All right, well thank you everybody for being here.
I really appreciate you coming out.
It's a great turnout for a Thursday night and I realize the traffic is tough around
here.
So thank you very much for coming out.
I do want to thank Pastor Anderson for allowing me to come out tonight and be a part of this
great church and of course Brother Bruce for inviting me and Brother Bruce is extremely
gracious with me.
I think I changed the date or the schedule with him like 20 times and every time he was
just real gracious and worked with me and I appreciate the invitation Brother Bruce.
Thank you so much.
I'm glad to have my family with me tonight.
Got my wife and my six children and it's always good to travel with them and I hope you'll
make it to the Red Hawk Preaching Conference this year.
Brother Bruce is telling me there's a good turnout coming from LA and I'm glad to hear
that and of course Brother Bruce will be preaching so we're excited about that and we just appreciate
the work you're doing down here.
It's a great ministry.
We're excited about what the Lord is doing here.
I was excited when I walked in.
I saw the wall was gone and you've expanded and you've grown and that's good.
We're praying for you and I hope you know that we love you guys up in Sacramento and
we definitely, we love all of the churches of life, faith and practice but if you're
in California you're definitely in the inner core of churches we love and pray for and
we are excited for.
All right, well we're there in Luke chapter 16 and I'd like you to look down at verse
number 19 and Luke chapter 16 and verse 19 and I apologize, if somebody could help me
out, just a cup of water or something, I'd appreciate it.
I'm going to need that tonight.
Luke chapter 16, you find this very famous passage in Luke chapter 16, if you look at
verse 19 it says, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen
and fared sumptuously every day and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was
laid at his gate full of sores and designed to be fed with the crumbs which fell from
the rich man's table, moreover the dogs came and licked his sores and it came to pass that
the beggar died and was carried by the angels, thank you sir, appreciate it, carried by the
angels into Abraham's bosom, the rich man also died and was buried there.
This is a very well-known passage inscription.
I want to preach to you from this passage tonight but let me just begin by giving you
some introductory statements about the passage and first of all by saying this that we do
not believe that this story that the Lord Jesus Christ gave is a parable.
Today many people will look at the story and they'll try to discount it and they'll
say oh that's just a parable, it's not literal, it's not something that actually happened
but in the story what the Lord Jesus Christ does is He gives us the story of two different
men, they both died, one goes to heaven, one goes to hell.
Now I personally believe that this is not a parable, that this is a true story that
actually happened and you know just to give you a couple of reasons just by way of introduction,
one reason if you notice in verse 20 it says and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus.
The Lord Jesus Christ gave a lot of parables but in His parables He didn't usually give
us specific names of individuals.
If you remember the parables of the Lord, He would often begin them by saying something
like a sower went forth to sow or the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man or a certain
man had two sons and He'd give stories like that.
What's unique of this story is that He gives us a specific name of an individual which
is not something that's usually done in a parable so for that reason I don't believe
that this is a parable.
Another reason is because if you study the parables of Christ you'll find a theme that
they are what I like to call an earthly story with a spiritual application.
Usually when you look at the parables it is a story of what the people that Jesus was
talking to, something that they would have seen in their lives, something that was mundane
or routine, somebody going out to sow seed in the field, somebody going out to hire labors,
things that they saw.
It was physical earthly things that He used to give a spiritual application.
In this story we actually see the opposite.
We see Him giving us a story of two men that died and what happened to them in the afterlife.
What happened to them in heaven and in hell and He's giving us that story.
So for that reason I believe that this is a literal story, a real story of two actual
men that lived.
But let me say this.
If you think, oh well I don't know, I still think it's a parable, well here's the point.
The purpose of the parable is to teach us an application and if you don't want to believe
that this is a real story and you want to walk away saying the story of the rich man
in hell and Lazarus in heaven was a parable, then the sermon will still be helpful to you
and the sermon will still apply because here's the thing, if this is a parable about a man
dying and going to hell, I think the application is that unsafe people die and go to hell.
So even if you don't want to look at it as a literal story, then go ahead and look at
it as a figurative story, a parable of something that happens every day in real life is that
unbelievers die and go to hell.
Now keep your place there in Luke 16, that's our text for tonight, but go with me to the
book of Jude.
If you go to the last book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation, just one book before
that, you've got the book of Jude.
And I'm preaching this evening on the subject of the reality of hell and regrets in heaven.
The reality of hell and regrets in heaven and I realize that you've got a big soul-winning
training this weekend and a big soul-winning emphasis.
We've got the soul-winning mega marathon coming up here very soon and I want to preach
to you about soul-winning and I want to talk about hell because in Jude chapter 1, if you
look down at verse 22, the Bible teaches that hell can be a good motivator for us to get
out and do soul-winning.
Notice verse 22, it says, and if some have compassion, making a difference and others
saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
So we see here that Jude says, look, sometimes for some people, you need to just have a broken
heart and have compassion to go out and make a difference in their life.
But others, you know, we need to just save them with fear.
We need to pull them out of the fire.
You say, oh, you think you should go out there and tell people that they're sinners and that
their sin has condemned them to hell?
You're trying to scare people into heaven.
You know what?
I'd much rather scare them into heaven than coddle them into hell.
I'd rather go out and confront them with the reality of the word of God and obviously we
should do that tactfully and we should do that gracefully, but I want to speak to you
on the subject of the reality of hell and regret in heaven.
Now, go back to Luke chapter 16 and let me just give you a few things that we can learn
from this story.
I think Thursday night is your Bible study night.
So we're going to study the Bible tonight.
We're just going to go verse by verse through this story and make some applications.
But I'd like you to notice the first thing, and if you're taking notes tonight, which
I'd encourage you to do that if you're able to, maybe you can write these statements down.
