Title: The Great Commission & Christ’s Ascension

Scripture reading: Mark 16:15-20
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” ¹⁹ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”

Main idea: Jesus empowers his disciples by commissioning them to continue preaching the good news.

The Great Commission (Mark 16:15).
Jesus told the disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone” (Mark 16:15). This is Mark’s version of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). This commission is for all of us. Jesus made it clear that our message is to preach the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Our ministry is to take this message throughout the world.

Go into all (hapanta, “the whole,”) the world and preach (kēryxate, “proclaim”) the good news (euangelion, “gospel”) to all creation, that is, to all people. The good news is no longer limited to God’s chosen people Israel, as it had been during Jesus’ earthly life (Mark 7:27; Matt 10:6). It is destined for all the world, Jews and Gentiles alike.

The result of the preaching (Mark 16:16).
There would be two results of the preaching. Some would believe, be baptized, and be saved; some would disbelieve and be condemned. Whoever does not believe—that is, whoever hears the gospel and refuses to accept it—forfeits God’s gift of salvation (Mark 8:35-36). Believers are baptized to show their identification with Jesus Christ and his church (Acts 8:36-38; 16:31-33).

Please read: What is water baptism?

Promises of special help (Mark 16:17-18).
Jesus here describes certain miracles that would accompany those who believe the gospel. Notice the phrase, “those who believe” that is, if you don’t believe you have nothing to do with these miracles. The obvious question is, “Do these signs exist today? In my life, over 40 years as a pastor (Alexander Thomas), I witnessed healings in Jesus Name, I witnessed people been delivered from demon possession. “Do these signs exist today? In my experience I can tell you, yes. God healed me as well.

Jesus promises supernatural signs and wonders that will accompany not only the apostles but ordinary Christians (John 14:12-14). Jesus had earlier given his apostles authority to drive out demons (Mark 3:14); now this power is extended to the faithful in general (Acts 8:5-7; 16:18).

Most of these signs are found in the Book of Acts:
Cast out demons (Acts 8:7; 16:18; 19:11–16).
New tongues (Acts 2:4–11; 10:46; 19:6).
Serpent bite (Acts 28:5).
Drink poison without harmful effects—not recorded in Acts but attributed to John and Barnabas by the church historian Eusebius.
Lay hands on the sick for healing (Acts 3:7; 19:11; 28:8, 9).

As we serve the Lord Jesus promised His continued presence with us as He was with the apostles. The “signs” mentioned here fall into three groups:

First, the manifestation in service. —The first and last are acts of mercy. The casting out of evil spirits and the healing of the sick were two of the most conspicuous ways in which our Lord had shown His care for the needs of men. The laying on of hands was accompanied by anointing in the case of believers (James 5:14).

Second, the manifestation in worship. — They will speak new tongues, a reference to the gift of tongues given at Pentecost (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6) and experienced in the early Church’s worship (1 Cor 12:10; 14:1-28).  Apostle Paul says (1 Cor. 14:22), “a sign not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.” Apparently, it was a kind of utterance in no known language, in which the soul tried to find expression for its emotions of praise and adoration. It was associated with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and was a “sign” that a new spiritual influence had come into a believer’s life.

Third, manifestation in protection. —Missionary work in unknown territory is dangerous (Acts 28:5). If God still needed His servant, no danger could harm him, no serpent or poison could bring his work to an end until God called him home. Notice Jesus did not say those who believe shall follow signs. He said signs would follow those who believe. In other words, as they went into all the world, if they were bitten by a snake or unknowingly partook of something poisonous, the Lord would protect them, and people would see His reality through them.

The preaching of the gospel is not merely a verbal activity but a demonstration of God’s power. For the early Church, healings were a major part of the credentials of the gospel (Acts 3:1-10; 5:15-16; 8:7; 9:33-34; 14:8-10; 20:9-12; 28:8-9).

God that has been at all times the strength of those who serve Him (Isa. 54:17). So, the three groups of signs correspond to three qualities needed for the task that the disciples were charged with—sympathy, devotion, and courage. By his sympathy in service, by his earnestness in worship, by his courage in danger, men would recognize the true servant of Jesus.

