The Returns for Those Who Seek

When He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.” (Mark 4:10-12)

Consider this passage carefully. What is Jesus saying? Why to some, and not to others? Do you understand the meaning here? I differentiate these two types of people. This chapter mentions: When He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. The key is you have to ask. In the course of life, you must ask. Do not let it pass just because you do not understand. Do not be one who sees but does not perceive, and hears but does not understand, and then lets it be. If one sees but does not understand, and does not bother to find out, this person is unlikely to amount to much. Jesus would not bother with such a person. Do not consider them talent.

You do not understand, and then when you ask, you become the you; those who do not ask become the they. Follow Jesus and ask: Lord, what do you mean? This question transforms them from the they to the you. The they are those who see but do not perceive, and hear but do not understand. Even those who ask do not fully understand, but they ask! If you do not understand and do not ask, that is problematic. In my personal spiritual journey, there are many things I did not understand. For example, what is pastoring? What is discipleship? Even today, there are many questions I do not understand.

I discovered that there are many things to ask and learn. For example, why are cancer patients so difficult to heal? Later I realised, when you ask God, He will surely reveal to you, because our God is a God who reveals. In your seeking, your mind will suddenly open up. Have you ever experienced a sudden moment of clarity while learning, where you suddenly understand everything? If you do not ask, you seem to know, yet you do not know, and then you ignore it. This kind of person is unlikely to succeed.

Whatever your profession, you must learn to clarify what you do not understand. At the Republic Polytechnic, there is a concept: What I know? What you know? What you don't know? What you need to find out? Today, we must constantly ask: What is this?

If you cannot find someone to ask, ask God. He will surely reveal to you. God especially loves those who ask Him. This question transforms you from the they to the you. It is fine to be the they, but to the you, God will tell you. These are two entirely different types of people. Those who ask receive returns. The kingdom of heaven has rich returns. If you become the they, you receive nothing. If you are the you, those who ask, you have the opportunity to receive returns. If we do not know that the kingdom of heaven has rich returns, we are very pitiful. Do not think that just believing in the Lord guarantees entry into heaven. It is not that simple. You must become the you that Jesus speaks of. Many people believe in the Lord confusedly, which is not the right way.

Four Different Returns

First Return: Sown by the Wayside

Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. (Mark 4:3-4)

The word of God is a seed. When it enters you, it yields rich returns. These returns are not for God, but for yourself. You will bear many times the fruit. Sowing the seed is the word entering us. If it is sown by the wayside, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word sown in their hearts, and it is gone—zero return. Why does Satan take away the word of God within them? Because they do not believe; they do not know it is a treasure.

Today, if those among us who have believed in the Lord to this extent still do not know that the kingdom of God has rich returns, and that these rich returns include yourself, then it is very regrettable.

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul? (Deuteronomy 10:12)

Why does God want us to love Him and serve Him with all our heart and soul? It is for our benefit, so that God's glory can be revealed, and His blessings and healing can come upon you.

In our lives, what we need most is blessing, and second is healing. These are all found in Jesus Christ. These two are extremely rich returns in the kingdom of God. We must know that the word that enters must be mixed with our faith. That is correct. If the word that enters us cannot be mixed with faith, then it is taken captive by Satan.

Second Return: Sown on Stony Ground

Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. (Mark 4:5-6)

This refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it with gladness, but they have no root in themselves and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. This second type of person accepts, but cannot withstand trials. A slight offense is enough to cause them to fall away. If I slightly offend you today, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally, but my intention is not to harm, in this process, it is to test you. For example, one sister used to cry a lot in front of me, but she has improved significantly and is now hardly offended at all. I think that in the whole process, God is doing a work of selection. So, many people who encounter tribulation and persecution immediately stumble and disbelieve. This is the second type, those sown on stony ground.

In Genesis, there is a story: Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain, and Joseph played tricks on them, causing them great distress, because they thought they would be left in Egypt as slaves. This was man-made. Joseph created an opportunity for them to be wronged. As a result, Judah stepped forward, willing to be Joseph's slave for life, so that he would release Benjamin and be able to explain to their father Jacob (Genesis 44). In such circumstances, those who face persecution are exercising their faith. Judah did not know at that time that Joseph was his brother. He was serious, willing to remain in Egypt as Joseph's slave for generations. This was a great determination. Later, he found out that Joseph was his brother, just testing him.

Where do the tribulations, persecutions, and grievances that we experience come from? On the surface, they come from people, but in reality, they come from God. Joseph foreshadows Jesus. What he did was inspired by the Spirit of God. Joseph would never do his own thing or play petty tricks. The Spirit of God dwelt in Joseph, so he used such things to let us see that God often creates a small disaster for you, which is actually just a scare. However, if a person cannot withstand the test, then it is over.

