The Power of God’s Word, Pt. 7
Good soil… some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times!
“Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” (Mark 4:20 NIV)
The good soil of your heart hears the word, accepts it, and bears fruit. While it’s the seed itself that is actively at work (Jesus explains this in Mark 4:26-29), each progressive step requires determined cooperation on your part to produce a harvest.
“Accept it” in the present tense signifies “continually receiving it” and “continually bearing fruit.” This emphasizes the progressive nature of revealed truth.
Jesus explained in the parable of the vine in John 15,
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples.” “I chose you…that you should go and bear fruit and that it should remain.” (John 15:8, 16 NKJV)
Father God desires us to bear fruit in our lives! Foremost, the fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5). Secondly, by reaching others for Jesus and making disciples of Him. God also wants us to personally bear fruit in our families, occupations, and ministries, thereby expanding God’s Kingdom.
God desires that the promises He has spoken over your life come to fruition and bear fruit. It’s not enough to simply listen to God’s words and promises; you must hear and believe them, allowing them to transform your heart and your life.
We must protect our hearts from hurt, wounds, unforgiveness, and bitterness that could hinder the effectiveness of God’s Word. Proverbs advises us to,
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Prov. 4:23 NLT
We see in this parable, and in other passages, that God’s revealed truth (along with purpose and destiny) frequently unfolds in three phases.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, we find the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Israel’s progress was three-fold: out of Egypt, through the Wilderness, and into the Promised Land. Similarly, in the annual feast of Israel, the progression is as follows: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Another example of unfolding revelation is how the Bible refers to God’s word as milk, bread, and meat. It’s partial and progressive, similar to how a child begins with milk, then transitions to softer food, and eventually meat.
In the parable of the Sower, some seeds yield 30, then 60, and finally 100 times more than what was sown.
The subject of this parable is both the good ground and the power of God’s Word. Similar to good soil, the condition of one’s heart in receiving God’s Word (which is alive and powerful), believing in it, and obeying it determines whether we achieve a 30, 60, or 100-fold return.
The purpose of this parable and teaching is to witness God’s Word fulfill its fullest potential, or 100 times as much.
It is the hearer’s responsibility to transition from a realm of 30 times into a return of 100 times.
This lesson illustrates the law of increase; here’s how:
We assess everything we hear. When I hear the Word concerning my situation, I evaluate whether it is accepted and to what degree it is accepted. I assess all that I hear. The effectiveness of God’s Word is connected to how I perceive and “measure” God’s promise.
“…With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you…” (Mark 4:24-25 NKJV)
In the ancient world, people brought containers to the marketplace to purchase measured amounts of food. Bring a pint, get a pint; bring a quart, get a quart. Forget your pint, and you won’t receive your measure. One’s capacity to receive positions them for more!
My paraphrase of Mark 4:24 is, “The way you hear it, and how you measure and respond to God’s Word, reflects its impact in your life. You work together with God and His Word for growth.”
Jesus tells them, “You will benefit from My teachings if you listen actively. To the extent that you pay attention to them.” And “as you do, more understanding will be given to you than you could acquire on your own.”
God’s Word reveals itself progressively. We start with a 30-fold understanding, which can lead us to a 60-fold insight. As we grow in Christ, we can attain a 100-fold comprehension of God’s Word and truth.
For example, God’s Word invites us to “become fishers of men” and to share with others about Christ and the good news of the gospel.
When I became a Christian 45 years ago, I was excited about my newfound faith in Christ. I shared with many, sowing seeds of the gospel and hoping others would come to saving faith in Him. Over a short period, I witnessed several individuals give their lives to Jesus—we could call this a 30-fold return.
Later, God gave me the faith to lead groups of people to Christ. Once, I led 11 out of 13 teenagers to Christ in a park, guided by the Holy Spirit—perhaps this was a 60-fold return! Furthermore, I had opportunities to preach at overseas gospel meetings to thousands and witnessed hundreds come to the altars to receive Christ as their Savior. Truly, only God can draw that many to Jesus! We could call this a 100-fold return, or even a miraculous return!
A 100-times Increase is Miraculous!
1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b] 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar… 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.” (Gen. 26:1-6, 12-14 NIV)
Isaac heard the word of the Lord. He believed it, obeyed it, and then acted on it. He stayed in the famine-stricken promised land and planted seeds, expecting a harvest.
A miraculous harvest comes to those who hear, believe, obey, and act upon what God has revealed! We plant God’s Word and promises in our hearts, pray over it, nourish it with more prayers, and at times, even with tears. We stand firm, we endure, and we believe in the harvest even when drought and famine surround us.
Note that the good ground is the heart, not the head.
Often, we give mental assent to God’s Word and biblical truth, but head knowledge does not constitute living faith in the truth. Truth in the mind is beneficial, but it is in the heart that truth becomes an empowered reality. The Holy Spirit must unveil truth to us. The Spirit’s unveiling of truth transforms intellectual understanding into living faith.
George Peck, the nineteenth-century author of Throne Life, wonderfully describes the believer’s identification with Christ as three significant epochs: His death, resurrection, and ascension. He wrote,
“…let us observe how surely our ability to apprehend the distinctive significance of our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension—the three epochs which especially exhibit the completeness of His finished work—will determine the progress of our conscious spiritual experience.” i
We have been made alive through Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and we have also been raised up with Christ in heavenly realms.
“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:6 NLT)
A more accurate translation of “heavenly realms” is “unseen heavenly realities.” Our union with Christ has raised us with him into God’s heavenly throne room or heavenly reality, which is superior to our earthly realm.
Your understanding of Christ’s completed work impacts your spiritual growth. A person who realizes they are united with Christ in His ascension lives differently than a follower of Christ who does not grasp their position and authority in Him.
Those who recognize their union with Christ in His ascension victory pray and live with confidence that God’s power, through the indwelling of the Spirit, is currently active within them—as a present spiritual reality—to effect change in their world. Operating in the grace and power of the Spirit is normal for believers who grasp the completeness of their union with Christ and His finished work.
Final Thoughts
You and I have the responsibility to trust God to move from a 30-fold return to a 100-fold return. “He who has, more will be given!” Hunger and pursuit are essential! Reflect on these passages as we close for today:
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Jos. 1:8 NKJV)
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law, he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV)
FootNote
i George Peck, Throne Life: The Highest Christian Life, (Boston, MA: The Watchword Publishing Co., 1888), 41-42.
