He'll Give You Double For Your Trouble

Introduction:

In our world today the Christian circle is suffering. Christians suffer because of who that are in Jesus Christ. Pastors are under attack because of who they are in Jesus the Christ. Suffer, just what does that mean?

Webster’s dictionary says that suffer is to feel pain: to feel pain or great discomfort in the body or mind. To undergo something unpleasant: to experience or undergo something unpleasant or undesirable. To endure something: to put up with something painful or unpleasant. To have an illness: or to have a disease or a physical or psychological condition. I will revisit suffering in this sermon.

In the Bible the root word suffers, gives us the words suffered, suffering, sufferings, sufferest, and suffereth. It is found in the book of:

• Genesis 3 times

• Exodus 2 times

• Leviticus 3 times

• Numbers 1 time

• Deuteronomy 2 times

• Joshua 1 time

• Judges 4 times

• 1 Samuel 1 time

• 2 Samuel 2 times

• 1 Kings 1 time

• 1 Chronicles 1 time

• Ester 1 time

• Job 5 times

• Psalm 11 times

• Proverbs 3 times

• Ecclesiastes 2 times

• Jeremiah 1 time

• Ezekiel 1 time

• Matthew 13 times

• Mark 11 times

• Luke 15 times

• Acts 16 times

• Romans 2 times

• 1 Corinthians 8 times

• 2 Corinthians 8 times

• Galatians 3 times

• Philippians 4 times

• Colossians 1 time

• 1 Thessalonians 3 times

• 2 Thessalonians 1 time

• 1 Timothy 2 times

• 2 Timothy 4 times

• Hebrews 10 times

• James 1 time

• 1 Peter 16 times

• Jude 1 time

• Revelation 3 times

The words suffer and its other companions are found in the Bible 167 times. For the Christian, we are living in a “dog eats dog society.”

Everybody wants to get over on somebody at whatever the cost. If it means that I have to step on you to move up on the job, so be it. If it means sleeping with my boss to get a pay raise so be it. Even if it means telling lies on someone to cause them a demise and to make themselves look good so be it.

I’ll even take it a step further; I’ll do whatever I can to make the Pastor look bad so that I can have his seat. I know we don’t have that here, but I have to keep this thing real. It’s happening in churches and Pastors are catching hell. God himself is not pleased with this type of behavior among the saints. This brings me to my first point. This point if for the members of this church and any other person that has a pastor.

Development:

Point #1: Obey and Submit to The Watchman

In Hebrews 13:17 it says “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls.” It is ever so important to be obedient and submit yourselves to the person who watches over your soul. For a pastor, that is a lot of responsibility and accountability.

Your pastor is responsible for the welfare of every parishioner’s soul that is under his watch. Well preacher what are you saying?

There are three reasons given in the scriptures for obeying him. Now don’t misunderstand these are not my reasons but the reasons that were handed down by God himself. The reasons are:

 Reason #1: God Called Leaders to Watch Over Our Souls.

 They are concerned about our welfare.

 They are concerned about our spiritual growth.

 They are concerned about our holiness.

 They are concerned about our purity.

 They are concerned about our knowledge.

 They are concerned about our faith.

 They are concerned about our love.

 They are concerned about our trials.

 They are concerned about our temptations.

 They are concerned about our sicknesses and diseases.

 They are concerned about our suffering.

Therefore, we should listen to them and obey their counsel and exhortation.

 Reason #2: God Called Leaders to Know Their Accountability.

 This keeps the leader from abusing us because the leader knows that he is accountable to God and will stand before God to give an account as to how he led. Therefore, we can rest assured that if a leader is God-called, he will not mislead us. He is accountable to God and he knows it.

 Jeremiah 2:3 speaks on pastors who are listening and become inspired by the words of lying spirits. It says, “The priests did not ask, `Where is the LORD?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.”