The first thing we learn from this story that the Lord Jesus Christ gave is this.
We see the reality of hell.
Notice verse 23 there, Luke chapter 16 and verse 23.
The Bible says this, and in hell, talking about the rich man who died, and in hell,
he lift up his eyes, being in torment, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his
bosom.
I want you to notice that this man literally died and literally was in a place called hell
and he was there in torment.
Please understand this.
Hell is not a mythological place.
It's not a figurative place.
It's not something that God uses to try to explain to us.
You know, today people say, oh, hell's not a real place.
God describes a place of fire and torment and smoke and darkness and he was just trying
to illustrate to us separation from God.
Now, I'm not really sure how you get that.
I'm not really sure how, you know, the stories in the Bible of people being burnt alive,
chained up, tortured, that's supposed to represent just being separated from God.
I don't know how you make that connection.
I think you might need a college, like a Bible college degree to be able to understand
that.
But, you know, the truth is that the Bible teaches that there's a literal place called
hell where people will be in torment.
And notice the Bible describes for us what hell is like.
The first description we see here in our passage is that it's a place where people are tormented
by fire.
Notice verse 24.
The Bible says this.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, why, for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things
and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted and thou art tormented.
I want you to notice that we see that he was tormented, that he was in flames.
He's asking that someone would dip the tip of their finger to cool his tongue because
he's tormented in this flame.
Go to Mark Chapter 9.
There in Luke, just one book before that, Mark Chapter 9.
Do me a favor.
When you get to Mark, put a ribbon or your bulletin or a bookmark or something there
because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to it.
Mark Chapter 9.
Let me say this.
I'm not preaching on this and I don't have time to go down this rabbit hole, but also
understand that the Lazarus was not in a hotel that was nice in hell either, okay?
He was in heaven and he was in a paradise and Abraham's bosom is talking about a body
part, not talking about a location there and I don't have time to develop that.
I mean, you guys have, hopefully you've watched a dispensation of heresy.
That's a, that's a heresy that comes out of dispensationalism and you know, we can talk
about that later if you'd like.
I don't have time to develop that, but I want you to notice that hell is a place of fire.
Mark Chapter 9.
Look at verse 43.
It says this, and if thy hand offend thee, cut it off.
It is better for thee to enter into life, into life maimed, than having two hands to
go into hell, into, notice the description, the fire that never shall be quenched, whether
worm dieth not, and the fire, notice, the fire is not quenched.
Verse 45, and if thy foot offend thee, cut it off.
It is better for thee to enter, halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.
Notice verse 46, whether worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Notice how Jesus keeps repeating that over and over.
The fire is not quenched.
The fire shall never be quenched.
The fire that never shall be quenched.
Notice verse 47, and if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.
It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes
to be cast into hell fire.
Go to Revelation Chapter 14.
Last book in the New Testament should be fairly easy to find.
Revelation Chapter 14, and notice verse number 10.
Revelation Chapter 14 and verse 10.
You say, Pastor, Pastor Jimenez, doesn't everybody know that hell is a place of fire?
Why are you showing us these verses?
You know, apparently, a lot of people don't know that.
I mean, you've got major world-renowned evangelists like Billy Graham, who says that hell is not
filled with fire.
Well, you know what?
Billy Graham knows better now.
But Billy Graham, he's changed his position on is hell a literal place, because he's burning
in it right now.
He's a false prophet.
Revelation 14, look at verse 10.
The Bible says this, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.
And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in
the presence of the Lamb.
And again, I don't have time to, it's funny how you read the Bible and there's just, the
more you read the Bible, the more you realize how wrong everyone, you know, false religions
and false doctrines there are out there.
Here's another false belief about hell, hell being separation from God.
Well, you know what?
The Bible says they're tormented day and night in the presence of the holy angels and in
the presence of the Lamb.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
You say, oh, is the devil running hell?
No, you know what?
One day, the devil will be tormented in hell.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ that is running hell.
But the Bible describes hell for us as a place of fire.
Notice secondly, it's also described as a place of not having rest day or night.
You're there in Revelation 14.
Look at verse 11.
Notice what the Bible says, and the smoke of the torment ascended up forever and ever.
And they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth
the mark of his name.
Go to Revelation chapter 20.
Look at verse 10.
Revelation chapter 20 and verse 10.
The Bible says this, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone
where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever
and ever.
See, in hell, not only are you burning in torment, but the Bible says it's also a place
where you're not allowed to rest.
You're tormented day and night.
There's no breaks.
There's no lights out.
There's no, now you get to go to sleep and wake up the next day feeling refreshed.
It's a place where there is no rest.
And what's interesting is that the Bible refers to salvation and heaven as rest.
Jesus said enter into my rest.
Salvation is called rest.
And hell is the opposite of that.
God says, you know what, in hell, you'll have no rest day or night.
And you know, not being allowed to rest is actually a form of torture.
If you ever go through a time, and some of you, if you've got young little babies, you
know what I'm talking about.
Sometimes those babies get sick and they keep you up.
You know, you ladies, you moms, you know what I'm talking about.
The guys, you know, they sleep through it.
But the moms, you know, they're up and they're worried for the baby.
Hey, it's a time.
It's not something that feels good.
We want to be able to rest and get some sleep and be able to rest our bodies.
But the Bible says in hell, there is no rest.
You'll have no rest day or night.
Thirdly, you're there in Revelation.
Go back to Jude, just right before Revelation, Jude 1, chapter 1, it's only 1, look at verse
6.
I'm just showing you quickly how the Bible describes hell.
It describes it as a place of fire.
It describes it as a place of no rest.
It describes it as a place where you are bound by chains.
Are you there in Jude?
Look at verse 6.
The Bible says this, and the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their
own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of
the great day.
Go to 2 Peter, chapter 2.
