Good Morning Beloved,
Thank you for joining us today.
Heavenly Father,
I urgently pray that You would soften hearts,
open ears and eyes, reach down and touch the lives
of those receiving this message today
Heal the suffering of those we cannot even begin to fathom
Father, I pray that You would hear the stories of those
who have not yet found a voice
wrap Your loving arms around those who are tired of hurting
whose hearts have been broken, lives torn apart
Father, as we're battling this war,
that continues to destroy our communities
as the numbers of those infected and are dying skyrocket
into Your hands I surrender this family of faith,
I pray that You would protect them, heal them,
rescue the lost amongst them that none should perish
Father, with empty hands lifted high
and a heavy, humble heart
I pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus
Amen
Today's Message: Hell's Biggest Party
I'm sorry give me just.. a second please...
Ok let's begin shall we..
I know when someone dies, it is quite common for someone to say, "Rest In Peace."
Do they really "Rest In Peace", or do they find a different reality beyond the grave?
It is with a very heavy heart, because I am called to speak the truth, my answer must be, that those who have chosen to reject God, who have chosen to reject His Word and His ways, are not resting in peace.
There are over 150,000 people that die in the world every day. That’s 4.5 million each month, a number that exceeds the population of Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.
Now if you add to that the number of dead throughout all of human history, it’s an astronomically staggering figure. Tragically, many of those people died without knowing Christ. What fate awaits them?
They immediately enter into eternal Hell where there’s no peace for the wicked. I am aware, that that is a grim, terrible reality, and it’s what the Bible says, it's what Scripture teaches, therefore, I must regard it as truth.
And in spite of how it sounds, Hell has fallen on hard times.
Allow me to explain.. many people do not believe in a literal hell.
Hell is being "frozen out" by many preachers who, because it's not, "culturally relevant," or "well received," by a morally deficient congregation, they downplay any mention of Hell or damnation in their sermon messages.
Now factor in the rapidly declining biblical knowledge and discernment, and in just a few short years there will be no Hell. . . . At least in the minds of humanity. However, the real conflict over the biblical doctrine of Hell is essentially an issue of authority. What the Bible affirms about Hell forces you to believe or disbelieve, to accept or reject it. However, your choice, that is what you choose to believe, does not change what the Scriptures teach about the reality of Hell or it's existence.
But, oh, beloved, anyone who chooses to not believe that Hell is a real literal place, is sadly, being deceived!!
As the tendency of many churches forsake the messages of fire and brimstone, as it is just too negative, has grown in recent years as nondenominational ministries, with their focus on everyday issues such as careers, success, relationships and child-rearing.
Though the popular preachers and theologians of our seminaries today, would rather teach doctrine that appoints them as favorable, regardless what that do not say about Hell, lest they forget what the greatest preacher who ever walked this earth had to say.
The Lord Jesus Christ spoke about Hell twice as much as He did about Heaven. There was only one subject that He dealt with more and that was money. And if our Lord Jesus thought it was important enough to speak about it, then I too am bound by that same task. The doctrine of Hell was not a doctrine that was developed by Paul, Peter or even by John. The certainty of Hell was clearly established by none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
"Hell from beneath is excited about you,
To meet you at your coming;
It stirs up the dead for you,
All the chief ones of the earth;
It has raised up from their thrones
All the kings of the nations.
They all shall speak and say to you;
'Have you also become as weak as we?
Have you become like us?
Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
And the sound of your stringed instruments;
The maggot is spread under you,
And worms cover you."
Isaiah 14:9-11
Yet, even the great Billy Graham, who I have held a great respect for was quoted as saying, "If there was more Hell in the pulpit there would be less Hell in the pew."
What you choose to teach or what you want to believe however, about Hell doesn't change the truth. But how you answer does determine your fate as it does for every person who ever lived. And since the Bible is the only authority source that tells the truth about life, death, Hell, and eternity. The Bible has the final word on that subject. And because all Scripture comes from God, it is the authority on every subject.
I suppose, then, the next logical question to follow would be, what does the Bible teach about Hell?
The Bible actually has quite a lot to say about Hell..
In spite of what many are teaching, or, in many cases not teaching, and regardless of legend, myth, metaphor, or allegory, the Bible presents Hell as a real place. Specifically a place where wicked people suffer the wrath of God. Consider these vivid portraits of Hell from three different New Testament writers:
"Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25:41-46
And then let's look at the book of Mark chapter 9. "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 9:43-48
And now Revelation chapter 20, verses 11-15. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Scripture paints a very terrifying picture of Hell and a clear case of a literal Hell. It is the place where God punishes unbelievers for all eternity. And quite the contrary to what many so-called evangelicals are teaching, Hell is not a state of mind or a hard life on this earth. Your state of mind can change; your circumstances can improve. Hell never ever changes, it never ever improves. Hell is not chastisement; it is an everlasting, insufferable eternal punishment at the hands of an angry God.
