SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
(Luke 19:11-13) (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." (12) "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return." (13) "And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, "Occupy till I come."
(Luke 19:14-15) (14) "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us." (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."
(Luke 19:16-21) (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." (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." (20) "And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:" (21) "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."
(Luke 19:22-26) (22) "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:" (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."
PREFACE SUMMARY
In this parable, we learn that the Lord gave ten servants a pound each, equivalent to about twenty to thirty USD in today's currency. At that time, this amount would have been worth approximately three months of wages. This pound distributed among the servants represents the equal opportunity of receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The nobleman instructed the servants who received one pound each to occupy till he returned, which meant they were to take the pound and trade or barter to multiply what they had received. This parable speaks of the nobleman taking a long journey to receive for himself a kingdom and returning to rule over his people.
Interestingly, in the days of Jesus, there was a ruler named Archelaus, a direct descendant of Herod the Great, who did this. This gives us a glimpse of God's plan to redeem humanity through the cross of Jesus Christ, bringing us back into fellowship with Him.
God's plan for the redemption of humanity involved the Lord being betrayed and facing agonizing death on the cross to make way for His disciples to come to God, bridging the gap we lost through Adam's fall in the garden. He presented His blood as an atoning sacrifice to His heavenly Father to pay the sin debt for all humanity.
This parable reveals the plan of God, which was kept secret in the Godhead from the foundation of the world. This plan was to rescue as many people as possible from Satan's rebellion and make way for humanity to be restored into fellowship with a Holy God who hates sin.
OCCUPY YOUR POSITION
Beloved, I believe this message is essential for the body of Christ as it warns us of the dangers of complacency and encourages us to be good stewards of the gifts and talents that God has entrusted us with. The devil constantly tries to distract us and cause trouble, but we must remain focused on the vision and use our abilities to help a hurting world in need of the good news that "God Loves Sinners."
Look closer at the action word "Occupy" and its true meaning. The Lord is not suggesting that we occupy until He comes, but rather commanding us to do so. We can do what He asks of us, and we must study this parable to become fruitful in our walk with God.
God did not place us on this planet to fill up space but to be a light in the world and share the good news that "Jesus Saves" to those searching for answers. We must let our light shine before others so they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.
The Lord is not interested in buildings but in a bride who has made herself ready. We, the Church, must occupy our position and influence the world, bringing change to future generations.
Every member of the Body of Christ has a place and a role to play, and we must work together in harmony to bring about transformation in our society. Let us declare that our hearts are occupied with the autographed blood of Jesus and that the "No Vacancy" sign is flashing, warning the devil to stay away and not distract us from our assignment.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Saints, we find our Lord In (John 14:1-3) stating "that he was going to prepare a place and coming again to receive his disciples that where he is there, they may also be."
Beloved church, did you not know that he fulfilled this scripture after his resurrection, dear? He went to the cross to prepare his disciples a place which was a way for fallen man to get back into fellowship with God, and after offering his sacrifice in Heaven, returned to live with them for forty days, even being seen up to five hundred eyewitnesses at one time?
Saints, we discover in this parable that the Lord is trying to reveal to his disciples that his Kingdom is a Spiritual Kingdom that would be in them, which would replace the selfish nature of man as the Holy Spirit sets the risen Christ up as Lord of lords and King. of Kings in our heart.
Beloved, we discover in this parable that each servant received the same amount of money. All but one got an increase in what was trusted to them; however, we discover that one was lazy and hid his in a napkin.
Church, the truth revealed here, and the bottom line to this message is that we all have one life to live here on Earth, and we have the same opportunity to receive or reject the gospel message.
Dearly beloved, did you know that we have two different types of people illustrated in this message, and we can view world situations and see that the real battle around us is between good and evil?
Beloved, today we have the fundamental Christians who love and follow Christ, making him their Lord and Savior, but also exceptional; we have the religious crowd that would plot his death and hate the truth that he preached.
Dear reader, we have so-called Christians today hating other races, which is the very thing that God hates with a passion who, if they had their way, would physically put others in hell and beloved; the truth is, and the bottom line to this message is, "we have church leaders today that have the jealous character of the elder brother that is portrayed in the Prodigal son.
Beloved, the bottom line to this message is instead of occupying their position, these people want the best of both and do not care about the lost, broken pieces of humanity but only care about satisfying their selfish desires.
Dearly beloved, did you know that we have two different types of people illustrated in this message, and we can view world situations and see that the real battle around us is between good and evil?
