part, how is that a new song? That's what, when I read it, I said, how can it be a new song? I mean, I've heard it for 70 years, more than 70 years of my life. I heard Christ died for my sins.

It's not a new song. And then I realized that, you know, when the Holy Spirit fills us, every time you think of the cross, he can do such a work in you, that it's almost as though you are hearing for the first time that you don't have to die in your sins. Somebody died for you.

You can be forgiven. And you know, for a person who is, you know, has given up all hope of forgiveness and is thinking he'll go to hell to hear that news, it's so exciting. I said, Lord Jesus, make it like that for me.

In the fullness of the Spirit in heaven, it's always fresh. You were slain. Hey, I'm hearing it for the first time.

Jesus, you died. And I said, Lord, I want a foretaste of heaven now. I can't have it fully, but I want a foretaste of heaven.

And I tell you, my brothers and sisters before God, little by little, he's answering that prayer. You pray that prayer. He'll answer it for you.

That the death of Jesus on Calvary will never become a familiar truth for you, but something fresh. And I know, because sometimes when we sing those songs about the cross, I begin to weep as though I'm hearing it for the first time. Jesus died for a sinner like me.

I never want to become familiar with it. I never want to become so casual about it. I want to urge you, as you break bread today and drink the cup, pray that in some little way it'll be for you.

I mean, think of yourself as one weighed down by the sins you've committed. Sins which nobody knows that you've committed all your life. And you've lost all hope.

And you hear you don't have to die. It's like a prisoner about to be executed, hanged this morning. In the last minute, just before he's taken out, a man comes to his prison cell and says, You're free.

You can go home. Can you imagine the... Really? I thought I was going to be hanged this morning. Lord, give me that inner feeling so that I learn to value forgiveness of sins.

I'll tell you honestly, I have met very few believers for whom the cross is fresh. But there's something about their lives. There's a radiance about their lives.

For many Christians, that radiance is missing. That perpetual joy is missing. Their life seems to be so gloomy and heavy.

So that's one thing. And the other is that on the cross I see this truth we just sang. He took the blame.

We stand forgiven. And that's the other thing I prayed for myself. I say, Lord, help me to be ready to take the blame.

Even when it is not my fault. That's Jesus. He took the blame on the cross, not for his fault.

It was not his fault. How quick we are to justify ourselves and say that was not my fault. Okay.

Look at the unhappiness there is in so many believers' homes. Because husband and wife, like Adam, point the finger at each other. Say, you, you, you.

Bow your head and say, yes, me. Me, yes, it's me. That's what Jesus did on the cross.

Don't be like Adam. You. Say, it's me.

Take the blame and let that other person stand forgiven. Will you take that decision today as you break bread? You won't have the strength to keep it. Even for a week, I tell you that.

But the grace of God is sufficient. You seek for the power of the Holy Spirit and God really sees that you need it. It will come.

It did not come for me overnight. I might as well tell you, it won't come overnight. But I was determined to get there.

I said, Lord, before I leave this earth, I want to get there. Where the way of the cross is not just something we sing about, but meaningful. For the joy set before him endured the cross.

I invite you to come up to this higher level of the Christian life through resurrection. The only way to come up is through resurrection. And the only way to experience resurrection is if you are willing to die.

If you die with him, you will be raised with him. There is no other way. Many Christians are trying to lift themselves up and be raised.

There is no way, my brother, sister. If you die with him, he will raise you to the highest heights like he raised Jesus. Take the blame and let the other be forgiven.

Is there somebody in your life right now who needs to be forgiven? Take the blame. Forgive that person. Give him or her the smile of forgiveness as soon as you meet them after this meeting.

And determine that that is the way you will walk all the days of your life. Your home will be like heaven. I promise.

You may not have much money, but you'll have the perfume of Christ in your home. Let's break bread meaningfully and say, Lord, as we come to a new place, let me take a few new decisions today. One verse from Deuteronomy before we break bread.

The book of Deuteronomy, chapter 22, and verse 8. When you build a new house, and that's what we have built now. When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof. And if you go upstairs, you'll see that we have built that.

You know why? Because we don't want anybody to fall off. Because if you don't do it, you will bring blood guilt on your house. If anyone falls from it, we think of a lot of children who may run on the terrace.

If one of them falls and dies, because we didn't put a parapet, we try to save some money, you bring blood guilt on the house. The blood guilt of one child is enough to torture me forever. What is the spiritual application that I must not make anybody fall because of the way I live, because of something I do or something I didn't do.

Some inconvenience I was not willing to go through. Put a parapet perhaps. It was too inconvenient.

Go through it. I'm willing to be inconvenienced. I'm willing to spend money because I don't want other people to fall.

You can take the casual attitude. Well, they should be careful. What can I do if that person is careless and walks on the roof and falls? No, no, no, no, no.

If you build a new house, build a parapet so that nobody falls. Nobody is falling. Now apply that spiritually to my life and say, Lord, there must be nothing in my life that makes another person fall.

Jesus said, if you cause a little child to stumble, it's better that you tie a heavy millstone around your neck and go and drown in the sea. Jesus died so that others might be forgiven. We must have that spirit.

I don't want people to fall. I want them to be forgiven Nobody's life should go to a lower level because they met me. Nobody's spiritual life should go to a lower level because of contact with me.

They should not even be neutral. They should rise higher. And that is through the cross.

So let's break bread today. Jesus died so that all of us must rise higher. Are you willing to die? That's what you're testifying in the breaking of bread.

That others might rise higher. Like Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4.12 Death works in us but life works in you as a result. Isn't that great? Death works in me but life will work in others because I have chosen the way of the cross.

That's what we testify today. In the Lord's table. So let us bow before God and give thanks for the bread and the cup.