I believe that the subject of Hell, is rarely taught by so many churches and pastors, many are even startled to hear about Hell. In fact, outside of my own teaching, I honestly cannot recall the last sermon I remember hearing when Hell was taught, but I do know, it's been a long time. A very, very long time.
Jesus viewed Hell as a real place, a certainty, as well should everyone of us alive today. And though every New Testament author acknowledges the doctrine of Hell, Jesus actually has the most to say about it. He is the model of how we should believe about Hell. His purpose was always to warn, not to raise questions or plant doubts, to those He spoke to. But to speak the truth about what He believed and knew to be true. The existence of Hell was not something that He questioned, debated, or even defended, and He certainly made no apologies for it. Jesus assumes the reality of Hell just as much as He did the resurrection.
Jesus used some very graphic words to portray Hell, which clearly weren't intended to provide words of comfort, but to frighten. Hell is most certainly a place, a horrific place where agonizing conditions exist. One of which, there is no way out! According to Jesus, Hell is a place of outer darkness, Matthew 22:13, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matthew 8:12, and Hell is a fiery furnace, Matthew 13:42, 50, of unquenchable fires, Mark 9:48-49, Hell is a place of spiritual and bodily destruction, Matthew 10:28, where there are endless torments.
Hell offers no means of escape, rescue, or relief, no way out, ever. No friends, or family and God, well, He won't help! The occupants of Hell are sealed, for all of eternity, in their damnation! I know many of you have been through Hell on earth, awful, painful things on earth, but that won't even come close to the Hell that awaits those who are unsaved when Christ appears. And it will all happen, in the twinkling of an eye, less than a nano second...
Jesus told the story of a rich man who was tormented in Hell, so all would know what awaits them.
"And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house- for I have five brothers- in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them her them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead' "
Luke 16:24-31
Rightly pictured Hell as a place where mercy and hope are left at the entrance of the door. But still, some reject that view, believing against Scripture’s testimony that God gives people a second chance. It will be a sad day for those who didn't choose to repent, believe the truth, all the warnings, all those sermon messages, friends and family members who attempted to tell them, now just another form of torment.
Within this riveting story that the Lord would give of the Rich Man and Lazarus, one finds lodged within the story the greatest gain of all, which is Heaven. But one also finds the greatest loss of all, the soul of a man.
Beloved, our greatest losses in this life are not the things that you possess. Your greatest and most guarded possession must be your soul. Life is made up not of what you possess but what possesses you!
The first and last sermon of Jesus have the same message. In the first sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, Jesus calls for us to choose between the rock and the sand. In the last sermon Matthew 24, Jesus calls for us to choose between Heaven and Hell.
Yet some still choose to believe that there’s a postmortem opportunity to receive the gospel, repent, and be saved. While that may sound appealing, especially those who continue to live in their sin, but the Bible doesn't teach that, it teaches only Hell and an eternity of it's unimaginable torment await.
Hell is a one way street, with unimaginable torment, and no way out. I realize that's a grim picture, and I wish I has some encouraging and hopeful news at the end to interject here, but that is just not what Scripture teaches, therefore I am bound by my calling to uphold biblical truth. Hell is real.
That's why I work tirelessly, day after day, to teach as many as I can, of the truth. Because I don't want to leave this earth, feeling as though I somehow could have done more.. when my time comes, and eventually it will, I'll know that I had done all that I could, all that was within my power, to tell people the truth.
And so just as Satan continues his efforts to make sin less offensive, heaven less appealing, Hell less horrific, and the message of the gospel less urgent, I'll tirelessly strive to teach the truth, in it's entirety. If one more comes to Christ, just one .... it will have all been worth it.
It is my prayer, that if you do not know Jesus Christ, as your personal Savior, that you will make the decision today, now, to become one of God's family That you will begin this moment living for Him, read and study His Word daily. I pray that you won't allow this opportunity to pass by, because none of knows what the next moment will bring.
Just as no one had expected to awaken one day, and the world economy to come to a screeching halt, or life to be at a complete standstill, it will happen just that fast. Except then, it will be too late...
The Word of God paints a clear picture, clarity and authority, it leaves no doubt, don't be ignorant to all of Satan's devices, he knows where he's going and he wants to take as many as he can with him!
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Brian Monzon Ministries