Sermon Synopsis
This sermon from Mark 16 presents “A Call to Success” by tracing the resurrection, appearances, and ascension of Jesus Christ as the foundation of Christian service. True success in the Christian life flows from serving a living, risen, and exalted Lord, not a dead master. The resurrection empowers faith, the appearances confirm truth, and the ascension enables global mission through the Holy Spirit. Believers are called to live in resurrection power and participate actively in God’s ongoing work of the gospel until Christ returns.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
A Call to Success
Mark 16
Introduction: Gratitude and Encouragement
I want to thank brothers and sisters for praying for me for last week’s ministry and this week’s ministry, and for those who came to me after the ministry to encourage me. You know how important it is to encourage the speaker. Maybe you don’t approach him, but you can simply look at him, smile, give a thumbs up—whatever it may be. You can also give a thumbs down if you don’t think it was very good, but then please share your feedback with him.
Today, our title is “A Call to Success.” We want to be successful Christians and successful servants of the Lord.
The aim sentence for today’s message comes from 1 Corinthians 15:3–4:
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
This morning, our ministry is from Mark chapter 16, the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark. As we conclude this year’s theme on the servanthood of believers, we see a progression in Mark’s Gospel:
This success is seen in the outcome of the early church—how it rapidly expanded then, and how the church continues today. Every believer, every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, is called to serve as He served.
I have divided this chapter into three key events:
Opening Prayer
Father, we thank You for the wealth of information, teaching, and wonderful knowledge of the relationship that each one of us should have in the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You for the personal experiences of those recorded in Mark chapter 16—how they were so close to the Lord and yet at times so distant from Him.
We pray, O Father, that as we look into Your Word, You will continue to impact us, so that we may indeed be successful servants for the Lord—willing, submissive to the Spirit’s leading, and living out the Christ-filled life with the risen Savior and Lord of each one of us.
We praise You, thank You, and commit this time to You, in the Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.
A Living Master
During my preparation for last week’s and this week’s messages, I came across this phrase:
“A servant cannot serve a dead master.”
That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Recently, I was helping a sister who had blood cancer. She has since passed on. She was concerned for her beloved helper and worried about her well-being when she would leave this world to be with the Lord.
How true it is—a servant cannot serve a dead master. But a believer is entirely different. Totally different.
We serve a living Savior. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, things are different. We do not serve a dead Savior, but a risen Savior.
“He is in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever men may say.” We know that hymn so well.
Our task is to live in the Lord Jesus Christ—to live this life in the power of His resurrection, having a personal encounter with Him and a personal experience that He lives in us. He lives within my heart to reign victoriously.
Fear then turns to joy. Doubt turns into belief. Grief turns into hope—just as it did for the late sister I mentioned earlier.
A Note on Mark 16
It may be helpful to briefly explain that Mark chapter 16 has an important textual note. Verses 1–8 are found in the two earliest Greek manuscripts, while verses 9–20 appear in later manuscripts.
We do not want to spend time deliberating on this in detail, but simply note that many scholars accept verses 9–20 as inspired Scripture for two main reasons:
We thank the Lord that the later manuscripts complete the Gospel of Mark in a way consistent with the message of Scripture.
Event One: The Resurrection (Mark 16:1–8)
After the Sabbath, on the first day of the week, three women went to the tomb bringing spices. They were concerned about who would roll away the large stone.
To their surprise, the stone was already gone. Instead of seeing a body, they saw an angel inside the tomb. The angel revealed the great truth recorded in Scripture: Jesus had risen.
The Women’s Response
We cannot blame these women for their reaction. They were amazed, trembling, and astonished. They left and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.
The Meaning of the Empty Tomb
Mark’s account of the resurrection could not be clearer. The empty tomb is powerful proof that Jesus rose from the dead, just as He said He would.
The angel’s invitation—“Come and see”—confirmed that Christ is alive and victorious over sin and death. The command—“Go and tell”—underscored the responsibility of believers to proclaim this good news.
