"Boo" What Scares You?

Boo,what scares you? 10/25/2005

Mark 10:17-22

This is the time of the year where you have people going around scaring each other. I love to scare and I love to be scared. My wife Hope will get so mad at me when I do something to scare her. She does not like it when I sneak up on her. Every night this week there has been some kind of scary show on. I love scary movies, I love the roller coaster rides. I love to be scared. But just don’t bring any snakes or needles near me.

One Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter answered, "Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning’s Sunday school lesson was about. He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."

But sometimes it is not good and sometimes it is good to be scared. And that is what we will talk about this morning and will ask you the question, “What scares you? “

Read Mark 10:17-22

About the man

This young rich ruler here has no name. We don’t know much about him, other than he was young, rich, and had a lot of power. The same story is told in Matthew 19 and Luke 18. This is how we know he is young because Mark makes no mention of his age.

We know that although he had money and possessions, that what he sought Jesus for was something that he could not buy. Eternal life. We know that he must have been a good person, when tells him to follow the commandments then he quickly replied, “I’ve done all that sense I was a boy”.

His first mistake was to think that he was good enough to make it on his own. And the same is true today.

Many people are brought up right. They know right from wrong. They are good people and treat others the way they would want to be treated. And the truth of the matter is those people are the hardest to reach. They don’t see their need for a Savior and they think all they have to do is be good and they will save themselves. But the truth is the Bible says in Romans 3:23 For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

We have all sinned. There is not a perfect person here. There are some people who are considered better than others but even the sweetest person you have ever met in you life has sinned. And there is a penalty for that sin.

Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is that eternal life that the man was looking for. But all it takes is one sin to separate us from God and spending eternity forever with Him.

There are a lot of “Good people” who think that because they are good, when they die they are going to heaven. But the Bible says in Matthew 7:21-23, Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord have we not prophesied in You name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name. (In other words, have I not been a good person),And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.

Being good isn’t good enough. If you think that is your ticket to Heaven then you ought to be scared. Because the Bible tells us where you are heading.

Mark 9:43b, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.

Some of us went this past week to a place called the Judgment House. This is a place where they act out different kinds of deaths and they have a room that is called heaven and they have a hell room. Now I have heard some criticism about this alternative to a haunted house because it “Scares someone into getting saved”. It ought to scare you. Hell is real. And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27 And as it appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

So the Judge is coming and we don’t have to be scared, but if your relationship with Jesus is not right then you better be.

Jesus loved him

Vs.21 Then Jesus looking at him loved him.

Jesus loved this man. He didn’t get angry with him because he was coming with wrong motives, or because he was being pushy or difficult. He loved him. And that is the way Jesus is. No matter what you have done or how many times you’ve done it, He loves you.