CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ARMIES OF GOD
1 Chron. 12:1-2,8,18,23,32-33
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Regular Feeding --
1. Susan Ward and her daughter caught only one perch on their fishing trip— too small for even a modest lunch. So they decided to feed it to her two cats. She put our catch in their dish and watched as the two pampered pets sniffed at the fish but refused to eat it.
2. Thinking quickly, her daughter then picked up the dish, walked over to the electric can opener, ran it for a few seconds, then put the fish back down. The cats dug right in!
B. TEXT
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. 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: 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. 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. 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.
C. “GOD’S GOT AN ARMY”
1. The Song of Solomon 6:10, describes the church as a great army arrayed with banners. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:18 indicated that the church was in a conflict with hell and would batter down its Gates. In this conflict, every believer is a soldier. To that purpose, we're going to look at the armies who supported David to get clues of how we should be arrayed to battle alongside our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Paul said, “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” Eph. 6:12. The whole of God's angels and children are involved in this struggle to save humanity and men's souls.
3. Paul pictures the completion of our warfare in First Corinthians; 24After that comes the end (the completion), when He delivers over the kingdom to God the Father after rendering inoperative and abolishing every [other] rule and every authority and power. 25For [Christ] must be King and reign until He has put all [His] enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy to be subdued and abolished is death. 1 Cor. 15:24-28, Amplified.
4. It has been predetermined by God that every opposing force to the kingdom of God will be destroyed. We need to be on his side. As soldiers in the Army of God, what characteristics should we nurture in our lives? What kind of man is looking to turn the kingdom over to God’s Son?
I. THEY’RE DEVOTED TO DAVID/ CHRIST
A. DAVID A TYPE OF CHRIST
1. David is a prophetic type of Christ in the Old Testament. David was God's Champion, a man after God's own heart, who defeated the enemy’s giant by a blow to the head and led God's people to victory.
2. He was a man after God's own heart who restored the worship and presence of God to God's people. He was Israel's King who meted out righteousness and justice, and his reign was crowned with peace.
3. Since David is a type of Christ, this draws a parallel between David's followers and us as believers.
B. SEPARATED THEMSELVES TO THAT PURPOSE
1. David’s army “separated themselves to David” (vs.8, 19). They left all their other pursuits and dedicated themselves exclusively to uplifting David and ushering in his kingdom.
2. Our devotion to Christ and ushering in his kingdom should be the single and most important thing in our lives as well. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you as well" Mt. 6:33.
C. “THEY HELPED DAVID” (21)
1. Verse 21 says that "they helped David." One would think that if God has predestined David to be King, David wouldn’t need any help getting there, but that's not so.
2. In the same way, although Jesus has been declared to be the King, His kingdom also needs help to be ushered in. We have a definite responsibility to daily help usher it in.
D. DETERMINED TO USHER IN HIS KINGDOM
1. Verse 23 says, “these … came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD” and were “fully determined to make David King over all Israel” (vs. 38).
2. They were going to seek His Crowning, even if it came to a battle. Christianity is not a picnic, but a participation in a widening battle to establish the kingdom of Jesus in this world.
II. THEY WERE TRAINED & EQUIPPED FOR BATTLE
A. MEN OF RESPONSIBILITY (3-4)
In verses 3-14, many of these men were called chiefs, captains, or commanders. They were men who had proven their mettle in battle, shown themselves faithful and to be men (and women) of responsibility. We must be too.
B. COURAGEOUS & SWIFT INBATTLE (9,21)
1. Verse 8 says that "their faces were the faces of lions and they were as swift as gazelles." This described their courage.
2. We need courage to reach out to the multitudes of lost souls and to face the spiritual opposition we must go through. Our forefathers faced martyrdom to speak for Christ; should we be any less courageous?
3. They were swift. When the Lord says "go," we need to be swift. "Instant in season and out of season" 2 Tim. 4:2.
C. MEN OF QUALITY (14)
1. Verse 14 says that "the least was a match for 100, and the greatest for 1000." They were men of quality.
2. Second Peter 1:5-8 tells us we need to be men and women of quality -- having those qualities, which will keep us from being unproductive for God.
D. KNOW HOW TO WAGE (SPIRITUAL) WARFARE(15)
1. Verse 15 says that they "put to flight those in the valleys." They knew how to wage war. It's one thing to know how, but another thing to actually do it.
