“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.”

Introduction

A) Zacchaeus · In the above verses 1-10 of chapter 19 here in Luke, we see the story of another publican however this one just so happened to be the chief publican and short in stature.

• He went out of his way just to get a glimpse of Jesus. (Most people in the world today will not even cross the street to visit Jesus in His house!
• And once again we can see Jesus dining with the “despicable” publicans in verses 9,10.
• Notice how verse 10 fits right in with all of the other parables that we have studied? “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

B) Our Lord and Savior

• Jesus had passed thru Jericho and ate with a sinner and told the crowd of people following Him what His purpose was “to seek and to save that which was lost.”
• Note the expression found in verse 13b… “… Occupy till I come.”
• In this passage we find the Lord nearing the end of His earthly ministry. For 3 ½ years He has walked with His disciples and then He turns to tell them… “Occupy till I come.”

I. The Misunderstanding of the Kingdom

A) The Misunderstanding was

• Look into verse 11) And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”
• “They” misunderstood the kingdom. Who is They? Everybody in attendance at that time… the Pharisees, publican and also His disciples.
• The misunderstanding was that … “they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”
• Remember Luke 17:20-21… “20) And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21) Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
• I believe that they had probably concluded in their minds that Jerusalem was to be the seat of His kingdom.

B) The things they heard

• Look back at our text…Luke 19:11… “And as they heard these things” · What things?
  1) Luke 19:8… “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
  2) Verse 9… “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”
  3) Verse 10… “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
• I believe that they heard verse 10 to say that He was come to seek Jerusalem and to save His kingdom, which was lost and that in verse 9 it was going to happen “This day….”

C) The perfect setting

• The Historian Josephus tells us that as many as two million people made their way to the city of Jerusalem during the Passover feast. So as they neared Jerusalem, they found people camped out all over. This was the prime moment for Jesus Christ to make the grand announcement that He was going to set up His kingdom, overthrow the Roman government, and finally, the Jews would reign with their King. In the hearts of these disciples, they had a mistaken idea. He was not talking about gaining for them the kingdom they had lost. He was talking about bringing lost souls to Himself.
• In the minds of those following Jesus that day, they felt… “This is the day!”

D) Mistaken Ideas

• Many people think that Christ did not live a sinless life.
• Many think that His mother Mary conceived through Joseph.
• Many think that Jesus Christ died on the cross and thus ended His reign.
• In that day they thought that Jesus was King and had come to rule the world. He was and still is the King, but he has not ruled the world and won’t until sometime in the near future.
• Many people think that some day all people will be a believer in Christ. They’re wrong.
• Another mistaken idea of the world is that … “We are just trying to make the world a better place to live.” What a bold faced lie straight from the pits of Hell! The courts today stand up for the criminals, ban God from songs, schools and slogans, force the queer-balls into our society, vote in presidents that have low morals, change the history books to dull the minds of today’s children in that we did not come to America to serve God as we wish but to be rid of a King and Queen.
• The world today is trying to abandon God and do as they want to do!
• The world is only going to get worse.

II. The Meaning of this Parable

A) Does it compare to the parable of the Talents?

• Some think that this parable parallels to that parable of the talents. It does not!
• In the parable of the talents each received a different number of talents.
• In this parable of the pounds, all of the servants received the same.
• It is entirely different!

B) A certain nobleman

• Last weeks parable Christ said… “…unto certain”(Luke 18:9), the week before that it was …. “a certain rich man”(Luke 16:19) , before that it was… “a certain man had two sons”(Luke 15:11).
• Now he is speaking of a “certain nobleman”…in verse 12) He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. (Christ is like a certain nobleman, which came to the world (the far country) to seek and to save that which was lost.)

