Unity: Trained for Battle - 7 June 2026

Welcome: Welcome the Kroonstad People

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Sermon: Unity - Trained for Battle

Intro:

HAVE LISTENED TO PS AT’S MESSAGE - LAST WEEK PM… KEYS TO UNITY!!!

Understanding the WHY - you are planted in the Church…

That we do not merely JOIN a church - you can join a running club or a book club - But we get SAVED you need to get planted in the House of God - The day you get born again you You get ENLISTED into a War - YOU DID NOT CHOOS THIS WAR, IT CHOSE YOU - and you then become part of an ARMY that has a CLEAR OBJECTIVE - “To plunder hell and populate heaven”.

The day we truly grasp what is at stake at the end of the day - we will never look at Church the same way…

God spoke to Ps At in the beginning - CRC will be like the army of David...

Being part of CRC for over 20 years now and 13 years in ministry, you understand the gravity of this statement… That being part of a church serves a PURPOSE far greater than just MYSELF… There is much more at stake and at play...

PRAY - HELP US UNDERSTAND

Text:

1 Chronicles 12:1–40 (NKJV)

1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, 2 armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren.

SKIP

8 Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

4 FACES of a LEADER:

LION - BOLDNESS/COURAGE/AUHORITY

OX - STRENGHT/SERVANTHOOD/SACRIFICE

EAGLE - VISION/PROPHETIC INSIGHT

MAN - WISDOM/COMPASSION

SKIP

14 These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. 15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.

Stronghold - A place of refuge/protection/safety

Todays Terms - The Local Church is a stronghold in a community - a place we find refuge as believers, where we get strengthened/edified/refreshed by other other believers in the presence of God . We leave this place and we go battle and fight wars and we return every week to get refreshed -

Isolation - Can destroy you… deception happens in isolation - you will get taken down by enemy systematically.

17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.”

18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

Church Membership = Spiritual thing… The Spirit of the Lord came upon Amasai...

They did not come to David because they had nothing better to do - because David served better coffee than Saul or David had a better social media reach…

BUT They saw God’s hand on David’s Life - “FOR YOUR GOD HELPS YOU”. God had an objective to achieve through David’s life that would usher in Jesus 1000 years later. That the Messiah would come from Judah - Prophesied in Gen 49:10 by Jacob… 800 year before that… God was busy accomplishing His Objective...

When we get planted - it is more than just membership - You need to understand the reason you are there…

1 Corinthians 12:18 (NKJV)

18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

We SEE God’s Hand on Ps At and the VISION of CRC - it is as clear as day…

As God had an OBJECTIVE He had to accomplish through David’s reign as king -- God has an objective through the Church globally and through

VISION of CRC to SAVE LOST PEOPLE, TO BUILD HIS CHURCH ON THIS EARTH, TO SMACK THE devil… TO SEE THE BROKEN HEALED, TO SEE THE CAPTIVES SET FREE, TO TAKE TERRITORY FOR GOD’S KINGDOM!!!

We celebrate other Churches - we never never criticize!!!

We should never LOSE our FOCUS of our OBJECTIVE!!!

As soon as the church becomes a bless me club - seeker sensitive - self centered - self seeking - WE CRITICIZE...

HOW DID THEY THEY ACCOMPLISH THIS OBJECTIVE?

21 And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. 22 For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

HELPING - ASSISTING - PARTNERSHIP - HAVING SKIN IN THE GAME.

They were different MEN with DIFFERENT SKILLSETS

23 Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord: 24 of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed for war; 25 of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; 26 of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred; 27 Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; 28 Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house twenty-two captains; 29 of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); 30 of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout their father’s house; 31 of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; 32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; 33 of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; 34 of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; 35 of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; 36 of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; 37 of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war. 38 All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

They were not just ordinary guys they were exceptional in what they did as soldiers…

equipped for war

mighty men of valor

understanding of the times

expert in war

stouthearted men (Determined) Not easily persuaded

keep ranks

keep battle formation

a loyal heart

GOD IS STILL ADVANCING HIS KINGDOM IN SIMILAR MANNER

God has a PLAN - He is BUILDING HIS CHURCH

He FINDS a MAN/WOMAN. - His eyes run to and fro across the earth seeking who’s heart is loyal and He can show Himself strong on their behalf

He sends them other MEN/WOMAN along side . With SPECIFIC GIFTS/LOYAL HEARTS to that man to support/help accomplish the OBJECTIVE.

Everyone has a GIFT - 1 Pet 4:10

What is that you have?

We all have a measure of TIME:

A measure of TALENT:

A measure of TREASURE:

A TESTIMONY: - Rev 12:11 - the devil has been overcome...

WE CANNOT GO “AWOL”

Before Pentecost the church was UNITED in PRAYER, but after UNITED in PURPOSE…

YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE NO STRENGTH - YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED FOR WAR - GOD IS A GOD OF WAR…

2 Samuel 22:29–35 (NKJV)

29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. 30 For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. 31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 32 “For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. 35 He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

2 Samuel 22:40 (NKJV)

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

- END -

Joel 3:9–10 (NKJV)

9 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Philippians 2:1–4 (NKJV)

1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

John 17:20–23 (NKJV)

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.