{"id":1042,"date":"2016-06-20T09:04:46","date_gmt":"2016-06-20T13:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=1042"},"modified":"2016-06-20T09:04:46","modified_gmt":"2016-06-20T13:04:46","slug":"occupy-till-i-com-february-14-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=1042","title":{"rendered":"Occupy Till I Com, February 14, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20111119-120227\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

Occupy Till I Come<\/h1>\n

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Central Thought: As we await the Lord\u2019s return, we should use our God-given gift\/talents to His glory.<\/h3>\n

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Hymn: Must I go \u2013 and empty handed?<\/h3>\n

Text: Luke 19:11-27<\/h3>\n

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The believers in Christ, as pilgrims in the world are enjoined by the Master to live as ambassadors of the kingdom of God in all spheres of life. This implies that every believer should use his or her gifts\/talents in its fullness, knowing that one day he\/she will render account of stewardship to the Master.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lesson Objectives:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. To understand what it means to occupy till He comes.<\/li>\n
  2. To understand the various areas a Christian can be occupied in.<\/li>\n
  3. To know some of the things that could hinder a believer from occupying.<\/li>\n
  4. To examine the consequences of not occupying.<\/li>\n
  5. To appreciate the benefits of occupying.<\/li>\n
  6. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. \n
      What do you understand by the phrase, \u201cOccupy till I come\u201d? Luke 19:13<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u201cOccupy till I come\u201d, means doing God\u2019s business, working hard, being diligent, serving others, sharing the blessing He has given us with others, witnessing to our neighbors, telling them about Him and making disciples of others until He comes. He wants us to be living epistles read by all men until He comes.<\/p>\n

      This story in Luke 19 shows Jesus\u2019 followers what they were to do during the time between Jesus\u2019 departure and His return. Because we live in that time period, it applies directly to us.\u00a0 We have been given excellent resources to build and expand God\u2019s kingdom.\u00a0 The Lord Jesus expects us to use these talents so that they multiply and the kingdom grows.\u00a0 He will ask each of us to account for what we did with His gifts.\u00a0 While awaiting the LORD\u2019S return, we must to God\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n
        Identify and discuss some of the areas open for the Christian to occupy as we await our Lord\u2019s return. 1 Corinthians 13:13-14<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The believer must use the God-given gifts and talents for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and for the edification of the Body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-12. There are various areas open to the Christian to occupy until the Lord returns; they include:<\/p>\n

        In the Home:\u00a0 In the home every member of the family has one responsibility or the other given by God.\u00a0 When we accept God\u2019s responsibility and obey His commandments we are occupying in our homes until the Lord\u2019s return.\u00a0 That is husband\/father, wife\/mother, children and house help, should live in the home playing their roles according to God\u2019s instructions in His Word.\u00a0 Read Ephesians 5:22, 6:3.<\/p>\n

        In the Church:\u00a0 The Church as ground and pillar of the truth, is God\u2019s platform for the propagation of His kingdom on earth.\u00a0 God is reaching the whole world today through His body, the Church, to which we belong.<\/p>\n

        It is therefore the responsibility of believers collectively and believers individually to advance the kingdom of God, Mark 16:15-16. Believers have the responsibility to preach the gospel in and out of season.<\/p>\n

        It is not enough to have one\u2019s name on the Church register. That is not why God has called us.\u00a0 God has called us to be instruments in His hand to depopulate the kingdom of darkness, to populate the kingdom of light and of His dear Son, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

        This is the call, the high calling: God\u2019s own business which all believers must do diligently and profitably.<\/p>\n

        In the society, Matthew 5:13-16, 25:35-36:\u00a0 The believer is expected to release the God-given potentials to help build the society in whatever capacity he\/she finds him\/herself.\u00a0 The believer must actively participate in the affairs of his\/her society to entrench righteousness and the will of God, and m must endeavor to be a worthy ambassador of Christ in the society.\u00a0 We are each God\u2019s ambassadors presenting to the world that Christians are a different kind of people with a different lifestyle.\u00a0 How well are you fulfilling your commission as Christ\u2019s ambassador?<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \n
          What are some of the things that could hinder us from occupying tile he comes? 1 John 2:15-16<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Sin is major hindrance to our ability to occupy till He comes; sin is expressed in diverse ways. 1 John 2:15-16 states, \u201cLove not the world, neither the things that are in the world.\u00a0 If any man love the world , the love of the Father is not in him.\u00a0 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world\u201d.\u00a0 Loving the world leads to a loss of Christian focus.\u00a0 This is because the love of the world takes away the love of and or love for God.\u00a0 It is only when one loves god that he\/she will strive to keep His commandments.<\/p>\n