You're there in Jude.
Just keep going backwards.
You're going to go past 3, 2 and 1 John into the book of 2 Peter.
So past 3, 2 and 1 John into the book of 2 Peter, 2 Peter, chapter 2.
Look at verse 4.
2 Peter, chapter 2 and Jude, they're kind of parallel passages.
They deal with a lot of the same subjects and they have the same themes.
In 2 Peter, chapter 2 and verse 4, the Bible says this, for if God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them, notice, into chains of darkness
to be reserved unto judgment.
Now go to Mark, chapter number 9, if you kept your place there in Mark, chapter 9.
And I'm just kind of running through some verses just to show you how the Bible describes
hell.
This does not sound like a fun place.
I mean, it's a place of fire where you're being burned alive.
It's a place of not getting rest, where you're made to be awake all day, all night.
There's no rest, day or night, forever and ever.
It's a place where you're bound by change.
You're bound in chains.
Notice in Mark, chapter 9, the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a place where you're covered
by worms.
Notice Mark, chapter 9, verse 44, where their worm dieth not.
I want you to notice the wording there that Jesus said.
He doesn't say, where the worm dieth not.
He says, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
Look at verse 46, same chapter, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
It's almost like they've got a worm assigned to them.
I mean, it's almost like they've got worms.
It's not just like these are the worms, no, these are your worms, where their worm dieth
not.
So think about how the Bible describes this place called hell.
It describes it as a place of fire.
It describes it as a place where you're bound by change.
It describes it as a place where you get no rest.
It describes it as a place where you have worms just covering you.
Go to Revelation chapter 9, Revelation chapter 9.
While you go to Revelation 9, let me read for you from Isaiah chapter 14.
You go to Revelation 9, I'll read to you from Isaiah 14.
In Isaiah 14 and verse 9, just to give you a little bit of the context, in verse 9 the
Bible says this, hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming.
All right, so the context is hell.
In verse 11, he says, thy pomp is brought down to the grave and the noise of thy vials,
the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee.
So Isaiah says, in hell you're going to be covered by worms, you're going to be bound
up in chains.
You're not going to be allowed to rest day or night.
You're going to be burnt alive, you're going to be tormented in fire and in flame.
Let me give you one last description, and I'm sure we can spend more time kind of looking
at this description, but let me just give you another one.
The Bible teaches that in hell there are all sorts of frightful creatures.
Not only these worms that cover you, these worms that will not die, but there's also
just other types of creatures that we don't even have on earth right now that we don't
really know anything about.
In Revelation we get a glimpse of that, because in the book of Revelation when God describes
the pouring down of his wrath, what he's doing is, part of that is he's basically just pouring
down hell upon the earth when he pours his wrath upon the earth.
Notice what the Bible says in Revelation chapter 9.
Look at verse number 1.
It says, and the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven under the earth,
and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.
All right, so the bottomless pit is hell, and the star is given the key to the bottomless
pit.
Notice verse 2.
And there arose smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace.
Why?
Because hell is filled with fire.
So he opens up the bottomless pit.
All this smoke comes out, because it's like a great furnace, and the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit, and there came out of the smoke locusts upon
the earth, and unto them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power.
So they open up the bottomless pit, and out of it comes this locust that God basically
releases from hell.
They're in hell.
He releases them upon the earth during the wrath.
But these aren't locusts like what you and I think of locusts.
Notice the description, verse 7.
And the shapes of the locust were like unto horses prepared unto battle, and on their
heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions, and
they had breastplates as it were, breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was
as the sound of chariots and many horses running to battle, and they had tails like unto scorpions,
and there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months.
So notice that in hell you've got these creatures, nothing like we have here on earth.
I mean, they're locusts, but they've got the shapes of their bodies are like horses.
They've got tails like scorpions.
They've got faces like men, hair like women.
They've got wings that sound like the running of chariots and horses.
I mean, these are some gruesome, frightful creatures in hell.
What are they doing?
Tormenting people.
What are they doing?
Punishing people.
Why?
I mean, get this in your mind.
Get the idea of what hell is like.
Hell is a place where people are bound.
Hell is a place where there's no rest day or night.
Hell is a place where people are burnt alive.
Hell is a place where God has these beasts and these creatures that are tormenting people.
Hell is a place where there's worm diethla, where you're covered in these worms.
It's a place of torment.
It's not a good place.
Today you've got proud, arrogant people who say, oh, well, I'm just going to go to hell
and have fun with my buddies.
I'm just going to go to hell and drink it up with my buddies.
I'm just going to go to hell.
You know, I don't want to go to hell, and it's going to be boring up there.
I'd rather go to hell and have fun.
That's where all my friends are going to be at.
Listen to me.
Hell is a place of torment.
No one's going to be happy in hell.
No one's going to be partying in hell.
No one's going to be enjoying their time in hell.
There's a reality to this place called hell, and God describes it for us, and He describes
it for us in detail.
Why?
Because you know what?
Some you need to have compassion for, and some you need to stay with fear, pulling them
out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
So what do we learn?
We learn the reality of hell, and let me say this.
Not only does the Bible tell us of the description of hell, but it tells us of the duration of
hell.
Go back.
Go to Matthew chapter 25.
Let's look at these verses quickly.
Matthew 25, look at verse 46, Matthew 25 and verse 46.
Matthew 25, 46 says this, and these shall go away, notice what it says, into everlasting
punishment.
By the way, hell is a punishment for sin, for the wages of sin is death, and it's not
just a physical death, it's the second death being cast into the lake of fire.
He says, look, in its everlasting punishment.
There's no Jehovah's Witness annihilation.
There's no Seventh-day Adventist annihilation.
There's no, well, yeah, you're going to get thrown into hell and it's a place of fire,
but then you're going to burn up and you won't exist.
