In the sermon 'The Final Ending of Mark,' David Green discusses the final verses of Mark 16, emphasizing the resurrection of Jesus and His appearance to the eleven apostles, who initially struggled with unbelief and hardness of heart. The sermon highlights the importance of the Great Commission, urging believers to preach the gospel to every creature, and differentiates it from the commission in Matthew 28. Green asserts the historical truth of the resurrection, citing eyewitness accounts and the willingness of the apostles to risk their lives for this truth. He also addresses the limited nature of certain apostolic signs described in Mark, explaining their purpose during the early church age. The sermon encourages believers to continue the work of the church, knowing that Jesus is alive, interceding for them, and will return one day.

Mark chapter 16 and today we're going to we're going to finish our study of the Our study of the Gospel of Mark, by looking at verses 14 through 20. March 16, beginning in verse 14, Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they said it meet, and abraded them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them to believe.

In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick, they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven and set on the right hand of God. He went forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. And so, this is the ending of the Gospel of Mark, as it is recorded here.

Remember what I said about the resurrection? There were eyewitnesses to the risen Savior. Among them were these eleven. Read it there in verse 14, Afterward he appeared unto the eleven, as they sat at the table, as they sat there for eating purposes, and abraded them with their unbelief. He rebuked them for their unbelief and their hardness of heart.

The resurrected Jesus appeared to them. And they, even these eleven, they had a problem with unbelief and a hardness of heart. This was an ongoing problem. We read about this before in Mark 4 and verse 40. Mark chapter 4 and verse 40.

He said unto them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Again in no faith. Again in Mark chapter 9 and verse 19, he answereth him and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?

Bring him unto me." So we see that this was an ongoing problem, an ongoing struggle with these men. And we could give them a hard time of it. We could really rail on them, but really, are we much different? If a Christian says that they have no doubts or fears or struggles, they're either a new Christian or they're not telling the truth. We do sometimes go through times of doubts and fears and even hardness of heart.

We go through life and go through periods and troubles and trials, this old flesh, the devil, and all how we must guard against this sort of thing. Spend much time in the Word and in prayer and in church attendance. But even at that, even with those things, sometimes there are times where we struggle. As we read the scripture though, we can find much assurance. Jesus is risen.

On what we read of Christ dying on the cross, that he was buried and he rose again as I mentioned before, this is something that we can be assured of. It was risky business to be a Christian in the first century. The Jews, the Romans, nobody looked upon Christians in a favorable way. As a matter of fact, it was almost a certain death sentence to identify with Jesus. Why would these guys risk their lives for an imposter, for a fraud.

What they wrote, what they told about these eyewitness accounts, they're the truth. The answer is that they would not have risked their lives and even gone on to lay down their lives for they did it for the truth. They made some bold claims in the Scriptures, Not only in the Scriptures, but before crowds. Think about this. Just to give one example, not only is Mark writing in this Gospel of Mark, and I'm well aware that there is some debate as to the ending of Mark, but you know, you get even earlier in this chapter, back up to the first few verses, Mark does indeed end with an empty tomb.

And so the controversy put aside as to whether or not these last few verses were there in the original or not, all of that put aside. The reality is, Mark did attest to an empty tomb, as did Matthew and Luke and John. And Peter, when he stood before the crowd on the day of Pentecost, thousands of Jews, unbelieving Jews. Many of them had been there when Jesus died. Look at his words in Acts chapter 2, Acts chapter 2 and verses 14 through 36.

But Peter standing up with the eleven lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words. For these are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in these last days, Sayeth God, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions your old men shall dream dreams and all my servants and all my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit and they shall prophesy I will show wonders in heaven above signs on the earth beneath blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and notable day of the Lord come.

It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken him by wicked hands, have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should beholden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, my tongue was glad.

Moreover, also my tongue, my flesh, shall rest in hope, Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer and I only one to see corruption Thou hast made known to me the ways of life there thou shalt make Me full of joy with thy countenance men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you. And the patriarch David, he is both dead and buried, and his self-occur is with us unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet, knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He sang this before he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses.

Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear for David is not ascended into the heavens but he sayeth himself the Lord said unto my Lord sit down on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus who ye have crucified both Lord and Christ." This is what Peter said to those Jews there, to that crowd, to those Jews. Had it not been true, it would have been a mob. He was well outnumbered. But something happened, and when they heard this, they were pricked to the heart. Verse 37 says, And said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. You shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." And so in verse 41, they that gladly received His word were baptized the same day that were added unto them about 3, 000 souls. And so beloved, what we find here is that There was nothing shady happening with the body of Jesus. Then what Mark recorded, what Matthew recorded, what Luke recorded, what John recorded, what Peter said, it was all the truth by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel.

Thousands were saved on the day of Pentecost. And indeed, thousands, yay thousands of thousands, and millions have been saved since then. While There are great and exciting discoveries being made in and around Jerusalem. As people discover things and dig things up, and there's archaeological discoveries and so on and so forth, understand something. They will never, never ever ever find the body of Jesus.

Nowhere in any of that rubble, nowhere in any of that dirt, nowhere in any of those rocks, nowhere in any of those tombs will they ever find the body of Jesus. What we read here in our text is the truth. Jesus did appear to the eleven. He ate with them, and He did rebuke them for their unbelief and their hardness of heart. We know also He commissioned them.

Verses 15 and 16 of Mark chapter 16. He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth in His baptism shall be saved, but he that believeth shall be damned. He that believeth not shall be damned. The eleven were commissioned.

Now some try to identify this with the Great Commission given in Matthew chapter 28, but this is not the same. If you go over there in Matthew chapter 28, this one is much more familiar. Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20. Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you, while I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Amen." And so, the commission was given by His authority, by the authority of Jesus Christ. We're told there in Matthew chapter 28 to go to take the Gospel, to preach the Gospel. But we're told not only to take the gospel to all the world, but also to teach the world, all nations, or make disciples of them, and then to baptize those who are saved now. And then after they're baptized, teaching them to observe all things. That's the Bible, teaching them the Bible.

This is the church's work is to be summed up there in Matthew chapter 28. What we find in Mark is a commission as well, but it's not the same. We're told, the eleven were told, to go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This is significant and certainly overlap of what we find in Matthew chapter 28. He expected his first church, and that's what this was, this 11, He expected His first church to be an evangelistic church.

Again, we read something very similar in Acts 8, Acts 1 and verse 8. Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. Ye shall be witness unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth." So he says you'll receive power and after the Holy Spirit's come upon you you're gonna be witnesses to Me. Jerusalem and Judea and Sumerian to the outermost part of the world. You're going to start at home, and you're going to move out.

Eventually, going to the outermost part of the earth. So we expected the first church of Jerusalem to be a church that was a going church. A church that was taking the gospel, as he says there in Mark, to every creature. This doesn't mean we take the gospel to the squirrels, to the armadillos, to the birds. No, no.

He means we take this to everybody. I believe it's a casting crowns song I heard on the way here. They were saying something to the fact that I'm a nobody, and I've got a message for everybody to tell them about somebody. And that's the way we ought to think of this. We've got a message.

It's not about us. We're nobodies. But we've got a message for everybody, and it's about somebody. It's about the Lord Jesus Christ. We've got this message.

We've got to be taking it out to everybody. There's nobody who is outside of hearing this message. In fact, out of all the things that we're supposed to be doing, this is top priority in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 17. Paul says to the church, according for Christ sent me not to baptize.

The word baptist, wait a minute. What do you mean, Christ sent me not to baptize? But to preach the gospel. Known with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." You see, The message of the Gospel is top priority. And Paul knew that.

Paul knew that. In fact, in fact, until a little bit later, there in the, there in the Epistle, he says He says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 1 he says, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. Verse 3, for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to scriptures, that he was seen of Cephas, then of the Twelve. That phrase in verse 3, "'For I delivered unto you first of all, ' That's how we read it in the King James. I like how the Legacy Standard translates that.