Third Return: Sown Among Thorns

Some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. (Mark 4:7)

This refers to people who hear the word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. If a person hears the word of God but does not know it is a treasure, thinking that life requires doing many other things, and then worries about how to live, can God's rich returns not enable you to live well? I can tell everyone with full confidence that if the word of God enters you and yields thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold, how is it possible not to live well?

Do you think you can live well by relying on worldly wealth and various worries? I guarantee you will not live well. No need to investigate; just look at the people around you. We who believe in the Lord, although we do not have various worries and concerns about money, do we lack money? No. What is the result for those who worry about money? They live very miserably. We must know that the kingdom of God has extremely rich returns.

Fourth Return: Sown on Good Ground

But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. (Mark 4:8)

This refers to people who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit. Doing things and being a Christian must produce Christian results. If you do not see a blessing on a Christian, it is truly pitiful! Why is there no blessing on them? Because they cannot receive it. Receiving is a very deep word—God is a God who blesses me; I no longer worry. God is a God who heals me; I will surely be healed. God is a God who glorifies me; I will surely see God's glory among us.

I think, according to the parables of the Lord Jesus, the four types of people each account for 25%, and they each have four different returns. And within this fourth type of person, there are three categories: some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. That is quite a difference! Of course, a hundredfold is better than thirtyfold. In our lives, there are many amazing things. Some people work hard for $2,000 and remain poor in old age. Others continuously rise from $2,000 to $20,000 in salary, earning more in ten or twenty years than the former in forty or fifty years. Jesus often uses money as a parable, and we also use parables. Of course, the higher the return, the better. The question now is: what is the difference between thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold?

With the Measure You Use, It Will Be Measured to You

(Jesus) Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Mark 4:24-25)

What does the measure measure? Do you truly recognize this as a treasure? Are you willing to pay the price? The price you pay is your measure. What you give, God will repay with what you give. Today, I will strive to encourage brothers and sisters to walk this path of paying the price, because the returns are extremely rich. What is the difference between thirtyfold and a hundredfold? A difference of 3.3 times—a big difference! Because the thirtyfold consumes twentyfold of the harvest, leaving one-third. But if you have a hundredfold, you consume twentyfold, leaving eightyfold. If you have $10,000 and spend $2,000 to support yourself, compared to having $3,000 and spending $2,000 to support yourself, what is the difference between $8,000 and $1,000? The Bible says: For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. (Mark 4:25).

Therefore, as Christians, we must strive to be the best and most outstanding, not mediocre ones. Appreciate the abundant rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven, and you will value it. Why do I often remind everyone of this? I am also reminding myself. People, if you know that the measure you give is the measure you receive, you will surely use a large measure to give to others, and God will use a large measure to give to you. Those who receive rewards generally use a large measure. God hates double standards: using a small measure to give to others but a large measure to receive for yourself. Such a person is cursed because he does not know that God is in control of rewards (Proverbs 20:23).

Rewards Require Harvesting

Your rewards also require harvesting; without harvesting, there are no rewards.

All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come. (Mark 4:28-29)

Sometimes, we humans are interesting. We sow seeds but do not harvest; will you receive anything? They will rot in the ground. Therefore, we must both sow and harvest. What does it mean to harvest? It means bringing things to fruition, not leaving them unfinished. Anything you do halfway yields no results. For example, a university degree requires four years of study; quitting after three years means no degree. Building a house halfway also yields no results. Peter is conveying this principle in Mark: you must complete the task and follow through until there are results. We Christians often fall short at the last moment. Someone said: truly successful people persevere until the last minute; giving up just one minute before the end means no results.

The lesson of faith is to persevere until there are results; giving up halfway is not true faith. I encourage everyone to learn to persevere in your faith to the end. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). In fact, everything can be endured to the end; even building a church requires perseverance. I am not someone who gives up easily; I will persevere in everything to the end. As long as I have breath, even in death, I will persevere in the spirit. Such perseverance is good soil in the eyes of God. Today, we must begin to cultivate this character of never giving up. Run Without Giving Up is one of my favorite songs. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair (2 Corinthians 4:8). Even in despairing situations, we should persevere with a glimmer of faith.

I persevere in every ministry in our church until there are results; I do not believe it will not be rewarded. As long as you persevere, it becomes a character trait and quality. For example, if we experience some injustice, grievance, or setback, should we give up? No, I will definitely persevere. This kind of character is pleasing to God. When have you ever seen David, Joseph, Jacob, or Abraham give up? Even if there are no immediate results, these people never give up, always believing until there are results. Such people are remarkable. In any case, we must become this kind of person, persevering to the end; only the things you harvest count.