That's not what the Bible teaches.
That's not what the Bible says.
The Bible says it's a place of everlasting punishment.
Go to Revelation chapter 20, look at verse 10, Revelation chapter 20 and verse 10, and
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast
and the false prophet are, and I don't have time to develop this, but if you study the
book of Revelation, you find that the beast and the false prophet get thrown into the
lake of fire.
They're the first one that go into the lake of fire.
If you understand the difference between hell and the center of the earth and the lake of
fire, which is in the outermost parts, you know, out in the outer darkness, there are
two different locations right now.
It's the same place.
Jesus calls them both hell, all right?
They're both the same place.
One day they're going to be united, but just so you can understand just the principle here,
the beast and the false prophet get thrown into the lake of fire at the battle of Armageddon
before the millennial reign.
A thousand years later, Satan gets cast into the bottomless pit, all right?
So they both get put on time out, just different corners, same location, same torment, same
fire, same worms, all of that.
The beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire.
Satan gets put, the devil gets put into the bottomless pit at the beginning before the
millennial reign.
A thousand years later, Satan is loose from the bottomless pit.
He gathers all of the people to fight, the nations to fight against God, the battle of
Gog and Magog.
God destroys them, notice, and then throws him into the lake of fire.
Notice verse 10, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.
Notice, where the beast and the false prophet, it doesn't say were, it says where the beast
and the false prophet are, present tense, still there.
They got thrown in a thousand years ago and they're still there.
You say why?
Because hell is eternal and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
It lasts forever.
Go to Jude, you're there in Revelation, just one book over, Jude chapter 1 verse 6, and
the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitations, he had reserved,
notice, in everlasting chains.
How long will they be in chains?
Everlasting, forever, under darkness, under the judgment of the great day, even as Sodom
and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over in fornication
and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of,
don't miss it, eternal fire.
Never goes out.
Why?
Because it's a place of fire and it's a place forever.
It's a place of fire and it'll last forever.
And here's what I want you to understand, go back to Luke chapter 16.
When we read the story of this man, this was a real man who actually lived on this earth
and he died.
And the Bible says, in hell, he lifted up his eyes.
In this place of fire and torment, of smoke, of fearsome creatures, of worms that cover
your body, of being bound and not being allowed to rest.
And I just want you to understand this, I'm not trying to offend you and I'm not trying
to scare you, but I want you to, you should not be scared of hell.
Hey, if you're saved, you'll never have to fear the wrath of God, but we need to understand
this, that there is a reality to hell.
Hell is a real place.
Hell is an actual place where people actually go.
It's a place of torment.
I'd like you to notice secondly in the story, the first thing we saw is the reality of hell.
Notice secondly, if you're writing down notes, you can write this as a second point.
We see the request for soulfulness.
Notice the request from hell.
Verse 26.
Notice what the Bible says.
In fact, let's just read a little bit before that just to get a little bit of the context.
You're there in Luke chapter 16 and look at verse number, give me one second, let me get
there.
Look at verse number 24.
The Bible says, and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented
in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things
and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted and thou art tormented and
beside all this betwixt us and you, there is a great gold fix so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence.
Notice verse 27.
Then he said, this is the rich man in hell.
Notice the request he makes.
The Bible says, then he said, I pray thee, therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send
him to my father's house.
He's looking at Abraham and he's saying, hey, would you send Lazarus, would you send him,
would you send him to my father's house?
You say, well, why would I send him to your father's house?
Verse 28.
Notice what he says.
For I have five brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place
of torment.
Do you realize that there is a place called hell with millions of people in it and they
are pleading for you to go out and witness to their brother, their sisters, their wife,
their mom, their dad, their uncle, their neighbor, their coworker?
You say, why is this story in the Bible?
I think it's partly in there to show us the reality of hell, but I think it's also to
show us the request of soul leaders.
This rich man, he says, look, if it's too late for me, look, if you can't get me out
of here, look, if you can't bring someone to me, if you can't give me any sort of help,
will you at least help?
Will you at least go?
Would you at least?
For I have five brethren that he may testify unto them.
You're there in Luke, go to Matthew chapter 9.
There is a request from hell for soul winners, but I want you to notice there's also a request
from heaven for soul winners.
The Lord Jesus Christ on this earth requested for soul winners.
He requested for people to go out and take the gospel into a lost and dying world, and
the Bible tells us that he ascended up and he took his place at the right hand of the
Father, and he is there intermeeting on our behalf.
He is there as a lawyer, if you will, for us, but you know what?
The Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
And on this earth, he was requesting for soul winners, and you know what I believe he's
doing up in heaven?
He's hoping and requesting and pleading for soul winners.
Notice what he says in Matthew chapter 9 and verse 36.
The Bible says this, but when he saw the multitudes, this is Jesus, he was moved with compassion
on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.
Then saith he unto his disciples, notice what he said, he said, the harvest truly is plenteous,
but the laborers are few.
Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labors into his harvest.
Jesus, you know, he gives us a prayer request here, and he says, hey, pray that there would
be more soul winners.
Pray that people would go out and preach the gospel.
And then you've got the rich man in hell saying, please send a soul winner.
We see the request for soul winners.
And I will submit to you tonight that you ought to make, if you're here tonight and
you've not made a decision to be a soul winner, you're there in Matthew or in Luke, go with
me to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 8, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts.
Maybe you're here tonight.
Maybe you're here tonight and you are a soul winner.
Praise the Lord for you.
But let me tell you something, stick with it.
Stay at it.
We have too much of these people that they say, oh, well, I'm going to try it.
No, don't try it.
Just say I'm going to do it.
I've been out now.
I've been out a few weeks and I haven't seen anybody say, well, look, you just warn them.
