GOD’S CHOSEN VESSEL
Psalms 78:70-72
My fellow laborers of the kingdom, it is getting harder to identify those who lead the Church of God. This is due to the fact that many are not sure about who we want to lead us in our pilgrimage to glory. We want him handsome and tall, intelligent and pulpit savvy, we even want him timid and passive so he can be swayed in one direction or another. Instead of us choosing a pastor that is saved, we choose a look, we chose a school, or we chose a puppet that will be used only when called upon. It reminds me of Ernie Fields, who had a puppet named Cockroach that spoke only when Ernie spoke for him. I tell you some churches, not all, like their pastors supplied not chosen.
If you read your bible, you would find many men, that God used to lead His people. You’ll find a devout pagan like Abraham; a farm hand like Moses; a shepherd boy like David; a fisherman like Peter; a tent maker like Paul; and if that is not enough we would find a carpenter like Jesus, and the thing that should stand out in our minds is that God Himself chose them all. But looking at this list of God chosen men, I wonder how many of them would qualify to pastor a church today.
In this 78th Psalms we find it to be a Psalm of instruction. Asaph bring to our attention what God had done in Israel’s history from the time of Moses to David. In it we see the failure of the people and the faithfulness of God. This Psalm continues the tradition of passing on the record of God’s marvelous works from one generation to another. The Psalmist Asaph is encouraging his generation to keep the Law and forget not God’s wonderful works. He didn’t want them to do as their ancestors did in the wilderness, or as the children of Ephraim did by not keeping the covenant of God, and walking contrary to His Law.
So it was because of Israel disobedience God refused the Tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but He chose the tribe of Judah, as found in verse 68 and He called this tribe the Mount Zion that He loved. So on this 17th anniversary of our pastor let us take a look at this lesson that we can identify God’s Chosen Vessel.
First of all verses 70 and 71 tells us that...
1. HE IS CHOSEN FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS TO THE LITTLE THINGS (v.70,71)
In the text we find the Lord God choosing a leader for His people. It is not to say that they did not know how to choose a leader even though they cried out for and was happy with Saul as their king.
But God did not want just anyone ruling over His people. Look what He chose a lowly shepherd boy. Now David knew something about leading sheep and that qualified him according to God’s standards. You see David knew that you don’t drive sheep, but you lead sheep. If you let sheep lead the way the sheep would wander in the wrong direction. Sheep had no sense of direction, so they needed to be led, sheep would eat grass down to the rocks then would eat the rock and parasites, that is why they need fresh graving grass. And David knew that, and that is why David was God’s choice, because David knew something about shepherding. You see a good shepherd pay close attention to the little things, he knows when one of the sheep is missing, he knows when they are sick with parasites, he knows the sheep by name and they know his voice, in discipline he even know the right amount of force to use with his stave. But the true shepherd knows that the sheep does not belong to him, so he have to take extra care in dealing with the sheep.
Secondly in verse 72 it shows us that...
2. HE IS CHOSEN BECAUSE HE HAS THE PEOPLE AT HEART (v. 72)
In the previously discussed verses it is noted that God took David from the sheepfolds and placed him among His people to shepherd them. And verse 72 said “So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart,” The NIV said of this text “And David shepherded them with the integrity of heart,”
God chose David because He knew that David would care for the sheep as if they were his own. That statement alone should separate hands on pastors from even those we see and hear on T.V. Some of the T.V. pastors are good preachers, we enjoy their exegesis of the scriptures, we love the way they have their churches set up, and we stand in awe at some of their conferences topics. Outside of enjoying their services and conferences they really can do nothing for us. Even if their message was for us we cannot pickup the phone to speak to him and to ask him to personally pray for us. In other words he cannot treat us as if we were his own, because that preacher is hundreds of miles away and have a someone on his prayer line that will pray with you. But this week we are celebrating the 17th anniversary of a man that does personally answer calls for pray, he personally take time to visit you in the hospitals, in events of death in our families he is known to travel many miles to get back to be with our families and he prepares a meal fit for kings and queens, not once but twice on Sundays. I tell you Pastor Streeter was chosen to lead Mt. Pleasant because like David he shepherds us with the integrity of his heart.
Finally also in verse 72b...
3. HE IS CHOSEN BECAUSE HE IS SKILLFUL IN WHAT HE DOES (v.72b)
David was as skillful a shepherd than anyone. What made David so skillful was the fact that he care for not only the sheep, but also he cared for the flock of the Lord. It was this David that battled and killed a bear and a lion for the sheep. It was David that also slew Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 for Israel. David was not only a compassionate shepherd and king but he was a skillful warrior as well.
Pastor Streeter too is a skillful shepherd and warrior. Skillful in using the wisdom of God, skillful in teaching, skillful in preaching, skillful in managing God’s vision. And you my brothers and sisters have to understand this man of God. When you come to him with an idea for ministry and he looks as if he is not paying you any attention. He heard you, but that non-attentive look you see on his face is not that he is ignoring you but he is thinking about what you’ve said and seeing where it fits in the vision that God gave him. That makes him skillful in managing God’s vision.
Conclusion
You see it is a lonely thing being God’s vessel. Sometimes our family don’t understand, and God knows that many times the flock don’t understand. But I come tonight to encourage you Pastor and I here to enlighten you Mt. Pleasant, that God has His hand on the man of God. He chose him to be a man after His own heart. And sometimes those that walk with you the closes don’t understand. But that’s alright because Jesus closes followers didn’t understand him either. Peter didn’t understand why he needed his feet washed. The disciples didn’t understand in John 11 when Jesus said “let us go into Judea again, they were afraid that the Jews would attempt to stone him. Mary and Martha didn’t understand because Jesus did not come to see about the one that He loved , and Judas didn’t understand why the ointment that Mary anointed Jesus with, not sold and given to the poor.
But if no one seems to understands you, hold on to God’s unchanging hand.
HOLD ON...if you have to stand alone
HOLD ON...if you have to go home battered and wounded
HOLD ON...if some don’t live right and
HOLD ON...if they don’t believe you.
But Man of God I need you to know that...
Time is filled with swift transition.
Naught of earth unmoved can stand.
Build your hopes on things eternal.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