Don't Underestimate Small Seeds; the Returns Are Tremendous

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)

Reading this, I can imagine Jesus asking the disciples: will you become a blessing to all nations and peoples on earth? Do not think that Abraham's mustard seed of faith, until his death, only saw his son Isaac. How could he become the father of many nations? Later, he barely saw Jacob and Esau before passing away. At that time, the twelve tribes did not yet exist, but Abraham's seed of faith became a blessing to all nations and peoples on earth.

Today, if we have the faith of a mustard seed within us, we will also become a blessing to many people. Even the birds of the air, the things that grow from that mustard seed, become a blessing to the bird, let alone people. Today, I must have this longing, a longing to surpass many people's blessings. This longing will make you good soil, receiving a thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or hundredfold return, becoming a blessing to many people. This is a crucial theme in the Bible.

Never think that living is about doing business and making money. Know that I live to become a blessing to all nations and peoples on earth. God will surely use a large measure for those with this aspiration, making you a blessing to many people, causing you to grow into a large tree, so that many unrelated people are blessed because of you. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all blessed many people. Joseph's descendants included Ephraim and Manasseh, a large clan in Israel. Joshua was an Ephraimite. Because of Joseph's seed, it influenced the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and these two tribes grew very large.

Only Disciples Count

He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. (Mark 4:34)

This teaching is for the disciples. What is the difference between a disciple and a believer? A disciple is someone who pays the price. I was surprised by these disciples chosen by Jesus: Peter, follow me! And Peter followed! When I first believed, this was the most confusing part of the Bible for me. These people were not suffering from terminal illnesses that Jesus healed and then followed Him. They were fishing successfully, and then they left everything to follow Jesus. Perhaps their nets were newly invested in. A disciple is someone who lays down his own life to follow Jesus. Deep in the disciple's heart, there is a longing to pursue something greater because he knows that Jesus is the Messiah, as John the Baptist testified. And they thought, what could be wrong with following the Messiah? At the very least, they could get a position. If Jesus became king, they could become prime ministers.

Peter had a longing; he did not think that fishing all day would lead to great things in the future. Today, you must also emulate Peter and these disciples, pay the price of discipleship, and God will surely give you the way of the Kingdom of Heaven. You will surely receive a thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or hundredfold return. The rewards of God's Kingdom far surpass what you and I can imagine. On Sunday, when I was preaching from Genesis, Brother XF was beside me, and he said with faith: with a salary of two thousand, he declared he would get three thousand five, and later it became four thousand. When I used to hire people, I would never give someone who originally earned two thousand a raise to three thousand five all at once. That was said in faith, and God accomplished it.

To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. (Deuteronomy 10:14)

The rewards of God's Kingdom are so abundant. In the Kingdom of Heaven, money, gold, silver, and jewels are not a problem. Therefore, if you serve God wholeheartedly, with all your soul, and with all your strength, you will surely be rewarded. Everyone is beginning to realize that Jesus is not lying; the Kingdom of God has abundant rewards. He is just asking us to begin paying the price in faith.

Later, Peter and the other disciples who paid the price, their names are still known today. More than two thousand years later, those of us who trust in the Lord Jesus are still telling their stories. It is said that in heaven, there is a place like a balcony where many apostles from all ages, those who paid the price for Jesus, stand and can see those of us on earth. I think their satisfaction far exceeds what we can imagine; that is bearing thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold fruit.

Jesus Calms the Storm

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:37-41)

What was Jesus doing? Jesus was giving a demonstration, telling us how abundant the rewards of the Kingdom of God are. With authority, even storms obeyed Jesus. Is there anything better than this? Would those disciples suffer losses by following Jesus? No. We often encounter storms in our lives. Those who trust in the Lord Jesus have the authority given by the Lord Jesus to rebuke storms and overcome difficulties. Those who do not know Jesus are basically in a passive, helpless state.

If we do not have the way of the Kingdom of Heaven within us and work hard but happen to be on a plane that crashes over Egypt, then everything becomes empty. Today, we must know that in the position of a disciple of Jesus Christ, you can obtain authority, and faith is key. The opposite of faith is fear. A person without faith will be afraid; a person with faith will surely overcome fear.

Who exactly is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God. Those who believe in the Son of God will become children of the eternal God and can also manage the authority over wind and waves. You will surely receive rewards. If you have rewards, then all the storms in your life will be under your management, and no one can take your rewards away. We must know that a person who pays the price is a person of faith and power because this is the power ordained by God. A person who does not believe will not pay the price.