We call it soul winning, and I'm all for soul winning.
They that win souls are why I get that.
But you know what?
Sometimes we ought to call it soul warning.
And there's no failure in that.
You say, I went out of soul, and nobody got saved.
Yeah, but I warned a whole lot of people, and there are bloods out of my hands.
I can look the rich man in the eye and say, I tried, I tried to bring the gospel to your
five brother.
I tried to bring the gospel to your neighbor.
I tried to bring the gospel to your loved one.
The Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven.
Pray that there would be soul winners.
Let me just tell you this.
If you're not a soul winner, would you become one?
If you're not a soul winner, would you show up on Saturday for some training?
You say, oh, well, I don't know what to do.
Okay, that's a good excuse.
Here's what we'll do for you.
We'll train you.
Amen.
You say, I don't know what to say.
Okay, good excuse.
Here's what we'll do for you.
We'll partner you with somebody who knows what they're doing.
Amen.
You say, well, you're running out of excuses.
I'm just telling you, we owe it.
We owe it to the people in hell to preach the gospel to their loved ones.
And you know what we need?
We need some soul winners that are trained up.
I'm excited that Brother Bruce is teaching this soul winning training.
Why?
Because we need some soul winners that are zealous but that also know what to do, that
they know what to say.
They've been trained to be able to do what they're supposed to do.
Are you there in Acts chapter 8?
Look at verse 30.
Acts chapter 8 and verse 30, the Bible says this, and Philip ran hither to him and heard
him read the prophet, Isaiah, and said, understandest thou what thou readest?
Now, here's what's interesting.
We got an unsaved man reading out of Isaiah 53.
Now the Bible says that the natural man understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God.
Look, unbelievers, you can't just give them a Bible and say, here, read the gospel of
John or read whatever.
And look, if you're going to have them read something, have them read the gospel of John,
praise the Lord for it.
But you know, they need you to present the gospel to them.
They cannot understand spiritual things.
If there was a man, if there was a man who was going to get saved reading the Bible,
this man would be it.
I mean, Isaiah 53, have you ever read it?
It's an awesome passage of the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ coming to this earth.
But he's reading this passage and Philip says, understandest thou what thou readest?
That's what he says, verse 31.
And he said, how can I, please don't miss this, except some man should guide me.
And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
Listen to me, there are people all over this community and all over this city.
They're reading their Bibles, they're going to church, they're praying, they're trying
to be religious, they're trying to follow what they think the Bible says, and they're
not saved.
They don't understand the gospel.
And they never have somebody explain it to them, and they never have somebody break it
down for them.
They've never had somebody with the Holy Spirit of God come with the Word of God and say,
how can I, and like this man in this chariot say, how can I, except some man should guide
me.
He said, if somebody would show me, if somebody would take the time to learn and explain it
to me, man, I'd sure love to hear it.
Notice verse 35.
See Philip, he went through the soul-winding training at his church.
Verse 35, then Philip opened his mouth and began up the same scripture and preached unto
him Jesus.
And the story ends with the man getting saved and baptized.
Why?
Because the soul winner was willing and able to open his mouth.
That's why Paul said, and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth
boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.
Look, the gospel is a mystery to unsaved people.
Isn't that interesting?
You ever talk to a kid who grew up in church before they got saved?
You know what's funny?
I don't know if you guys have this here, but at our church, and maybe I'm just not a good
preacher, I don't know, but at our church, you have kids who grew up in our church, independent
fundamental Baptist, been just in our church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night,
hearing sermons on salvation, hearing sermons on eternal security, hearing sermons on whatever.
You walk up to him and you say, hey, listen, what does it take for someone to be saved?
Be good.
It's like, where in the world did you get that from?
You've never heard anyone in your life teach or say that.
You know, it's just the natural man understanding not the things that's fair to God.
It's a mystery.
I mean, just naturally, we tend to think like, well, I gotta be good, right?
I mean, that's what keeps me out of prison.
That's what keeps me out of getting spanked.
That's what keeps me out of, you know, because we've just grown up in this society where
it's about being good and bad, being good and bad.
We come along and say, no, the problem with that is there is none good.
They're all bad.
And we need soul winners.
And here's all I'm telling you is that hell is a real place and you'd owe it to the people
in hell to preach the gospel to their loved ones.
And if the Lord Jesus Christ saved you, you owe it to him to take the gospel of salvation
and take it to an unbelieving world.
So what do we learn from this passage?
What do we learn from this chapter?
Well, we learn, first of all, the reality of hell.
We learn secondly the request for soul winners.
Go back to Luke chapter 16.
Luke chapter 16, let me give you the third one tonight.
We learn of the regret in heaven.
Say, Pastor Jimenez, heaven is the opposite of hell.
I know that.
Heaven is a place of rest.
I know.
Heaven is a place of joy.
You're right.
But you know what?
I believe that there's going to be some regrets in hell.
And there's going to be some regrets in heaven.
There's going to be some people in hell who are going to say, man, I wish I would have
listened.
I wish I would have went.
I wish I would have taken the time.
I had that co-worker, he kept trying to tell me and I kept telling him no.
I had that church in El Monte, you know, they knocked on my door and then two years later
they knocked again and then three years later they knocked again.
I wish I would have listened.
There's going to be some regrets in hell.
We understand that.
But you know what I believe?
I believe there's going to be some regrets in heaven.
And you say, well, where do you get that from?
Well, look at the chapter, Luke 16, look at verse 26.
It's interesting what Abraham says because he makes these statements.
One statement makes sense and the other one doesn't.
Notice what he says in verse 26.
He's talking to the rich man in hell and the rich man is, he's asking, would you send him
down here just to put a drop of water on my tongue?
And here's what he says.
