These are notes on the sermon, Put On God’s Armor In The Evil Day, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, October 15, 2023, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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“And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’
“And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’”
—Matthew 24:2–8 NKJV
In these verses, our Lord Jesus was answering His disciples questions: “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” He gave them a glimpse into the future, some of which, such as the destruction of Herod’s temple, have already come to pass. But there’s also a portion that relates to our present times. We are told that we will see wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
However, knowing what is to come, our Lord has instructed us to see that we are not troubled. It is important for us, even as we watch the news of events happening around us, to not let the negativity affect our hearts. We must remember that these things have been foretold and we can remain secure in knowing that our Lord Jesus is with us, protecting us, and has made a way out for us!
It’s all right to keep abreast of what’s happening in the world, but it is crucial that our minds remain focused on Christ, and on what is true, honest, just, and righteous.
As believers, God has set us apart from the world. The Lord calls us the salt of the earth. In ancient times, salt’s ability to function as a preservative was highly valued. Similarly, when we follow God’s ways, focusing on all that is good, true, honorable, and right, and living above the vanity line, we will stand out as a testimony to the world.
Whatever battle you are facing today, do not compromise and follow the ways of the world. Take the higher ground when you fix your mind on Jesus and choose to follow Him!
Our Lord wants us victorious, but the enemy wants us defeated. In John 10:10, the Lord warns believers that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
So what does the devil come to steal?
“Then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”
—Luke 8:12 NKJV
The Word is vitally important because it is for our salvation and the salvation of all our situations. So we must keep God’s Word near and fight our battles while standing on His Word, what His Word says about us, and His promises to us.
What we say also carries the Spirit of God. Your words have power and you can speak God’s life and promises into your situations. For example, if you are experiencing pain in your body, you can say, “In the name of Jesus, pain be gone!”
Some of us may be wondering, “But . . . I’ve been trying to be healed for many years.” That is not the right mindset! God’s Word says that you are already healed. The enemy steals that truth from you because he wants you to believe that you are not healed. And if you believe wrongly, then you won’t be able to receive God’s gift of healing for you. This is why we need to stand our ground on God’s Word!
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
—Ephesians 6:10–12 NKJV
These days, while many of us are not involved in a physical conflict, we still have to deal with attacks from the enemy. Much of the battle could have physical manifestations, such as in the form of sicknesses and medical conditions, or mental health issues like addictions, anxiety, and depression, but very often, its source could be spiritual.
God’s Word tells us that He has made a way of escape for us, and as believers, we are to trust that He is faithful (1 Cor. 10:13).
“be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”—We must be conscious that we are fighting these battles not in and of ourselves. We are fighting against them in the Lord and His power! And to equip us, He has given us His armor.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”
—Ephesians 6:13–18 NKJV
As we can see from these verses, the armor of God is made up of 7 components:
Each piece of the armor is an aspect of the gospel. The first 5 pieces help us defend against spiritual attacks and the last 2 are the only offensive components. When we take up the whole armor, we will experience practical benefits for our lives.
For example, in a world that is filled with all kinds of information and disinformation, how do we discern what is the truth? By “girding your waist with truth.” In Ephesians 4:21, Paul explains that when we spend time with Jesus, the person of truth, when we take time to commune with our heavenly Shepherd, He will help us see things in its exact light.
In a set of armor, the breastplate protects the heart, a very vulnerable part of the body. In the armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness protects our identity as the righteousness of God in Christ. This is a truth that the enemy will constantly attack to cause us to doubt ourselves, and so it needs to be well guarded.
And in spiritual warfare, the only 2 offensive pieces, that is, the sword of the spirit and praying in the Spirit, help you counterattack the enemy. Whenever you pray in tongues, you pray beyond your means and ability, and you pray the Lord’s presence, power, and life into your situations (see Speak Your Way to a Long, Happy Life!).
Putting on the armor of God is not like how you would put on clothes. We put on this armor by first realizing who we are in Christ!
“If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
—Ephesians 4:21–24 NKJV
How do we put off our old man, our flesh? It is not by using our own strength. It is simply by the renewing of our minds and being conscious of our identity in Christ!
What are you thinking about yourself today? Do you still see yourself as the sin you have committed? While we may continue to fall short and sin, we must remember that it is the flesh acting out. It is not who we are in Christ. Because of the Lord’s finished work on the cross, God no longer sees us in our imperfections. He sees us in Jesus’ perfection!
We have been born anew, born of God. And we put on our “new man” by seeing ourselves the way God does. Today, we are the righteousness of God in Christ, and the Lord is our holiness and our wisdom. We have been made perfect in Christ, always in right standing with our heavenly Father!
Is there a challenge in your life causing you much stress right now? It could be a setback in your career, a crisis in your marriage, frustration in parenting your child, or maybe even an internal struggle that no one knows about. 😔😣
While it’s easy to be overwhelmed by what you’re going through and to look for practical solutions to deal with the pain and discouragement . . . Would you pause for a moment, and let this scripture shed some light on your situation?
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
—Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
Beloved, your struggles are real. You can see them with your eyes and feel them in your emotions. Yet this verse tells us that many times, our problems have a root that is spiritual, not natural . . . And thankfully, God’s Word tells us exactly how to deal with it. 👀
We find the answer in this same chapter. Ephesians 6 encourages us to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” You may have heard about the armor of God before . . . like the breastplate of righteousness or the belt of truth. But to put it simply and practically, all these elements speak of how believing the gospel protects us in the battles of life. 🛡️
When your challenges shake your beliefs, making you wonder, “Is God really good? Does He really love me? Is He even real? Why is this happening to me?” . . . I want to encourage you today to hold fast to what the gospel says is true, no matter your circumstances.
When you keep believing that you are righteous and complete in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17–21, Col. 2:10), you are putting on the breastplate of righteousness. This is how you guard your heart from negative thoughts about yourself and the ever-changing opinions of others. And when you keep believing the truth that God loves you dearly (John 17:23), that He is working behind the scenes to make all things work together for your good (Rom. 8:28), you are putting on the belt of truth. This truth holds you up and helps you stand secure and confident amid all the noise and fear-mongering around you.
My friend, this is how we fight our battles as believers: By believing Jesus. By allowing our hearts to be at rest in Him, trusting in what He has done for us at the cross, and what He has promised to do in our future. 🙏🏼
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2023
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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