KEY TEXT
Mark 4:20 (NKJV) – But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
INTRODUCTION
1. My misconception of Mark 4:20
2. Background of Key Text
3. Title
“THE 30-60-100-FOLD”
Outline:
- The Meanings of the Parable of the Good Soil
- What is the 30-60-100-fold fruitfulness?
- What is the start of the 30-60-100 fruitfulness?
- Why the different order of increase/yield in the 3 Synoptic Gospels?
- Our Ultimate Fruit-Bearer- Jesus
MAIN POINTS
(I) THE MEANINGS OF THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SOIL
Mark 4:20 (NKJV) – But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
Focus today – THE GOOD GROUND, THE GOOD SOIL
“The ones sown”:
- The seeds
- The Word of God
“The good ground”
- The good soil
- The soil that is soft and pliable
- The good heart
- The ones who hear the word of God, accept it and bear fruit
- People who follow Jesus no matter what the cost
- People who listen, obey and follow through on what Jesus says
- True Disciples
“Thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred”:
- Harvest in different measures
- Different process of FRUIT- bearing in our lives.
(II) WHAT IS THE 30-60-100-FOLD FRUITFULNESS?
What did Jesus mean that the harvest would be thirtyfold, sixtyfold and hundredfold?
Did Jesus mean that we should expect a harvest that is 30 times, 60 times and 100 times larger than what was planted? How would we even measure that?
We apply this 30-60-100-fold to our soul-winning and church growth effort………a wrong interpretation of the text.
FRUIT in Mark 4:20 is not the harvest of soul that are brought to Christ.
The FRUIT in Mark 4:20 is singular and not plural- the same singular FRUIT used in Galatians 5:22 for the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
Fruit in the Bible is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
How would you know the word of God planted in you, produced 30 times more love? 60 times more goodness? 100 times more self-control?
To understand what Jesus was meant by the Word of God, Jesus Himself, in our hearts bearing30-60-100-fold fruitfulness is to study Bible Numerology.
THE NUMBER 30
Number 30 = MATURITY, LOYALTY AND TRUE DEDICATION TO A CERTAIN SPHERE OF ACTION.
- In the Bible, Aaronic priests started their service when they turned 30 because they were considered to be mature and fully understood their actions, responsibilities, consequences and were able to be responsible for it.
- Joseph and King David became rulers when they were 30 years old.
- John the Baptist also started his mission at 30, because he fully understood his purpose.
- Jesus, when he turned 30, began reading the gospel out loud to other people.
Number 30 = SACRIFICE
Number 30 = GRIEF
Summary
THE NUMBER 30 IN THE BIBLE REPRESENTS DEDICATION TO AUTHORTY, LEADERSHIP AND RULERSHIP.
Application: When we receive the Word, Jesus, in our hearts, He produces within us A DEDICATION TO HIS AUTHORITY, HIS LEADERSHIP AND RULERSHIP. In short, a dedication to the LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST.
Jesus:
- Didn’t come to stand in a corner. He came to sit on a THRONE.
- Didn’t just come to die here. He came to DICTATE here.
- Didn’t just come to take part. He came to TAKE OVER.
- Didn’t just come to board here. He came to be BOSS.
- Didn’t just come to be resident. He came to be PRESIDENT.
LORDSHIP OF JESUS:
- LORDSHIP IS AS SIMPLE AS OBEDIENCE.
To submit to the Lordship of Jesus = just do what He says = obedience.
Analogies in the gospel to compare the relationship to Himself and His people to lordship:
- I am the King and you are the servants.
- I am the Shepherd and you are the sheep.
- I am the Captain and you are the soldiers.
- I am the Master and you are the servants.
All these analogies give one message – that Jesus is in control and we are subject to His control.
He is in charge.
- JESUS CHRIST HAS THE RIGHT TO BE LORD
Because He is God.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
- JESUS CHRIST DESERVES TO BE OUR LORD
Because of the sacrifice He paid for you.
- THE ALTERNATIVE TO LORDSHIP IS DEVASTATING
The alternative to Lordship is REBELLION.
Result – death
- LORDSHIP IS A CONTINUOUS DECISION
The decision for Lordship is not one time.
That commitment is only as good as the next opportunity you have.
The Lordship of Christ is not just an experience.
It is a PROCESS.
- LORDSHIP CAN BECOME HABITUAL
When we do the right thing long enough, eventually it will get down in our brain and soul and it will get a little bit easier.
- LORDSHIP IS THE CONSUMMATE TEST OF SALVATION
Lordship does not contribute to your salvation.
But it tests, verifies and validates your salvation.
There are two kinds of faith in the Bible – real faith and saving faith.
It is not the good works that contribute in any way to the finished work of grace.
It is that which measures salvation, that tests and validates that your faith and salvation are real.
Doing proves that salvation is real.
A person with a good heart that bears the 30-fold fruit/harvest is one who dedicates himself to the Lordship of Jesus. He does so by being willing to die to his old self (another meaning of 30 = grief) and submits to the will and teaching of Jesus.