2. We're not supposed to just be hearers, but doers of the Word. We’re to “war” against our own lazy attitudes, selfish desires, and the enemy’s attempts to sidetrack us.
E. PREPARED & LOYAL (33)
1. Verse 33 says they were "experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty." In verse 2 it says "they were equipped."
2. This reminds me of Paul's description of how a Christian should be equipped in the spiritual realm; Eph. 6:14-17.
a. “14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth [to protect from satan’s lies],
b. “having put on the breastplate of righteousness” [ protects heart],
c. 15 “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace [you’re prepared to share the Gospel];
d. 16 “above all, taking the shield of faith [your trust in God] with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
e. 17 “And take the helmet of salvation [covers your head/ mind],
f. “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” The Word of God is as a sword with which you battle the lies and devices of the enemy.
3. In Matthew 17:19-20, the nine disciples found themselves overmatched by a demon in a boy. They asked Jesus, "Why couldn't we do that?" His answer? "You haven't spent enough time in prayer and fasting."
4. Often we pray with our minds on hold in our mouths on automatic. We need to “study the Word to show ourselves approved to God, a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" 2 Tim. 2:15.
5. We need to be trained and equipped, with full knowledge of the Word, filled with the Spirit, aware of our spiritual weapons, and alert to the goals that God has set for us to accomplish.
III. REPENTANT & FILLED W/ THE SPIRIT
A. REPENTANT (29)
1. Verse 29 says they were "men... who had remained loyal to Saul's house." But at some point after Saul’s death, they came to the conclusion they were serving the wrong master and came and submitted themselves to be David's servants.
2. We, likewise, were once servants of the enemy, but we repented and surrendered to Christ. Repentance is vital for all of Christ's servants.
B. EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (18)
1. Verse 18 says “Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the 30 and he" prophesied.
2. It's amazing to me that a man so devoted to warfare that he commanded the 30 mightiest men (and so himself must have been greater than them), should also be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that he could yield and utter forth His words.
3. All those who would be soldiers in Christ's army must also be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and be able to yield to the Holy Spirit when the need arises.
4. ILLUS. : MISSING THE MOTOR
a. Associated Press Story: "Glasgow, Ky.--Les Puckett struggling to start his car. He tested the inside lights and they worked. He tried the headlights and they came on. What could be the problem; why wouldn’t his car start?
b. Finally he lifted the hood and discovered that someone had stolen the motor! Without the Holy Spirit’s power, we are like that car without its engine.
5. Remember, "It's not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." The battles we fight and are not carnal/fleshly, but waged in the spirit realm.
6. We cannot dream we will be victorious except through the power of the Holy Spirit. This means we must stay filled with the Holy Spirit if we would have victory.
IV. MEN WHO UNDERSTAND THE TIMES (32)
A. KNOWING THE TIMES
1. Verse 32 said they were men "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do." They knew where they were in God's timetable. They knew it was time to usher in the King.
2. We need to understand that we are in the last days. Now is not the time to play church, or to get sidetracked with the cares and affairs of this life.
3. Now is the time to put on our armor, to kneel before Christ and pledge our allegiance. Now is the time to go to war or whatever other measures are necessary for the kingdom of this world to be turned into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
B. VISION IS VITAL
1. “Where there is no vision, the people perish" Prov. 29:18.
2. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matt. 9:36-38.
3. When you lose your vision for your fellow man, you're too far from Jesus.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Cindy Jacobs, in her book Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, tells that while attending a prayer gathering in 1990, she was awakened one night at 2:00 A.M. with a sense of alarm.
2. As she waited on the Lord, He brought to her mind the picture of [she saw] a couple and their three children, a family she knew was traveling in their van to the meeting. In this vision she saw a wheel on their van come off, causing a terrible accident.
3. Cindy began to pray fervently for their safety and continued throughout the night. Upon their arrival the following day, she asked if they had had any problems with the right wheel. Though they had not.
4. Cindy insisted they go to a garage and get it checked. The mechanic who inspected the van was amazed. He said there was no way they should have been able to drive the van without the wheel coming off.
5. Upon returning from the mechanic, Cindy's husband, Mike, who had accompanied the family to the garage, held up a bag and declared, "The trophies of intercession." It held the old bearings from the right front wheel.' [Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, p.239.]
B. ALTAR CALL
1. What area of ministry are you called to?
2. Is there someone in your circle of influence who doesn’t know Christ and who you could seek to win?
