How Far Away Is Heaven

How Far Away Is Heaven

Mark 12:34

34 – And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the Kingdom of Heaven, and no man after that durst ask him any questions.

Joel 3:14

14 –Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

In the next 20 minutes as I stand and bring this message, unknown amount of people will have that last chance to make that decision as to where they will spend eternity.

I want you to think where you will be in twenty minutes.

Oh preacher, all this is, is just another scare tactic sermon.

What is so scary about this sermon is in these next 20 minutes people are going to Hell, it’s not a scare tactic but reality ,the truth that people die, people that have not accepted Jesus as the Lord.

I’m not going to sugar coat this matter and tell you that you have days, week’s months or even years. God has chosen your appointed time and I have no idea when that may be, but it will come, that I do know.

There were two thieves that were hanging on a cross next to Jesus. One asks Christ to remember him when he entered into the Paradise. The other one decided to hang and die without asking for remembrance. Two men made a decision on that hill called Calvary.

A rich young ruler comes running after Jesus, asking him, “master” what shall I do to inherit eternal life” Jesus answered and told him to sell everything and take up the cross and follow him. A decision was made by that ruler and that was to keep his earthly belongings and go back to his old ways. We never read about this ruler again, we never know if he ever had another chance to make that decision to follow Jesus.

There are multitudes of events where a decision was before people in the Bible but let me switch to today for the next few moments.

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A man was in the hospital to have a few of his arteries cleaned out. The doctor informed him that this may take from three to five hours. It really depended on how much blockage they find when they got in there.

His wife had asked her pastor to come and sit with her and to talk with her husband before the surgery. The pastor ask this man where he stood with the Lord. The reply was all too common for this pastor, “I’m not what you might call a Christian but I know my wife prays for me. Just haven’t felt a need to buy into a Christian way of life yet.

A young lady in her twenties on a Friday night was invited by her mom to a revival meeting at this church service to hear about God. Maybe she would hear of his mercy, His grace, his love and His forgiveness of sin. If she just could accept God’s Son and believe on him.

Her mother a God-fearing lady had been praying for her. Maybe, just maybe this was going to be the night that she could accept Jesus and live for him.

This girl’s life up to this time had been of nightclubs, drinking, drugs, and going about living her life as tomorrow it might end. She had to get everything she could because she was heading downward each and every day. Her life was miserable, she felt cold and unhappy even dirty and used.

That Friday night she sat there during the service and listened to what God has done in other people’s lives.

That evening the evangelist preached on Heaven and all its glory. He preached salvation, this girl sat there and listen to him preach.

The evangelist had an alter call and this girl heart her soul was being tugged on by the Holy Spirit. She just held tighter to the back of the pew. I have seen it myself. I have seen some people hold onto that pew in front of them until their knuckles are white. Their head is down, and I can feel it, I can’t really say how, but I can, I can feel the Holy Spirit dealing with that person.

When the service was finally over this young lady walked down to that evangelist, she went to talk to him. Here words were slow in coming out, but they were coming out. Was this her time to finally accept Christ and live for Him?

All of a sudden, she stopped talking and turned away, maybe she thought that God could not forgive her for all of her sins.

Maybe it was her love of this world, and she was not ready to give it up. Not just yet, maybe next week, after a night on the town. She felt who really knows but this young lady made a decision that night and walked out of that church.