God will never forsake his servants. His eye is continually on them. He will always time his help wisely, and come to their aid at the time that he is wanted. “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will put him to flight” (Isaiah 59:19). Clearly ‘signs and wonders’ are being promised to those who faithfully engage in mission. Again, “Do these signs exist today? Yes.

What was the purpose of these miracles?
I believe the answer is found in Hebrews 2:3, 4. To confirm the preaching, God bore witness with signs and wonders and various gifts of the Holy Spirit. The true miracle is the ability to live out the Christian life. This can only be done through the indwelling resurrection power of Jesus Christ. When people observe us living a Christlike life in today’s world, they see the miracle of redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ in our lives.

“Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31).

Christ’s Ascension Mark 16:19).
Forty days after His resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus is now explicitly called the Lord (as he was in Mark 1:3; 5:19), the Old Testament title for God himself. His resurrection has fully revealed his divine sovereignty. That Jesus is taken up into heaven and seated at God’s right hand is the fulfillment of his prophecy before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:62). The seat of highest honor, assigned to the king in Ps 110, belongs to Jesus who is now enthroned as King over all (Acts 7:56; Pet. 3:22).

“He was received up into heaven” (Acts 1:2, 11, 22; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 12:5; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 11). In other words, the attention is here focused on the fact that it was the Father who drew his Son to himself. When he “ascended far above all the heavens” (Eph. 4:10), the Son of God returned to the place he left behind when he became a man (John 17:5). He has “gone into heaven,” wrote the apostle Peter, “and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22; cf. Ps. 110:1; 1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:20-22; Phil. 2:9-11).

We are told in Luke 24:50, Jesus while he departing, “He lifted up His hands and blessed them.” Luke begins his gospel with a priestly blessing for the people of God (Luke 1:68–69). In other words, Luke begins and ends with a verbal expression of the blessing of God, imparted with the gesture of a raised hand or outstretched arms. The pronouncing of a benediction is an ancient and honorable tradition. This became the tradition for all of Israel’s priests. The famous words of their traditional benediction are still used in the church today: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24–26).

As a priest Jesus had offered himself as the sacrifice for their sins on the cross. When Jesus blessed them, he was serving as the final priest for the people of God. He blessed them with lifted hands that still bore the prints of the nails that crucified him and which therefore proclaimed his undying love for sinners. We too are under the blessing of Jesus. The blessing Jesus gave his disciples was the best of all blessings, for our Lord does not pronounce a benediction without also giving a blessing. This is the meaning of the benediction at the end of any proper Christian worship service.

Robert Rayburn writes: “No worshipers should ever be sent forth to serve in their own strength. They must ever be dismissed in the name of the Lord with the assurance of the power and presence of the Triune God to accompany them always.” (Robert Rayburn, O Come, Let Us Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), 217).

“The Lord working with them” (Mark 16:20).
The Gr. term sunergountos [TG4903, ZG5300] means to “work together” with someone. In obedience to His command, the disciples went forth, preaching the gospel and winning men to the Savior. Let us note in these verses the blessing which our Lord Jesus Christ bestows on all who work faithfully for him. We are told that when the disciples went out and preached, the Lord “worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it” (Mark 16:20).

We are entrusted with the Great Commission in our generation. As the population explodes, the task increases. But the method is always the same to preach the gospel. What are we doing about it? Every believer is responsible for telling the “good news” of Jesus Christ. Even as we see today, the Lord is indeed living and working.

Application
Jesus’ ascension marked the completion of his earthly ministry. Jesus is now in heaven as our High Priest and Advocate. (Heb. 7-10; 1 John 2:1-3). Now that he has ascended into heaven, Jesus is our advocate at the throne of God’s justice, pleading that the eternal Judge will have mercy on our sins. As our defense attorney, so to speak, he raises his wounded hands in the courts of heaven as the proof that the price of our guilt is fully paid (Heb. 9:24; Rom. 8:34).

At the same time, his ascension means the answer to our prayers. Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus ascended into heaven that he is able to present our requests before the throne of God’s grace.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels told the apostles “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Anyone who does not know him needs to know him for sure for he is coming soon. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).

I leave you today with these words taken from Hebrews 6:20 “.. the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father, I thank you, for Your word. You promised us You will be with us even unto the end of the age. I am not alone You are with me as I serve You. In Jesus Name, Amen.