Abraham says, and beside all this, he says, between us and you, understand this, between
us, Abraham and Lazarus in heaven, and you, the rich man in hell, he says, there is a
great gold fix.
He says there's a deep chasm, there's a big abyss.
He says, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, he says, neither can
they.
Now look, this statement makes sense to me.
He says, neither can they, this is Abraham in heaven talking to the rich man in hell.
He says, neither can they, talking to the people in hell, pass to us, talking about
the people in heaven, that would come from this.
Now look, doesn't that make sense?
I mean, wouldn't you think that if there's a way to get out of hell, people in hell would
want to get out of hell?
If they could get out, if they could get out of hell and into heaven, they'd try.
That makes sense to me.
He says, look, there's a deep chasm and neither can they pass to us that would come from thence.
The word thence means from there.
Here's a statement that is a little odd.
He says, so that they, Luke 16, 26, which would, you see that word there?
The word would means those who will or have a desire, those who want to pass from hence.
You see that word hence?
That's from here.
Abraham says, there is a great gold fix so that they which would pass, those who would
like to, those who would like to pass from here to you cannot.
And I've got to stop there and say, wait a minute, Abraham, are you telling me that there
are people in heaven who would like to go down to hell?
And I would submit to you that the answer is yes.
Because there are people in heaven who now, in their spiritual understanding and understanding
of what life is really all about, and that life is but a vapor that appears for a little
time advantage of the way, there are people in heaven who are wishing they would have
gone soul winning, or wishing they would have given their lives to reach people with the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And there's a lot of things you're going to be able to do in heaven that we do here on
earth.
We're going to be able to listen to great Bible preaching from the greatest Bible preacher,
the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
You can listen to Bible preaching in heaven like you can't hear on earth.
You can read the Bible in heaven like you can't hear on earth.
You can sing praises in heaven like you can't hear on earth.
You can be assembled with the congregation of believers in heaven like you can't hear
on earth.
But you know, there's one thing you can't do in heaven, it's soul winning.
There's no going and reaching people with the gospel.
There's no confronting an unbeliever with the truth of the message of salvation.
And there are people, I mean, Abraham says there are people, they're not just that want
to come from you, rich man, into heaven with Lazarus, but there are people here that would
like to go there and reach you, love you, pray for you, pray with you, but he says it's
not allowed.
He says that they cannot.
There's a great golf fix, you know, this is highlighted, I believe it's highlighted in
the book of Revelation.
Go to Revelation chapter 21.
Heaven, and when we say heaven, we're talking about once you die and you're up there in
your spiritual body, and we know after the rapture you'll be in your glorified physical
body.
Heaven is a place of joy, but look, I think there's going to be some regrets in heaven.
In fact, the Bible tells us that there are some tears in heaven that God's going to have
to wipe away.
Revelation 21, look at verse 4, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
These people are already in their glorified bodies.
They're already in their glorified state, and they're weeping, and God has to wipe away
their tears from their eyes.
You say, what's that about?
Well, I want you to understand a little bit of the context and understand how we get to
Revelation 21 and verse 4.
Go to Revelation chapter 20 and look at verse 11.
In Revelation chapter 20 and verse 11, we read of the great white throne judgment.
Are you there?
Revelation 20, look at verse 11.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face, notice, the earth
and the heaven fled away.
Now the Bible teaches that there are two great judgments.
There is the judgment seat of Christ, which is for believers.
We will not be judged to be judged whether or not we go to heaven.
You'll already be in your glorified state, or you'll already be in heaven, or you'll
be in your spiritual body, or whatever.
And the judgment seat of Christ will simply be to reward you for the works that were done
in your body.
But the great white throne, this is the judgment of unbelievers.
This is where the unsaved people will be judged for eternity.
But I want you to understand something.
We will be there.
We will all be at this judgment, because notice what it says in verse 11, and I saw a great
white throne, and him that sat on it, notice, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away.
When the great white throne comes up, the Bible says the earth and the heaven fled away.
Here's what we can take from that.
There's nowhere to go, notice, and there was found no place for them.
So look, we're all there, everyone's there.
You'll be there, I'll be there.
Look at verse 12.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.
And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according
to their works.
Why don't you notice there, it says that they are judged according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them, and they were judged, every man, according to their works.
People will ask, wait a minute, why are they being judged by their works?
I thought salvation was by grace through faith, not of works, why are they being judged by
their works?
Remember, these are people that are not saved.
You know, when you knock on the door of a Roman Catholic, and you say, hey, can I show
you how you can know for sure you're on your way to heaven?
It's a free gift, you don't have to earn it.
And they'll say, oh no, you know what, I'm a good Catholic, I'm good with my religion,
thanks but no thanks.
You know when a repent of your sins Baptist, when you try to show them, hey, adding repentance
is a works, and when you add that, when you're talking about turning away from your sin,
that's a work, and when you add that to salvation, you're adding works to salvation.
And they'll say, ah, I don't know, yay, you're in that cult, you're following that Bruce
guy, with his stinking documentaries.
No, I think you gotta repent of your sins.
You know, here's what I'm telling you, unbelievers are gonna get to the great white throne, religious
unbelievers are gonna get to the great white throne, and here's what God's gonna say, you,
listen Muslim, you want me to judge you by your works, sure, I'll judge you by your works.
Hey Catholic, you wanna be judged by your works, I'll judge you by your works, hey Mormon,
you wanna be judged by your works, I'll judge you by your works, hey Jehovah's Witness,
you wanna be judged by your works, I'll judge you by your works.
Cause look, every false religion preaches works, and he says, if you want to get to
the great white throne and be judged by your works, I'd be happy to judge you by your works.
Notice it says that the book was opened, it says, and the books were opened, and another
book was opened, which is the book of life.