C) “Occupy till I come”

• 13) And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
• The meaning of this parable is to occupy till Christ’s return to the earth. What does occupy mean…According to Mr. Webster…
  1.) To seize possession of and maintain control over (place or region) by or as if by military conquest. Do you not think that we should be seizing possession and maintaining control over our Homes, churches, schools, and personal lives until He comes?
  2.) To fill up (time or space); We are to “fill up” the world till He comes with spiritual people living for God not worldly people living for self.
  3.) To live in or on or be a tenant in or of (premises or land). God wants us to live here until He comes.
  4.) To hold or fill (an office or position). God wants us to hold our position as Baptists preaching the word of God from the closest thing we have (The King James version of the Bible, not some watered down NIV) and preserving it until He comes.
  5.) To engage, employ, or busy ones self. God wants us “busy” until He comes! Busy in His work, busy witnessing, busy with his time.

D) But the citizens hated Him…

• Now in verse 14) But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.” (“He came unto His own and His own received Him not”)
• We all know that the world Hates Christ. Sad but true there are many Christians that will say… “He’s not going to have reign over us!”

1. The Account

A) What does it profit a man

• Look with me in Matthew 16:26… “ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” now in Luke 9:25 … “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” · What have you gained…nothing
• Now look at the account given by Christ in verse 15) 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.”
• Every servant, these servants, we as servants are called to Him that… “that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.” Many tradesmen are losers, unless they trade for Christ, they shall be gainers. Christ wants what us to trade our old life for a new life and see what we have gained by doing so.

B) The good accounts

• First, look in verse 16) Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17) And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”
• Now look at the second account in verse 18) And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19) And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.”
• Note: These six accounts:
  1) They had both made considerable improvements.
  2) Both were not improved alike. One had gained 10 lbs. by his trading another had gained only 5lbs.
  3) All that alike faithful, are not alike successful. It may be that one man worked harder than another and applied himself more, but it didn’t matter.
  4) They both acknowledged their obligations to their master. (By saying… “…thy pound hath gained…”) God must receive all the glory!
  5) They were both commended for their work… “Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little,”
  6) Each man had a different degree of glory according to his work. There are some of us that will not receive as much reward for our works that are tried by fire than as does others.

C) The Bad account

• This one is so true with many Christians today… look now in verse 20) And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:”
• What if… I had some yard work, like pulling weeds, that needed to be done. And so thinking that a good man of God Bro. Danny Saultz was laid on my mind due to his families needs for food and supplies and such so I hired him to do the work in my yard and paid him $10.00 for it. Then later find out that he wrapped it in a napkin and didn’t do anything with it! 1) I would feel like I wasted my money. 2) I would think that he was a wasteful person with what I had given him.
• Now notice that the idiot makes the matter worse (sticks his foot in his mouth) in verse 21) For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man:” Austere; is the Greek word itself meaning “a sharp man.” stern, or harsh. 2. Showing strict self- discipline. Then continuing he said… “ …thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.” He thought that he was reaping what he did not sow when in reality he had reaped what he had sown… Nothing!
• He really had no reason to fear his master’s Austereness… it was just a feeble excuse for his laziness at being idle. What does God’s word tell us… “Pr 19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. And in Mt 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
• Was this man forgetting that this is the master that told him to… “Occupy til I come?” Look dear Christian friend… God doesn’t want us to sit idle… He want’s us to occupy!

IV. The Account Settled

A) His (The servant’s) excuse turns sour

• Look now in verse 22) And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. (Your own big mouth has gotten you in trouble and what you have stated will go against you.) Thou knewest that I was an austere man, (he knew that God was stern and meant what he said) taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23) Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24) And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25) (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 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.”
• When we reach that “Great White Throne of Judgment”, our excuses for “not occupying till he comes” will become a bitter taste in our mouths as they come back to bite us.

B) His enemies

• Not now and not ever would I wish to be an enemy of God’s … “27) But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”
• Those that will not have Christ to reign over them… will be dealt with as His enemies!

C) The meeting with the King

• II Corinthians 5:10 “ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11) Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”
• The Judgment seat of Christ is for Christians. A judgment of our works!

“WE ARE TO OCCUPY TILL HE COMES”