          The love of the world manifests in the following ways:<\/p>\n

          -The lust of the eyes<\/strong>: The lust of the eyes has to do with an uncontrollable desire to possess at all cost, what the eyes see. Believers must learn to keep their eyes single, Matthew 6:22 and focused on God.<\/p>\n

          –The lust of the flesh:\u00a0<\/strong> The flesh represents the Adamic nature which is governed by sin; hence, it exerts itself to be satisfied with sinfulness.<\/p>\n

          A Christian must follow the example of Paul to bring the flesh in subjection to doing the will of God alone.<\/p>\n

          –The Pride of life:<\/strong>\u00a0 Pride is a tool used by the enemy;\u00a0 it is arrogating to self what God did for us in His mercy.\u00a0 It includes inordinate desire for fame, popularity, and glory, thereby robbing God of the glory due to Him.\u00a0 A Christian must check this because God resists the proud, James 4:6.<\/p>\n

          Another major hindrance is undue allegiance to organizations, denominations, etc., without due consideration to Biblical patters and standards; this can result in the loss of focus to occupy till He comes.<\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. \n
            Discuss the consequences of not occupying in the Lord\u2019s services?<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            The consequences of not occupying are enormous. The account in Mark 11:12-22 tells us that the Lord Jesus desired to eat of the fig tree.\u00a0 When He got none, He cursed the tree.\u00a0 In a similar vein, the Lord said that \u201cevery branch in Me that beareth no fruit He taketh away\u2026\u201d\u00a0 John 15:2.<\/p>\n

            Not occupying in the Lord\u2019s service amounts to disobedience and this makes a believer miserable and unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

            Not occupying in the Lord\u2019s service is rebellion and this attracts God\u2019s wrath and bring about set back and lack of progress in the life of the believer, 1 Samuel 15:23<\/p>\n

            The ultimate consequence of not occupying in the Lords\u2019 service is eternity with Satan in hell. God loves us all but hates disobedience.\u00a0 The disobedient is and enemy of God and reserved for destruction if he or she fails to repent.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

              \n
            1. \n
              What are the rewards of obeying the Lord\u2019s command to occupy till He comes? Matthew 25:21-23 (NLT)<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              The Master was full of praise. \u2018Well don, my good and fruitful servant.\u00a0 You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.\u00a0 Let\u2019s celebrate together!\u2019\u00a0 Unto him that is faithful in little, much is committed into his hands.\u00a0 The Lord rejoices when we obey His command and releases His blessings upon our lives.<\/p>\n

              God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, Hebrews 11:6. We are blessed of God when we obey Him.<\/p>\n

              When we occupy till He comes, it serves as a check from committing sin. Lastly, we spend eternity with God, John 12:26.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              Daily Living Application:<\/h3>\n

              Our Master the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He has promised. We do not know when, but considering the times and events around the world, He will come soon.<\/p>\n

              Every Christian should therefore, be steadfast, unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing this that His reward shall be according to our work.<\/p>\n

              What God requires of His people is wholehearted devotion to His will and purpose.<\/p>\n

              As believers we should both redeem the time because the days are evil, and be busy for the Lord? Therefore, we should work while it is day!<\/p>\n

              <\/h3>\n

              Memory Verse:<\/h3>\n

              Romans 12:11 \u2013 \u201cNot slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Occupy Till I Come     Central Thought: As we await the Lord\u2019s return, we should use our God-given gift\/talents to His glory.   Hymn: Must I go \u2013 and empty handed? Text: Luke 19:11-27     The believers in Christ, as pilgrims in the world are enjoined by the Master to live as ambassadors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sundayschool"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/20111119-120227.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1042"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1044,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1042\/revisions\/1044"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}