"Occupy Till Come”

Also, this verse of scripture tells us how long we are to OCCUPY….UNTIL HE COMES.

This phrase comes from a parable in Luke 19:12-27 called “The Parable of the Pounds”.

Jesus told this story because the people thought He was on earth to set up His kingdom right then. Jesus wanted them to understand that He would leave and come back a second time.

In this story, a nobleman was going away to a far country to receive his kingdom but would one day come again. Then the nobleman says the line, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, ‘Occupy till I come.”

We get our word “occupation” from the word “Occupy”.

So the Lord is saying, until he RETURNS for the church we should all find the job we can do, and BE BUSY WORKING FOR THE LORD.

The Lord tells us to OCCUPY UNTIL HE COMES FOR MANY REASONS:

1) There is a lot to be done and it takes people to get the work done.

2) Also, when a society has too much waste time on their hand it gives Satan a chance to tempt them to sin.

3) Also we are to popup until the Lord returns because when we get to heaven we will not have any eternal rewards.

If He were to return today, how would He find you?

He tells us who are waiting for His return two things…

I. BE SOBER

Look at 1 Peter 4:7, we read, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore SOBER, and WATCH unto prayer.”

Look at the words SOBER and WATCH. These two words bring a double emphasis.

• BE SOBER - to be of sound mind

• WATCH - to be sober (sound mind) and watch

In other words, as we are looking for the return of Christ, we need to make sure that we do not have the SAME MINDSET the lost world has.

WHY?

Because it is obvious that the lost world is not looking for Christ to return.

The reason we know that is because if they thought He would return soon, they would not be living in sin.

God wants Christians to live each day with a SOUND MIND.

One of the biggest traps that Christians can fall into each day is to conform to the way the lost world thinks.

HOW DO THEY THINK?

They don’t THINK!

They allow others to do their thinking for them. They do not believe in thinking things through, they simply follow others, and allow them to do their thinking for them.

LET ME EXPLAIN…

Illus: They remind us of these journalists on television. Frequently the President addresses the nation. As soon as he completes his address, these journalists appear on television. They tell us what we just heard him say, twisting it to what they want us to think he said. THEY WANT TO DO OUR THINKING FOR US!!!

We live in an age when very few people think for themselves. They are being shaped and molded by the lost world in which they live.

Illus: It is difficult these days to find people like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who will say, “No we will not bow to the gods of this earth. We refuse to be to be cut from the same mold that everyone else is cut from.”

We live in a society today that has molded us and shaped us into what they want us to be.

Romans 12:2 states, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

There are all kinds of people who are trying to get into your mind.

• THE POLITICAL LEADERS WANT TO SHAPE YOUR WAY OF THINKING

• THE FASHION INDUSTRY WANTS TO SHAPE YOUR WAY OF THINKING

• THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY WANTS TO SHAPE YOUR WAY OF THINKING

• THE JOURNALISTS WANT TO SHAPE YOUR WAY OF THINKING

• THE RADIO TALK SHOW HOSTS WANT TO SHAPE YOUR WAY OF THINKING

• HOLLYWOOD WANTS TO SHAPE YOUR WAY OF THINKING

Everywhere we turn these days, we have people who are battling to see who can get control of our minds.

But listen, we CANNOT and we MUST NOT and we WILL NOT allow them to mold us and shape our minds.

This is why God’s Word says in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world…”

Look at the word, “conformed”, this is the Greek word suschematizo, (Pronounced as soos-khay-mat-id'-zo) which means to fashion alike, to conform to the same pattern.

God’s Word says, “Be not conformed”.

Why?

• BECAUSE THE WAY THEY THINK IS WRONG