As we embrace the new year, Pastor Jack Hibbs shares a timely message about the importance of equipping ourselves spiritually. In a world increasingly marked by lawlessness and godlessness, standing firm in our faith is crucial. With biblical teachings and insights from current events, Pastor Jack encourages believers to put on the full armor of God, ensuring we are ready to face 2025 with hope and strength.
I mean, I’ve got to go to college or I’ve got to do my job or I’ve got to do my thing. Yes, you do. And you keep doing that. But as you do that, be equipped to live a real Christian life.
SPEAKER 01 :
This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I’m David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God’s Word, the Bible. Did you know there’s an easy way to stay informed on the latest biblical events shaping our world today? Check out the Happening Now section at jackhibbs.com. Now, these live events feature Pastor Jack Hibbs alongside special guests diving into current events, cultural shifts, and how they align with biblical prophecy. It’s a unique blend of Bible teaching and real-time analysis that helps you make sense of today’s headlines through the lens of Scripture. Happening now is not just about information. It’s about equipping you with the truth and encouraging you to stand firm in your faith, no matter what’s happening around you. Now, these discussions are eye-opening, they’re thought-provoking, and they’re a great way to stay spiritually grounded in a rapidly changing world. Whether you watch live or catch up on past events, Happening Now will help keep you connected to God’s Word and what’s going on in the world today. Visit jackhibbs.com and click on Happening Now. Don’t just watch the news. Understand it from a biblical perspective. On today’s special edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack brings to us his New Year’s series with a message titled, The Great Put On. As we enter the year 2025, let’s continue to live with hope and expectancy in our hearts by living a victorious life, equipped and ready for whatever comes our way. You see, we live in a very different culture than we’ve ever known before, a global shift that’s being played out in every single area of our lives, marked by a greater increase in godlessness, apathy, and lawless behavior. So today, Pastor Jack teaches that we are to put on the whole armor of God, which gives us His power and strength for our lives. Now, with his special New Year’s message called The Great Put On, here’s pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.
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tonight as we end our year with you and your people together. So Lord, we just begin even now tonight to dedicate ourselves to you. And Father, I pray that you would use, Lord, our time in the Word that we would be equipped that we might be with friends at midnight tonight, we might be with family, we might be sleeping, as I hope I’ll be. And we ask you, Lord God, that supernaturally there would just be in the spirit realm a door opened. of light and of joy and of power and of peace, Lord, that as this world is in the condition that it’s in, that we would be the ones to send forth the great message of Jesus, that we would love this world. It needs love. The world needs, America needs, California needs a big hug. Yes. from you, Lord, and that’s where we come in. So let us be your hands and your feet, your voice, and Lord, may you equip us to do that very thing. We pray in Jesus’ name, and all God’s people said, amen, amen. Church, first of all, before we get going in tonight’s message, tonight and Sunday’s message is titled The Great Put-On. And that’s not some sort of a little joke, but I’m talking about the great put on in the sense that you and I are going to be putting on what the Lord Jesus Christ and the word of God has promised us. And by the end of tonight, you will know enough that you don’t need to face this year that’s coming in any other way but with honest excitement. And so before we do that, I want to remind you regarding the world in which we’re in. In 2 Timothy 3, verse 1, Paul told Timothy, but know this, it’s a command, know and understand this. That in the last days, how will we know? Perilous times will come. The word in Greek for perilous is times will come that will just slowly grind you down. Perilous times is to grind down. Like sandpaper or like a planer to wood, it just wears on you. And I love the fact the Bible tells us in advance so that it doesn’t have to wear us down. But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves. And that’s one of the things that we’re seeing in the world around us, and that’s gonna increase. So what are we to do about it? One more thing before we get into this message. That in the last days, that technically in scripture, the Bible says that when Jesus came, And his first advent, it began what is called the last days. So the last days, technically, theologically, have been going on for 2,000 years. You say, well, then it could go on for another two. It won’t. We’re at the end of the last days. You say, well, what about that? John said it’s the last hour. So wait a minute, what is it? By now, it’s probably spiritually the last few minutes, right? What does that mean? I don’t know exactly except God has given us incredible things to look around at this world and to realize that the world is heading in one of two directions. It’s either heading further away from God or closer to God. And that involves us as well. But listen to this, in Matthew 24, verse three, the Bible