Occupy Till I Come
Luke 19:13, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
I was listening to the July 7, 2012 Power
Of Prophecy Show by Pastor Texe Marrs and learned this wonderful truth from
Luke 19:12-26. Jesus taught that we as believers are to OCCUPY until He returns.
The Greek word for “occupy” is pragmateuomai and means “to busy oneself
with, that is to trade.” The nobleman went into a far country and entrusted his
servants with one pound each.
Hence, Jesus Christ is gone into Heaven and has commanded every believer to occupy (stay busy with the talents and resources He has entrusted to us) until He returns. The wicked servant wrapped his pound in a napkin and didn't even care enough to put it in the bank to gain some interest. The Lord was rightly furious!
Luke 19:12-27, He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
SOURCE: King James Bible
My friend, are you occupying what God has entrusted to you? Are you raising up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Are they hearing the Word of God, by which cometh faith? (Romans 10:17).
Are you using your good health for the Lord? One day your health will fail and
Ecclesiastes 11:10 and 12:1, “Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. ... Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”
May we all occupy my friend, until our blessed Savior returns and we are “CAUGHT UP” (1st Thessalonians 4:17) into the air to meet the Lord in the clouds. The Bible warns that to those believers that are unfaithful, God will take away from them...
Luke 19:26, “For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.”
What will God take away? The Bible says what you were entrusted with. The time of reckoning is coming for every Christian, when opportunity will be lost. Faithful Christians will one day be entrusted with positions of leadership in eternity; whereas unfaithful believers will not be trusted to lead anything.
Jesus mentioned “cities” in His parable. Luke 19:18-19, “And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.” The Bible teaches that the saints will one day reign WITH Christ during His millennial kingdom. 2nd Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.” And again in the Bible we are taught that the saints shall reign upon THE EARTH. Revelation 5:10, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” I believe that the Scriptures teach that faithful saints will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat Of Christ by being promoted to rule.
I'm not sure how it will work, but the Word of God says the saints will even judge (decide) over angels. 1st Corinthians 6:3, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” Wow! Will we judge the fallen angels for evils they've committed against us in life? Most likely, the meaning of this passage is that believers in heaven will take part in the judgment of the fallen angels and exercise some authority over the holy angels. Christ has been exalted above all the angels (see Ephesians 1:20-23), and it seems reasonable that those who are in Him and made in His likeness (Romans 8:29; 1st John 3:2; 1st Corinthians 15:49; Ephesians 4:24) will share in His authority, including His authority over the angels (Matthew 19:28; 2nd Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:4). God is so precious and wonderful.
Are you occupying my friend? Are you staying busy for God and redeeming the time? Read these incredible Scriptures that should be on our mind continually. 1st Corinthians 7:30-31, “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” In other words, don't place too much weight on the temporal things of this world, because it's all going to pass away soon.
OCCUPY TILL I COME! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 5:16, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
The only true happy life is a life of winning souls to Jesus Christ!
“It is the only happy life to live for the
salvation of souls.”
—Pastor Dwight L. Moody
