Video from DTBM
"Today is one of those times when the passage of Scripture we are studying, and the communion service to follow exactly match up. Each time we come to communion we have been instructed to do something: we are to check and see if we are wearing specifically the second piece of our spiritual armor, and indirectly all the other pieces. So today, before we celebrate communion, do you know that you consciously strapped on the breastplate of righteousness? How do we know? Here is a quick description: Strapping on the BPOR (breastplate of righteousness) means a conscious decision that I want to live in all day long obedience to God. This is holy living, and holy living is one of the pieces of armor that protects us from the Evil One. God gives us the power of His Spirit, and the expectations of His Word; but it is us who must be willing to take that power and obey that Word. The justifying death of Christ can be imputed to us; but we alone must strap on this form of practical holiness through the sanctifying life of Christ lived out each day that protects us. Proclaiming Christ's Work at Communion Today we are celebrating Christ's death on the Cross for our sins, and shedding His blood to forever forgive and cleanse us. That celebration we call Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. When we come together to celebrate communion, we are offering the highest form of worship, together as a church, that is possible to offer. At communion we sync with what’s going on in Heaven. At communion we are mirroring the scene in Revelation 4-5 around the Throne. This celebration of Christ's sacrifice of Himself for our sins is the atmosphere around the Throne. The Throne of God is the center of the Universe. Communion joins us with what is central to God in Heaven. So we need to remember: The First Communion The explanation we have as a church, of how the Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated, comes from Paul’s ministry in Corinth, where we find the earliest record of this event written down in 1 Cor. 11:23-34. Please turn there with me. Most Bible scholars would agree that these words were the inspired record, written down before the church had the Four Gospels, as Paul was writing to the Corinthians. As we open to 1 Cor. 11:23, we are hearing what Jesus personally taught Paul as he was trained by Jesus to become an Apostle of Christ. Please stand with me as we hear about the celebration of communion. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NKJV) For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. A Rebuke & A Severe Warning (SWS-18)" from video introduction.