says, now as Jesus, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, notice it’s a three-part question, tell us, they’re speaking to Jesus, when will these things be? He just told them about the end of the age. And what will be the sign of your coming? And third, the end of the age or what is known as the end of the world. In verse four, Jesus answered and said to them, take heed that no one deceives you. And the only way, by the way, that’s gonna be True in your life is if you know the Bible. If you don’t know the Bible, you’re gonna get deceived. The Bible’s a supernatural book, and it gives you supernatural discernment on the inside as to what to do, and when you hear things, what are you to believe and not believe? The Bible is it. Listen, it’s not some evangelist, it’s not a pastor, it’s not a pope, it’s not any religious figure, it’s not your best friend. It’s the Bible, you need to know that. Take heed that no one deceives you for many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ and will deceive many. Down to verse 12. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Jesus said that’s one of the indicators. of the last days is that man will lose normal, caring affection for other man, for mankind. Mankind, instead of helping one another, will wind up turning on one another. And we’re starting to see the opening throws of all that stuff going on in our world. And so what are we to do about that? And so with that, I’m going to ask you to stand and open your Bibles or look to the screens to Ephesians chapter 6. This is a great portion of scripture. I believe that this is going to be very important for us in the year ahead. Father, bless we pray. In the name of Jesus, Lord God Almighty. And Lord, we invite you to take the lead. to take the wheel, to take control, to take our lives, to take our children, to take our husbands, our wives, our businesses, our employment, our situation. All that is ours. We ask you to take these things and sanctify them to your perfect plan. You’ve got your plan and for us to obey that plan. will be truly an awesome and great year. We ask it in Jesus’ name and all God’s people said, amen. You may be seated. So listen, to be a Christ follower in this year to come, it’s all gonna come down to the fact that you and I as believers more than ever are gonna need to be suited up. We need to be in fact very, very ready to take the word of God and to apply it to our lives like we never have before, church, that is so vitally important. The most effective thing that you and I can do in this warfare of life that we’re talking about, That we be completely girded up, armored up. And the Bible talks about it. And I don’t know why, but listen, it’s amazing to me when you think about it. That when you look at the Bible, the Bible speaks to us here in the 21st century. It speaks to us with words like kingdom or kingdoms, swords, helmets, swords. breastplates of righteousness, belts of truth. All of these things that the Bible speaks about, these items and this environment, seems to me to be locked in a certain type of almost Middle Ages type of description. Would you agree? Think about that. It talks about these things that you and I would relate to if it was some Hollywood movie, kind of like, I don’t know, like… like First Night, or what was the Mel Gibson film, which was awesome? Braveheart. That kind of era. To have these shields, these swords, to be in the book of Revelation, chapter 19, on horses, speaking, and that genre speaks to everything to the believer about warfare. And the Bible’s very clear about what you and I should be looking like and being like in these last days. In 2 Peter 3, verse 10, the Bible says, but the day of the Lord will come, listen church, as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Verse 12, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. With all that is coming into our world, whatever that might be, you and I are to be a people that are aware that God’s appearance for us in battle, his defense of us in warfare of life, that he’s completely and absolutely committed to you. He will not be abandoning you this year. He’s not gonna be turning his back on you this year. God is gonna be using you in areas that you’ve never thought of in your life. And God is gonna be there for you. And I know how God’s word works. It’s gonna start exciting you. And you’re gonna find yourself in this year to come, literally stepping out in faith and seeing God do amazing things. But know this, number one, in verses 10 to 11, it’s put on what is Christ. Put on what is Christ. In chapter six, verse 10, it says, finally, my brethren, be strong, and I love this, in the Lord. And in the power of his might. Notice it’s not your might and it is not his strength or your strength. It’s his strength. His strength, it’s his might that will get you through this year. It says in verse 11, put on the whole armor of God. That’s what’s available to us and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do that very thing. The Bible tells us in Romans 13 verse 12, the night is far spent. I look at it this way. There’s a healthy sense of anxiety. I don’t mean bad anxiety. I mean the anxiety like, wow, this is an amazing time. I mean, I’ve got to go to college or I’ve got to do my job or I’ve got to do my thing. Yes, you do. And you keep doing that. But as you do that, be equipped to live a real Christian life, to get ready. And if you and I find ourselves starting to get stressed out and worried, then listen, we got some armor in the wrong place or we’ve left something off. We need to remember that.