You got a book that was opened, which is the book of life, then you've got the other books
that were opened, I believe that's the word of God, I think they're gonna be judged out
of the word of God, and they're gonna be judged out of the book of life, to see whether
their name's in it, or whether their name's been blotted out, and they're gonna be judged
out of the books, the word of God, God says, you wanna be judged by your works, I'd be
happy to, but here's the problem, here's what you're gonna hear, as it is written, there
is none righteous, no not one, there is none that understand it, there is none that seek
it after God, they are all gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable,
there is none that do with good, no not one.
You know what, like Belteshazzar, they're gonna hear these words, thou art weighed in
the balances, and are found wanting.
You wanna be judged by your works, sure, go for it, but you know what, you're gonna be
found wanting, you're gonna come short, you say what's gonna happen, verse 14, and death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death, and whosoever is
not found rich in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, I want you to notice,
this is the context that leads us into Revelation 21, it's in chronological order, the great
white throne, they're judged, they're thrown into hell, the lake of fire, we're all there,
look we're gonna be there and we're gonna watch people we knew be judged and escorted
into the lake of fire, we're gonna be there and we're gonna watch people that we worked
with, people that we lived by, people that we're related to, and people who did not get
saved or never had the opportunity to be saved or whatever it might be, and we're gonna
watch them be escorted into hell, that's the context of Revelation 21, verse 1, and I saw
a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven, and the first earth were passed away
and there was no more sea, and I saw John, and I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem
coming down from God out of heaven and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men
and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with
them and be their God, don't you think we'd be all rejoicing?
But in verse 4 he says, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, you say, man,
you're watching new Jerusalem come down, God is gonna be with us, he says that we will
be his people and he will be our God, why are we weeping?
Because we just witnessed the great white throne, because we just witnessed people we
knew and loved and spent time with be escorted to hell, and God says it's all ready, it's
all done, it's all good, I will, you will be my people and I will, God himself shall
be with them and be their God, and God says, but I'm gonna have to wipe away all tears
from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away, go back to Luke chapter
16, here's what I'm telling you, there's gonna be some regrets in heaven, there's gonna
be some regrets in heaven, I grew up, I had the privilege of growing up in independent
fundamental Baptist, my, the home I grew up in wasn't perfect, my parents weren't perfect,
but they loved the Lord and I think they did, they tried to raise his right in the Lord,
I grew up, this is all I ever knew, I tell people I was a Baptist before I was ever saved,
I was born a Baptist, I wasn't born saved, I had to get born again, but I was born a
Baptist, I grew up just as a little kid going soul winning every Saturday with my dad, I
remember my sister and my brother and myself, just every Saturday we'd be out soul winning
with my dad, I grew up in a home where I was taught about salvation, I was taught about
hell, I was taught about heaven, and I was taught that we are to go out and preach the
gospel to see people saved, just from a child, I was taught that and I grew up with that,
in our home we had a role, I went to public school for, till I was about a sophomore in
high school, and when we were in public school during those years, we had a role in our home
that I don't think my dad really liked us bringing friends over a lot, so we had this
role that we're allowed to bring friends, but if our friends come over, my dad gets
to preach the gospel to them, so look, if we bring friends, we just know, hey, before
we have dinner, you're gonna have to sit down with my dad, and he's gonna preach the gospel
to him, when I was in sixth grade, we moved locations, I grew up in the Bay Area, I lived
in Hayward, California, we moved from Hayward, California to San Leandro, San Lorenzo, California,
not too far, but it moved us into different school districts, and we started going to
a new school, my brother and I, and we made some friends, we had a couple of friends,
a couple of boys that lived down the street from us, my brother's about a year older than
I am, and they're two brothers, and they were our same ages, Joey was my age, we called
them Joey, it was Joseph, and then his brother Jesse was my brother's age, and we played
baseball with them in the summer, they were the first friends we kind of made, we were
all on the same team, and school year started, and we'd walk home from school, and we just
made friends with them, and one day we got out of school early, and we invited them over
to our house, and I remember as I was walking up to my house, you know, we got out of school
early, and we're gonna hang out at my house, and I remember seeing this green truck in
the parking lot, my dad's truck, and I said, oh no, my dad got off of work early, and he's
gonna preach the gospel to these guys, and you know, we're new, we're new in school,
I don't want kids thinking I'm a freak, I want them thinking I'm weird, so I remember
I purposely, you know, made sure that they did not go into the house, can I use your
restroom?
No.
You know, we had a garage with a little basketball rim connected, we played basketball, we hung
out out there, but I just made sure they didn't get near my dad, because, you know, it's just
the first time they came over to our house, I didn't want my dad preaching the gospel
to them.
I just, I didn't want, I was just embarrassed.
You know, you don't want to be that kid.
You're new at school, and you bring your friends over, and your dad wants to have a bible study
with them.
They went home, I went in the house, had dinner, had our regular, normal evening routine.
Remember the next day at school, remember I showed up to school, I went through the
front doors of school, and I started going down the hall, and I saw the teachers, the
teachers meeting got out, and the teachers kind of all came out in front of me, and as
they came out, I saw that they were crying, these adult teachers were crying, and I thought
that was odd, and I thought, I don't know what they're crying about.
And as I kind of passed them, I remember my friend, his name was, his last name was Zuniga,
we called him Zuniga, and Zuniga runs up to me, and he says, have you heard the news?
And I said no, so what happened?
And he said, Jesse died yesterday, and I remember thinking to myself, there's no way, there's
no way, I was just with him, I was just with him.
I just, I just saw him, and I think I was in a little bit of shock, and he said look,
and he showed me a newspaper, it was a newspaper article, and there's a lot that goes into
the story, I won't get into a lot of details, but you know, he's a 14-year-old kid, and
he's crossing the train tracks, the train's coming, he thought he could beat the train,
and he didn't, died instantly.