Beloved, today we have the fundamental Christians who love and follow Christ, making him their Lord and Savior, but also exceptional; we have the religious crowd that would plot his death and hate the truth that he preached.
Dear reader, we have so-called Christians today hating other races, which is the very thing that God hates with a passion who, if they had their way, would physically put others in hell and beloved; the truth is, and the bottom line to this message is, "we have church leaders today that have the jealous character of the elder brother that is portrayed in the Prodigal son.
Beloved, the bottom line to this message is instead of occupying their position, these people want the best of both worlds and do not care about the lost, broken pieces of humanity looking for a reason to live but only care about satisfying their selfish desires.
HAVE YOU BURIED YOUR GIFT?
Dear Church, Saints, and fellow peers let us delve into our study and observe the stewardship of the servants listed in the gospel of Luke chapter nineteen. We can learn what they did with what the nobleman had given them.
The nobleman in this parable represents Christ going to His Father to obtain His kingdom and then returning to Earth to receive His people, which will be accomplished in the second coming. In this parable, the Lord gave ten servants a pound each, equivalent to about twenty to thirty USD in today's currency, and would have amounted to about three months of wages for them then. The pound given to the servants represents the opportunity to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the nobleman instructed the servants who received one pound each to use it to trade or barter and multiply their earnings.
In (Isaiah 40:31), the word of God states, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” In Hebrew, this means to exchange our strength for His. God gives power to those who wait and hope in Him, allowing them to exchange their strength for His. As faithful servants of our Lord, we are to convince people to trade what they have for the peace we have in Christ.
Beloved, let us take a moment and think about what one word or one gospel tract can do to someone needing hope. Notice how the faithful servant gained ten pounds and was blessed to hear the words "well done" for being faithful in the little he received. He was placed over ten cities. The second servant exchanged his pound and gained five more, causing the nobleman to bless him over five cities. However, he did not hear the words "well done."
Now, let us look at the slothful servant who hid his gift in a napkin. He made a statement to the nobleman that he knew he was a hard man to deal with, causing the nobleman to address him as a wicked servant. The nobleman said he should have put his money in the bank to earn interest.
We have people today who make excuses for not accepting God’s gift of salvation. Others are ashamed to admit that they are Christian. Some state that they do not attend church because of hypocrites, not realizing that addressing others as hypocrites is declaring to the holiness of God that they have kept their lives right before God. This makes them guilty before the throne of the Judge of the universe.
MY CONCLUSION
Dear Saints, it's no secret that the world we live in operates by standards, which could be described as the values and principles we place upon a particular way of life. However, we seem to have standards in all our lives except our spiritual walk with God. Unfortunately, we lack in this area, especially in the fear that we may offend someone.
Therefore, we need to view the truth of God's word, asking Him to reveal His life and character to us. When we do that, we will find that He teaches us through (Matthew 5:5) and (Psalms 37:11) that the meek will inherit the Earth. The meek, in this case, are those who have their spirit under the control of His Spirit.
Did you know that our awesome God has a standard for our acceptable behavior? His word says in (Hebrews 12:2) that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. It also says in (Philippians 1:16) that He has begun a good work in us and will finish that work, so we may be presented blameless on that day.
The spiritual gifts given to us must be cultivated and developed. We must never take what God has entrusted us for granted. We must keep ourselves pure and undefiled before God so that He may have a clean vessel to work through as we redeem the time occupying the position we have been placed in and bloom where we have been planted.
I have learned from my mistakes and will never take the blessings of God for granted again, especially in the messed-up world today, as I am coming into His fulfillment in my life and ministry.
God's will today is for men and women in leadership to instruct others with a sense of Holy reverence toward God and their fellow men. Impurity in leadership will erode the character and tend to destroy marriages, relationships, lives, and ministries beyond repair.
Not living a Holy life before a confused world will cause our testimony to be of no effect. Therefore, sometimes, we need to swallow our pride and walk away from godless people who tend to find fault with everyone they meet.
We must train to be Godly, keeping ourselves pure before a Holy God, perfect in all His ways. We must remember that God is the deliverer and can deliver us from all our trials and temptations.
In conclusion, life may present us with uncertainties, including many hardships. However, our God is and always will be faithful to those who are loyal, putting their confidence and complete trust in Him. When all things in which men glory pass away, God's word and His love will still stand. A-Men.
International Evangelist
Jerry W. Hulse Ph.D.
Miracle Life Church International