Application: Do you have the 30-fold fruitfulness in your heart today? Is your heart submissive and dedicated to the LORDSHIP, THE KINGSHIP AND THE RULERSHIP OF JESUS? If so, you have the 30-fold fruitfulness in your good heart.
THE NUMBER 60
The number 60 in the Bible=DIVINE GLORY AND INTERVENTION.
- 60-year-old Isaac had his first two sons, Esau and Jacob, after his wife was healed of barrenness (Genesis 25:26).
- 60 cities were given to the tribe of Manasseh as part of their inheritance (Joshua 13:30).
- 60-year-old females was the only group of widows to be supported financially by the church (1 Timothy 5:3-11).
Summary
THE NUMBER 60 IN THE BIBLE HAS THE IDEA OF HELP, SUPPORT OR BEING UPHELD.
Application: When we receive the word, Jesus, in our hearts; when we truly hear Him, WE KNOW THAT HE IS OUR HELP, OUR SUPPORT AND OUR STRENGTH.
We all need DIVINE HELP in all areas of our lives:
- Physically – Divine Protection
- Spiritually – Divine Direction
- Financially – Divine Provision
DIVINE HELP:
- DIVINE HELP IS SUPERIOR
Because:
- God is reliable
- God is the most available help of man
- God is the most durable help of man
- God is the most comfortable help of man
- God is the most knowledgeable help of man
- DIVINE HELP IS A NECESSITY
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1).
We need God’s help not to labor in vain because we don’t have the strength of our own.
When we know the secret of divine help, we will cease from hardship, struggle and vain labor.
- DIVINE HELP IS AVAILABLE
God is always willing and ready to help those who trust Him and ask Him for help.
Divine help is always available for us in the following areas:
- Victory in battle times especially in imminent defeat
- Deliverance from the Valley of Death
- Strength to succeed
- Deliverance from reproach and shame
- Stability and Sustainability
A person with a good heart that bears the 60-fold fruit/harvest is one who KNOWS AND EXPERIENCES FOR HIMSELF THE DIVINE HELP, SUPPORT AND STRENGTH.
Application: Do you have the 60-fold fruitfulness in your heart today? Are you experiencing the DIVINE HELP PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY AND FINANCIALLY now? If so, you have the 60-fold fruitfulness in your good heart.
THE NUMBER 100
The number 100 =PROMISE
Specifically, the promised son who came from one Abraham, who was as good as dead.
Summary
THE NUMBER 100 IN THE BIBLE HAS THE IDEA OF LIFE FROM DEATH, OR RESURRECTION.
Application: When we receive Jesus, the Word of God in our hearts, we become SONS OF GOD, CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE. We GO FROM LIFE TO DEATH. WE ARE RESURRECTED.
This is the EFFECT of the seed, the Word of God, Jesus, that is sown into good soil or good ground:
- We bow to the Lordship of Jesus…..30-fold
- We receive everything we need from Him as we have the Divine Help…..60-fold
- And we become like Him- Children of the Promise….100-fold
The 30-60-100-fold fruitfulness occur in our lives at DIFFERENT TIMES OR PHASES IN OUR LIVES.
We may start off as a 30-fold fruitful man, dedicating ourselves to the LORDSHIP OF CHRIST in obedience.
As we continue to do so more and more, our fruitfulness may increase to 60-fold where we frequently experience the DIVINE HELP of God.
And as time unfolds, we find ourselves CONFORMING MORE INTO THE IMAGE OF JESUS AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE PROMISE – becoming the 100-fold fruitful man because we see so many promises of God fulfilled in our lives – promises that seem dead to us for a long time but suddenly God fulfills them, leading us to share in the resurrection of Jesus.
(III) THE START OF THE 30-60-100-FOLD FRUITFULNESS
The start of this 30-60-100-fold blessings is HEARING THE WORD.
Mark 4:20 -But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word…..
We measure everything that we HEAR.
When we hear the Word regarding our situation, we determine whether it is received or not and to what level it is received.
We measure everything that we hear……. whether we accept it or not.
The word of God responds to our MEASURING DEVICE.
Mark 4:24 says, “Take heed what you hear; the MEASURE you give will be the MEASURE you get, and still more will be given you.”
The way YOU hear it, the way YOU measure and respond to it is the MEASURE THAT IT WORKS IN YOUR LIFE.
God is not measuring this for you.
We respond to everything that we hear either ACCEPT or REJECT it.
Mark 4:20 (NKJV) – But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it,
“I doubt it” is a measure.
“I believe that” is a measure.
The point is everything that comes to us is measured.
It is then accepted or rejected BASED ON THAT MEASUREMENT.
It is important WHAT YOU HEAR.
The way you hear it is the way that you will measure it and that is the level that your faith will respond to.
When we measure something, God operates within the boundaries of that measurement.