He shows me this, and I remember thinking to myself, the door, the bell rang, and it
was time to go to class, I'm walking to my class, and I remember thinking to myself,
why aren't you crying?
At this point, I'm seeing all these kids, they're crying.
I'm thinking to myself, why aren't you crying?
What's wrong with you?
You know, I don't know if I was in shock, I don't know, it's the first time I've ever
had someone close to me die, even to this day, I've never really had someone that close
to me die, and I think I might have been in shock or something, I just, I felt nothing.
Remember, I walked to class, got into class, class started, teacher announced that, some
of you already know, Joey's not gonna be with us today, his brother passed away yesterday,
and she said, I thought it would be nice, she said, I thought it'd be nice, before we
get into the classroom, if we could maybe pass around some paper, maybe you can write
some notes, or make some little cards that we can hand over to his family, and everybody
started passing out paper and writing his old notes, I just sat there, I didn't write
anything.
The way that our classroom was set up, it was these big desks, and there was four students
sitting at each desk, and I remember sitting in front of me was this girl, her name was
Angelica, and she was just riding away, folding this over, making this elaborate little card.
Remember, Angelica said to me, she said, Joey, he lives by you, right?
I said, yeah, he lives by me, and she said, you walk by his house, right, on your way
home?
I said, yeah.
She said, I made this card, I think it'll be real encouraging to his mom, would you
mind delivering this card personally, I think it'll be encouraging, to his mom.
I said, sure, she hands me the card.
I remember opening the card and beginning to read the words, and she said something
along the lines of, I'm so sorry for your loss, I can't imagine what you're feeling
like, and she said, but I think you would be encouraged, she said, I think you would
be encouraged to know that one day, we will all be reunited in heaven.
And I remember at that moment, as I read those words, the tears began to well up in my eyes.
I remember, I just, I began to cry and weep uncontrollably, I mean, to the point where
the teacher had to come to my desk, I'm gonna, see, are you okay, she's telling me, we've
got counselors you can talk to, she even physically took me outside, and I was just weeping uncontrollably,
and she's asking, what's wrong, what's wrong, and I kept thinking to myself, well, I can't
explain to her what's wrong, she said, you know, people die, and it's normal to grieve
their loss, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm not really grieving the loss of a friend,
although I will miss a friend, I'm not really upset because someone died, although I'm upset
that someone died, I said, I was thinking to myself, you know what's wrong with me right
now, is that I'm a Bible-believing Christian, I know what the Bible actually says, I know
that we don't all just go to heaven, I know that we don't just automatically all go to
heaven and get reunited, I've been taught the truth, and though about the reality of
hell, and the reality of heaven, I know that the only way that someone goes to heaven is
if a soul winner presents the gospel to them, and they receive it, and they are saved, it's
not that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell, it's that forgiving people
go to heaven, and those who reject Christ go to hell, and I remember at that moment,
just the guilt that I felt, realizing that I failed to give the gospel to my friend,
and I will never have an opportunity to make that up to him.
The Bible says, and as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this a judgment,
and I don't know if Jesse got saved, I don't know if he was ever saved, I don't know, because
I never tried.
Not only did I not try, but I actually kept him from someone who would try, and if Jesse
is in hell today, I realize that at some point, I will stand at the great white throne and
watch him be escorted into hell, and here's all I'm telling you, there will be tears to
be wiped away that day.
There will be regrets in heaven over those that we did not reach on that day.
As a seventh grade junior high school, I made a decision that day that I would never get
close to someone without preaching the gospel to them.
I made a decision that day, and in fact, I have made it the mission of my life to not
only go soul winning, but to be a soul winner, and to train soul winners, and to mobilize
soul winners, and to motivate soul winners, and say, Pastor Mez, why did you start a church
in Sacramento, California?
You know why?
Because there will be some regrets in heaven.
You say, why did you write a soul winning seminar and a chorus to train people to preach
the gospel?
Because there is a request from hell, because there is people literally burning in hell,
and they're saying, will you please go?
Will you please go and preach the gospel to my brother, to my sister, to my neighbor?
My friend.
And there will be some regrets.
There will be some regrets in heaven.
Right there in Luke 16, look at verse 22.
Say, Pastor, what did we learn from this passage?
Here's what we learned.
The Bible says, and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels
into Abraham's bosom.
The rich man also died and was buried.
And in hell, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.
You know what we learned from this passage?
Here's what we learned, that people will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell.
And one day they will die, and it will be too late to present the gospel to them.
And you and I have the wonderful privilege to influence them right now.
You say, Pastor Mendez, why would you plead with us to go soul winning?
To try to minimize the amount of regret you'll have in heaven.
Because people will die and go to hell.
And you and I can make a difference, but we need to make the difference now.
See, I don't know what to say, then learn it.
I don't have the time, then make the time.
I'm too scared, then pray for boldness.
But you know what we need?
All up and down El Monte and all up and down Southern California and Northern California
and everywhere in this world, we need a group of soul winners to go out and reach people
before it's too late for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord we love you, and Lord we realize that there will be regrets, and
there's nothing we can do about it now, but Lord I pray that you'd help us.
I pray you'd help us to rejoice in our salvation, to rejoice in the security we have of eternal
life, but help us to be burdened for those who do not yet know.
The Bible says if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
Lord I pray you'd help every person here to make a decision today, to give their lives
to the preaching of the gospel.
Lord I pray that you would raise a great army of soul winners right here in Southern California
because there are people in hell that have brothers and sisters and friends and neighbors
and co-workers and they are pleading with us to bring the gospel to them.
Father we thank you for salvation, we thank you for sending your son to die on the cross
for our sins, and I pray you'd help us to get that message out to a lost and dying world.
In the matchless name of Christ we pray, amen.