Parable of the 10 Pounds and being Profitable
Luke 19:11-27
In this lesson we are going to look at one of the parables that Jesus gave which deals with being a profitable servant. Now we understand the doctrinal application in this parable deals with the tribulation and 2nd Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are going to make a spiritual application that will apply to us in the church age. So bear in mind that when we say things in this passage are a type of something we are be making a spiritual application and not a doctrinal one.
This passage deals with servants being good stewards of what they are given charge of. As saved people we should want God to have a good return on the investment he has made in us, or in other words we should yield a profit and not a loss. We are not talking about anyone losing their salvation, we are talking about accomplishing something for the Lord. Not just sitting around doing nothing but what pleases us. We must realize that even though a saved person cannot lose his salvation he can lose the rewards that he would get at the Judgment Seat of Christ and in the Millennium.
Spiritual Types in the Parable :
The 1st type we see in the parable is that the certain nobleman is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The nobleman goes into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and he is going to return just as Jesus will one day return. He is also rejected by some of the citizens as Jesus was rejected by the Jews the first time he came.
The citizens that hated the noble man and would not have him to reign over him are a type of the people who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and would not have him reign over them.
The servants are spiritually a type of saved people who have been given charge of something during the absence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Being a Good Steward of the Lord Jesus Christ :
Note in verse 13 that the servants of the noble man were told to “Occupy till I come”. This is exactly what we are to do, we are to occupy until the Lord Jesus returns at the rapture of the church.
Now what does it mean to occupy? Well think about if you were to go out of town for a while and you needed someone to housesit for you. You would expect them to live in your house, water your plants, feed your pets, make sure the water lines don’t burst and no one steals your stuff. Now to do this they would have to live there and use the house just like they owned it even though they do not. So when we occupy something we are to be a good stewards of whatever it is that we are occupying.
In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 we see that the one requirement for stewardship is FAITHFULESS. It doesn’t matter whether you very intelligent or whether you are not very intelligent you can still be faithful. It doesn’t matter whether you have lots of money or no money you can still be faithful. It doesn’t matter whether you are strong or weak or whether you have talent or no talent you can still be faithful. The most important thing in stewardship is being FAITHFULL.
So the question becomes are you being a good steward of what God has given you? You might ask, what has God given me? Note that in the parable each servant was given the same thing. Each servant was given 1 pound. In regards to salvation everybody starts out the same, we are all saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have been given the gift of salvation what are you doing with it. Are you hiding it and never showing anyone that you are a Christian and telling them what God has done for you. Or are you living as a Christian should and being a good testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ and winning others to the Lord.
Look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:16-17 in regards to preaching the gospel. In the parable the servants that took the pound they were given and made more did it by “trading” in verse 15. To make a profit you always have to spend some money or invest something. To be profitable unto the Lord we cannot hide our salvation and never invest ourselves in the work of the Lord. That will make us like the servant that hid the talent in a napkin and did nothing with it.
Are we a faithful servant making a profit for the Lord or are we an unfaithful servant who has nothing to show for what the Lord has given him.
The day of Judgment :
In the parable when the Lord Returned he judged the servants on what they had done with the pound that he gave them. After the rapture of the church the saved people from the church age will be judged not for salvation but for the works that we done after we were saved at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 ; 1 Corinthians 3:9-16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Here is where the motive behind our works is judged not the quantity or type of work. Also here is where we will either get rewards or lose them.
Note that in the parable the servants who were profitable reigned over cities. Inheriting the Millennial Reign of Christ is also one of the rewards that can earn. Remember we cannot lose our salvation but we can lose our rewards (2 Timothy 2:12-13 ; 2 John 8)
What are you going to be on the day of judgment, Profitable or Unprofitable? It is up to you.
Parable of the 10 Pounds and being Profitable : Handout
Luke 19:11-27
1) What are the types associated with this Parable?
2) What is significant about the phrase “Occupy till I come”?
3) What is a steward and what is the requirement for stewardship? Give a reference.
4) What was each servant given and why is that significant?
5) According to the parable how is the profit made and how does that apply to us?
6) What are the rewards connected with for us in this parable?
7) What are some things we can lose as Christians for not being a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Chirst?