He says, for I deliver to you as of first importance. Of primary importance of all the things that the church of Corinth needed. Foundational was the Gospel of Christ. Without that foundation, where were they? Where were they, you see?

And so the commission is given to go and to preach the gospel to every creature. Now, obviously, we know the history of the church at Jerusalem. They kind of decided to huddle up, stay in Jerusalem. They grew to several thousand people. They weren't going anywhere.

Persecution came and kind of drove them out of there. Thank God that they didn't stay in Jerusalem. Thank God that there was some persecution that spread them out. Because you and I are evident that the gospel did spread from Jerusalem. If it didn't, where would we be?

Where would we be? And so, you know, I think about those things. You know, the commission, as it was given, was given to the first church. And by the way, there was no expiration date given for that. But if the first church, if they were as obedient to the Commission as what I am, And you can think about it in your own life.

If the first church was as obedient to the Commission as what you are, think of it in your own life. How well would the Gospel have spread. Consider that. We are all responsible for this for this commission. We all ought to be to be evangelistic.

This was important for the first church, it's important for our church. We are to preach the gospel to every creature. If we send a missionary to $50 a month, are we doing our job? Partially. We ought to support missionaries, but there's more to it than that.

Are we being obedient by posting our sermons online? Well, I thank God for the ability to use the online World Wide web and to be able to do that, but that's not all of it. There's more to it than that. We ought to do those things and more. But if we're not sharing the gospel with our friends and neighbors, doing what we can to tell others about Jesus, then we failed in being obedient here.

It's not just the pastor's job, it's the work of the whole church. And as we think about that, we ought to consider the fact that no, we won't be able to get to all the world. No, I won't be able to go to all the world. No, you won't be able to go to all the world. We won't be able to get to every country.

But we can certainly do something about the part of the world where we're at. We can certainly never reach every creature in the whole world, but we certainly try to reach the creatures that are around us. Verse 16 has been misused and abused. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And so people take this verse and they say, well, you've got to be baptized in order to be saved, and here's the proof text.

They say, he that believeth in his baptism shall be saved. Well, that is what it says, isn't it? But read the rest of the verse. He that believeth not shall be damned. It doesn't say he that believeth not and is not baptized.

Furthermore, compare Scripture with Scripture. We know that baptism does not save, otherwise what would happen to the thief on the cross? He certainly was never baptized. What kind of preacher was Paul if salvation was in baptism when he said, I thank God that I baptized none of you. And when he wrote to the church at Corinth, and then he named just a few people that he remembered baptizing.

He said Christ sent him to baptize, sent him to not not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. You see, it was understood in those days that when a person believed they would be baptized. Eternal life does not hinge on baptism, it hinges on faith. Faith in Christ. And so, Don't fall for the trap that the guys that believe in baptismal regeneration misuse this verse.

Baptism, the baptismal waters, they do not have any salvation in them. So while the commission as mentioned in Matthew has no expiration date, and we're still to be preaching the same gospel, there is a section here in this that is limited to the apostolic age. And so as we continue reading verses 17 and 18, No son shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues.

They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick. They shall recover. A failure to understand this could get you into a lot of trouble. Either you'll end up in a cult somewhere, or you'll die when you drink poison or handle snakes.

I don't know of any snake-handling churches around here, but I'm sure they exist. I know there were some in Kentucky, some in Ohio that I heard about. Well, let's look at this for just a moment. Now, back in 2022, I looked at this a little bit. Well, let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

In the early church, during the first century, church. During the first century, there were sign gifts that were given. These were temporary gifts that were given to authenticate the church, was founded by Jesus Christ. Let's look at what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. Beginning at chapter 12, verse 27, and going down to chapter 13, verse 10.

Now, you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. God has set some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers. After that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps governments' diversities of tongues. Are all apostles?

Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing, do all speak with tongues, do all interpret, but covet earnestly the best gifts and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, have not charity, and become a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity and nothing. Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not itself, is not huffed up.