SPEAKER 01 :
You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. And for now, let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
SPEAKER 02 :
But the number one thing is that we see in Romans 13 verse 12, the night is far spent, the day is at hand, therefore let us cast off the works of darkness. Think about all the stuff that we used to be involved in that the Bible calls darkness. And let us put on the armor of light. And let us walk properly. Not as in the day. Not in revelry or in drunkenness. Not in lewdness or lust. Not in strife and envy. Verse 14 says, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And to do that… And I’m assuming I’m speaking in the positive that if you’re here tonight, I’m gonna assume that you are going to be taking on the new year and it’s gonna be this way where you are going to get into your Bible and you’re gonna know that your Bible get all over you. And you are going to be, as Paul said to the church at Ephesus, finally my brethren. That word finally is a powerful word because it actually means the remaining or this is what remains. It means from now on. That word finally in Greek means from this point forward. I love that about what tonight stands for. And you know, remember all the years, New Year’s resolutions, I promise not to eat anymore donuts, and I promise to this, that. We understand that, but there’s a sense within us like, hey, the year’s behind us, there’s a new year ahead of us, and we’re gonna do this. And well, according to the Bible, the Bible says that’s great. From this time forward, looking into the future, The things that remain. Finally, my brethren, dedicate everything about your life to God. You need not carry this year on your own shoulders. It is his might, it is his strength. And you can trust him for that. He says to be strong in the Lord, the power of God, which is imparted. It’s an empowerment that God gives. God has promised to give you his strength if you’ll ask for it. Think about that. Well, with all the decisions that we’re gonna have to make as a people, what are we gonna do? God knows. He says, don’t worry about that. Just know my word. This is what’s great about him. He’s given us his answers right here, and you and I are to be like miners with the light on and go find these great truths that are here for that very thing. So I was told that just, I guess, last Sunday, getting the one-year Bible out there, you know, you guys have been getting the one-year Bible to start tomorrow, that… You guys bought over 7,800 one-year Bibles. But that brings the total though to something like 15,000. What does that mean? That means if we go through the one-year Bible together, that is a powerful discipline in your life that’s maybe something new. And by doing that, you’re putting on Christ. You’re gonna put him on and he’s gonna respond in your life by the Holy Spirit. He’s promised to do that. When verse 11 says, put on the whole armor of God, between this service and on Sunday, we’ll go through the entire armor, that this armor that we put on is something that is an armor that is all that we need. In other words, God says, when I give you the whole armor, there’s nothing lacking. Please listen to this. Are there things in life that’s just beating you up? God says it doesn’t have to be like that. I have given you all the armor that you need to fight the Christian fight and be successful in that, against temptation, against thoughts. I don’t know if we’ll get to it tonight, but we’ll certainly get to it by Sunday. The biggest thing that you and I need to be armored up for, I believe personally, at least this is my own experience, It’s not so much things external. That doesn’t happen so much to me. It’s an external thing. where somebody pulls a gun on me or they try to beat me up or stab me or whatever, that’s big stuff, man. That’s external stuff. It’s not external temptation. It’s not that somebody winks at me or says, hey, how you doing, you strong man, you? That doesn’t happen. That doesn’t happen for obvious reasons. Here’s the thing. For me, in this year ahead, I’ve noticed over the years that the temptations that come in attack, we need armor more than ever regarding our thought life. God’s word will surround our thought life. And this is key. Just because a thought enters your mind doesn’t mean you’re supposed to go with it. You fight it. And you need to know how to fight it. And I think the enemy, because he’s very smart and we’re late, that he’s going to throw the kitchen sink at us, so to speak, right? And the great thing is that we are going to have all the necessary armor regarding these things. You’ll see a few of them or a couple of them tonight. But that whole armor means everything that we need. Arm, this is cute. Listen, I think it’s awesome. The word means to be so armored up, that it implies that every conceivable part of you has got weaponry for battle. And from this term comes a word that you might, or a saying that you might remember from some good old like swashbuckler type of movie, maybe from Jack Sparrow, I don’t know. But have you ever heard this term, to be armed to the teeth? Do you know what that means? This is pretty cool. It means to have all of the armor that you have, you’re going into