Avoid people who can never see a way out.
Stay away from complainers.
Mark 4:20 (NKJV) – But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
100-FOLD
60-FOLD
WHAT YOU HEAR →MEASURE OF→ BEAR FRUIT → 30-FOLD
YR ACCEPTANCE
(IV) WHY THE DIFFERENT ORDER OF INCREASE/YIELD IN THE 3 SYNOPTIC GOSPELS?
In the gospel of Mark, the increase of harvest is from thirtyfold to sixtyfold and then to a hundredfold.
Mark 4:20 (NKJV) – But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
Why does Matthew reverse the order of the increase of the fruit of the word in us?
Matthew 13:8- But others fell on good ground and yield a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
And why does Luke only mention the hundredfold increase?
Luke 8:8 – But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.
Why the different order of increase/yield in the 3 synoptic (see together with a common view) gospel?
In Mark, we could see the yield of the harvest increasing because MARK is the GOSPEL OF THE SERVANT.
A servant is raised up. Servants are exalted by God.
In Matthew, we could see Jesus starting with the hundredfold increase and going down because MATTHEW is the GOSPEL OF THE KING.
Kings cannot go higher. They must go down. Instead of being humbled, they must be humbled.
In Luke, only the hundredfold increase is mentioned because LUKE is the GOSPEL OF THE SON OF MAN.
Jesus is THE MAN OF GOD.
Luke has an emphasis on the inclusion of the GENTILES in his gospel.
So, we could see only the hundredfold increase being mentioned by Jesus as the emphasis of the Word bearing fruit IN ALL MANKIND TO BECOME THE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE ONE DAY.
Ultimate goal of the WORD IN US –TO MAKE US LIKE CHRIST.
(V) OUR ULTIMATE FRUIT-BEARER JESUS
Jesus is the king in the Gospel of Matthew.
He was King in Heaven with fullness of glory and authority.
But He came down. He humbled himself to become a man, thus fulfilling the Gospel of Luke.
But He could not secure for us an immediate and instant hundredfold blessing till He became the servant in the Book of Mark.
Thus, he grew like a normal baby to a teenager, submitting to the authority of his earthly parents.
But his dedication to the kingship and Lordship of God, His Ultimate Father came, when he was 30 years old.
His one food was to do the will of God the Father, which was to proclaim the coming kingdom of God and to die for all mankind.
Throughout his entire earthly ministry of 3 years, we see DIVINE HELP coming upon Him in His water baptism, His 3 temptations in the desert, His ministry of healing, teaching, deliverance, transfiguration, His daily needs, His suffering at the Garden of Gethsemane and even at the cross.
He was really living out the 60-fold blessings.
He became the sacrifice for all of us at the cross. He died and his disciples mourned for him- thus fulfilling the meaning of number 30.
But when he was as good as dead in the tomb, God resurrected Jesus after 3 days through the Holy Spirit, thus fulfilling the number 100.
The resurrection of Jesus fulfills almost all of the Old Testament PROMISES so that today He can make not only the Jews but even the Gentiles SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE PROMISE.
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He changed the DNA of our hearts from a dead and hardened heart to one that is soft and pliable, able to submit and dedicate to His Lordship, able to experience constant Divine Help and most of all, able to live out as sons and daughters of the Promise.
To have the ULTIMATE FULFILLED PROMISE, JESUS, IN OUR HEARTS MEANS THAT ALL THE GOOD PROMISES OF GOD GIVEN TO US WILL ALSO BE FULFILLED LIKE HE DID FOR THE GENERATION OF JOSHUA – SO THAT WE CAN REALLY LIVE OUT THE EXALTED LIFE OF JESUS IN US.
Application: It is important WHAT YOU HEAR. The way you hear it, is the way that you will measure it and that is the level that your faith will respond to.
When we measure something, God operates within the boundaries of that measurement.
You have HEARD how Jesus humbled himself as God to become a man and a servant.
So, can we because as He is, so are we because we are united with Him.
You have HEARD that He served God the Father as a servant and was exalted from 30-60-100 and so can we because we are all linked to the ULTIMATE 100-FOLD FRUIT-BEARER JESUS CHRIST.
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father will be glorified that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8).
Mark 4:20 (NKJV) – But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
CONCLUSION
Is your heart the good soil, ready to receive and accept the Word, which is Jesus?
Is the Word of God remaining and abiding in your heart?
What is the measure you give in what you are hearing about the Lordship of Christ, the divine Help and the Promise of God?
What is the level of fruitfulness in your heart?
30-fold? 60-fold? Or 100-fold?
Or have your hearts degenerated to become the path, the rocky soil or the thorny soil?
It is the will of God our Father that we bear much fruit – not in terms of soul winning but more on:
- our dedication to the Lordship of Christ
- Personal and frequent experience of the divine help
- Living out the exalted life of Jesus, where you get to see many of the promises of God to you, fulfilled by the ULTIMATE PROMISE, JESUS.
End