Doth not behave itself unseemly. Seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked. Thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." The early churches had some special needs. For example, one of those things was they did not have the complete Word of God.

Well, we take it for granted sometimes that we have all 66 books of the Bible around with us that we can access, we can study, and we can read. The churches, Church of Corinth, the Church of Ephesus, the Church of Jerusalem, none of them, and none of the others had all of the New Testament, wasn't complete yet, and furthermore they probably didn't even have the complete Old Testament due to a lack of advances with printing. The early churches of the New Testament period, they needed signs to authenticate the truth of the revelations that they were receiving. Gifts, gifts of tongues, gifts of healing, so on and so forth, until that which is perfect is come. Some of the more charismatic of our brethren, they will tell us that this means when Jesus comes.

But looking at this, perfect here is applied to a neuter object, not to a he, not to Jesus. The context of this passage is not dealing with the return of Christ, but it does have to do with differing degrees of revelation. And as he writes, He says, we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away with. And when the ink was dried on the Isle of Patmos. As John closed out the book of Revelation, the completed Word of God was done.

There's no need for prophecies and sign gifts and gifts of healings and these signs that we read about here at the end of Mark. This is why, beloved, that if you're a believer and you read this, you say, okay, What's wrong with me? I can't speak with new tongues. By the way, what is tongues anyway? Well, according to the scriptures, tongues is languages.

Languages understood by people. It's not a bunch of gibberish and confusion. So don't be discouraged if you're a believer and you aren't able to speak with new tongues. Don't be discouraged if you go out in a swamp out there and pick up poisonous snakes or drink poison, and it hurts you. This was for the apostolic age.

Don't be discouraged if you have a sick brother or sister and you go and lay hands on them to heal them and they don't recover. There's a reason for that. Those were temporary gifts. And so when we say that the commission has no expiration date, we mean the Matthew 28 Commission. We're not talking about Mark chapter 16.

We're not talking about the signed gifts. And this is serious stuff because there are believers out there and we ought to pray for them. They get confused by false teachers and prophets, false prophets, who say, well, if you're a real believer, you should be casting out devils, and you should be speaking with tongues, and you should be able to handle snakes, and you should be able to drink poison, and you should be able to drink poison, and you should be able to heal the sick, and all these sorts of things. And there's discouragement, and sometimes even death that comes with that. Don't follow that sort of thing.

We're to rightly divide the Word. And certainly don't build a doctrine on one text like this. Verses 19 and 20. Verse 19 and 20. So after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God, and they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, confirming the word with signs, following Amen.

According to Dr. Luke in Acts chapter 1 and verse 3, this was 40 days after his resurrection that Jesus ascended back into heaven. So there was a period of time from his resurrection until his ascension of 40 days. We read the details of this ascension in Luke chapter 24. Verses 50 through 52, it says, And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and lifted up his hands and blessed them.

He came to pass while he blessed them. He was parted from them and carried up into heaven, and they worshiped Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Acts chapter 1 verses 9 through 11, when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. While they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven this same Jesus?

Which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven I can imagine what it must have been like for them as they watched. As they ascended up into heaven, they probably just stared up in the sky. You know, if you've ever watched a rocket go up into the sky, you know, it gets smaller and smaller and smaller until you can't see it anymore. They were probably just watching where they last saw Jesus. And that angel said, why are you just looking into the sky?

Jesus is coming back. Praise God, he's coming back. He's alive, He's sitting at the right hand of God. Our text says, the writer of Hebrews put it this way in Hebrews chapter 12. In Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 and 2.

Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured to cross, despising the shame, and has set down the right hand of the throne of God. What's he doing? What's he doing? Well, in Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8, it says this.

Romans chapter 8 verse 33, it says, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us. Oh my, I could preach for another sermon about the intercessory work of Christ, but there he is alive, the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us.

And even though He left the work of the church, carried on through the preaching of the gospel, and so it is, even to this day. Let us make sure that we're carrying on this work as well. Knowing, beloved, that our God, that our Savior, that He is alive, and that He is one day coming back for us. May God add to blessings.