battle, and you’re gonna go into it to win. And this is how we as Christians need to approach this year. We’re gonna go in, walking with Jesus, putting on everything that he’s given us, and I’ve got all of my armament, I’ve made myself all ready. Gosh, oh, I still have a mouth. I can take this dagger or this sword and just put it in my mouth and I can carry it that way. Have you ever seen pirate movies where the guy’s crawling onto the ship and he’s armed to the teeth? That’s exactly what that word means, is to have armament so at your ready that you’ll even arm yourself to the teeth. You will get a knife or a dagger, spiritually speaking, and you’ll bite it as you go into battle because you’re gonna need it. And I want you to think of yourself this year as a Christian like that. Against evil, darkness, the horrible things that are going on in our world and in our nation. Insanity, right? Craziness, intimidation, violence, whatever it might be. Get armed to the teeth. It’s all there. God says so. Number two is verses 11 to 12. And the great put on is that we would put on what is tough. Listen, we need to put on what’s tough, people. It says in verses 11 and 12 that you may be able to stand against… The wiles of the devil. This is your Bible speaking. Listen to this. Put on what is tough, that we might stand against the wiles of the devil. Verse 12, 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 host of wickedness in the heavenly places. What does that mean? That believers fight against spiritual entities that are not human. That just should freak you out. The Bible teaches this throughout. And we need to get tough. We need to toughen up. And what I mean by that is this. We need to get tough so that we don’t sound like this. Why did this happen to me? My week’s been going really rough. I don’t know what’s happening. Oh, you need to get, listen, you need to get tough. You need to get tough to realize that we’re in a war, we’re in a fight, and you could be just sailing down Newport Bay. On the outside, everything’s perfect. And inside, you can be engaged in a radical spiritual war. You think about that.
SPEAKER 01 :
pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his special New Year’s message called The Great Put On. Thanks for listening today and Happy New Year from all of us here at Real Life Radio. Our prayer for you is that your 2025 will be full of contentment and joy that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. It’s been a great joy this past year sharing our Real Life Radio program with you. Thank you for welcoming us into your home and your life. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack came across a friend the other day and witnessing a little bit to him and asked me straight out, well, have you ever read the whole Bible? Yes, I have. Yes, I have.
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Very few people can say that, sadly, by the way.
SPEAKER 01 :
Isn’t that true?
SPEAKER 02 :
Very few Christians can say that.
SPEAKER 01 :
But we have a solution.
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We’ve got a solution. And that is the reading through of the entire Bible. Every year we do it here at the church. We do it in the real life audience. We have honestly sold tens of thousands of copies of the one-year Bible. And it puts us all on the same page, right, every day. And it has been remarkable. So we’ve been doing this for decades as a church, now the real-life audience and beyond. Absolutely, yes. Get a copy for yourself. It’s incredible. I guarantee you, you will read the Bible for the first time, perhaps, all the way through in one year.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey, Pastor Jack, have you read the whole Bible? Yes. Okay, so I miss a day in the midst of reading the one-year Bible. What do I do? How could you, Davey?
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, my goodness. Sorry, but that’s exactly my point. Listen, everybody check this out. You may not hear this from anybody else, but it’s something I’ve painfully learned over the years. When you get a devotion… You get sick, you’re on an airplane, you miss it, you forgot it, whatever, you woke up too late. Listen, don’t go back and try to catch up because I’ve learned over 40 years plus of being a Christian, you never wind up catching up. Here’s what we’re asking you to do with the one-year Bible. Dive into the very day that we are all in. If you miss a day or two or three or even a week because you’ve been sick or whatever, don’t catch up. Dive in where we’re at. Keep on the same page that we are all on. Let’s be one in the Spirit. It’s thrilling.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s the one-year Bible, and it’s available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com slash real radio. That’s jackhibbs.com slash real radio. Did you know that along with the radio program, Pastor Jack also has a TV show with more of the Pastor Jack Hibbs content that you like? It’s called Real Life TV. If you enjoy Pastor Jack on the radio, you’re going to love him on TV. So check out your local listings or visit jackhibbs.com and catch the latest episodes. That’s jackhibbs.com. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