The gospel is not complete with only, “Jesus loved you” or “Jesus died for you.”
The gospel must include this truth:
He loved you.
He died for you.
He was buried.
And He rose from the dead.
The Significance of the Resurrection
The resurrection proves that Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. As He taught in Mark 8:31, the Son of Man must suffer, be killed, and rise again on the third day.
As Jesus said in John 10:17, He laid down His life and took it up again. This demonstrates His power over death and the grave.
Christ’s resurrection is central to the gospel message. His death satisfied God’s righteous requirement for sin, and His resurrection declares us justified before God.
As Romans 4:25 tells us, He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Because He lives, believers are declared righteous and assured of salvation.
The resurrection is central to the Christian faith. As 1 Corinthians 15:20 declares, Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
If there were no resurrection, our faith would be in vain. We might as well pack up and go home. But countless transformed lives testify that Christ is alive.
Application: Living in Resurrection Power
The question we must ask ourselves is this:
Do we live in the power of the resurrection?
We confess that we believe in the resurrection, but how is that belief evident in our lives?
Paul expressed his desire clearly in Philippians 3:10—that he might know Christ and the power of His resurrection.
Colossians 3:1 tells us that if we have been raised with Christ, we should seek the things above.
The Example of the Women
Women were prejudiced against in Jewish culture and considered unreliable witnesses. Perhaps this explains their silence in verse 8. Yet God chose them.
Women were—and are—essential in God’s plan. God uses ordinary people and small acts of devotion as evidence of belief in the risen Christ.
Their concern was about the stone, not the resurrection. As Bill MacDonald wrote:
“Love lives over mountains of difficulty to reach the object of affection.”
Their concern distracted them from the greater power of God—the power that overcame death itself.
Like Martha and Mary in John 11, they needed to learn that Jesus is not just able to raise the dead—He is the resurrection and the life.
Our testimony may also be doubted or rejected, but devotion, faith, and obedience lead to action.
Because Christ is alive, we share the gospel actively, seriously, and urgently.
Event Two: The Appearances of the Risen Lord (Mark 16:9–14)
First Appearance: Mary Magdalene (vv. 9–11)
Jesus first appeared to a woman—Mary Magdalene. She told the disciples, but they did not believe her.
This parallels John 20, where Mary had a personal encounter with the risen Lord. Love drew her back to the tomb, and she became the first witness of the resurrection.
Second Appearance: Two Disciples (v. 12)
Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road, yet their testimony was also rejected. Even two witnesses were not believed.
Third Appearance: The Eleven (v. 14)
Finally, Jesus appeared to the disciples themselves and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart. Yet He graciously forgave them.
Even Thomas, the doubter, eventually believed—not because of his own insight, but because of Christ’s gracious appearance.
Significance of the Appearances
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Event Three: The Ascension of Christ (Mark 16:19–20)
Jesus was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. This posture signifies that His work was completed.
The ascension means:
From His exalted position, Christ gives spiritual gifts and sends the Holy Spirit. As He said, it was to our advantage that He go away.
Mary was told not to cling to Him—not because He rejected her, but because it was better for Christ to be in glory than to remain physically on earth.
Final Application: A Call to Success
The resurrection, the appearances, and the ascension mark a transition—from Christ’s physical presence to His spiritual presence through the Holy Spirit.
God works in us, with us, and for us.
The apostles’ work may be done, but the Lord’s work is not finished.
With over 8 billion people in the world and only about one-third identifying as Christian, the task remains immense—but it is possible.
How?
By the same method as the early church:
Let us serve the Master—not a dead master, but a living Lord.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You for this meditation on Mark chapter 16. We thank You for the resurrection, the appearances, and the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank You for reminding us that Christ is exalted and continues to work through us, with us, and in us, so that the gospel may reach every creature on this earth.
We look to You for strength and power through Your Spirit until the Lord Jesus Christ returns.
We give thanks and praise in His precious name. Amen.