A New Perspective

Sometimes preposition the New Testament uses is the preposition into. We believe in true Christ on this is the fundamental thing that happens to us when we were born again when we are converted to Christ. Our faith unites us to him, the spirit unites us to him, and in that way we are bound together, and underneath all that is the fact that in everything Jesus did, he was representing us and because he was representing us everything he has done is really ours. None of these things are what we want In ourselves. All of these things we draw down from our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is everything that he fills our nothingness union with Christ a teaching series with Sinclair Ferguson visit Lincoln here.org/teaching series to learn more. Why do people run from Christ, where we by nature fugitives from God Renewing Your Mind is next. We are naturally both fascinated and terrified by God. That's because he's altogether. Holy and we are not. He is perfect and can see everything we do.

So we hide just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. They didn't want their sin exposed in neither do we. Today on Renewing Your Mind.

We have the privilege of bringing you a message from Dr. RC Sproul's most popular series, the holiness of God and as we explore God's character we find out about sin, justice and grace is RC as we continue our study of the holiness of God. Press on looking at the question of the trauma of God's holiness. We have seen that we are uncomfortable when God comes close. When he begins to manifest or display his transcendent majesty. We've already examined the New Testament account of what happened to the disciples when they were caught in the storm at sea and were frightened by the forces of nature that threaten their very lives and how that Jesus then address that situation by commanding the winds and the sea to be call and when they suddenly and instantly became calm. The fear of the disciples intensified. Now they were more afraid of Christ than they were of the forces of nature. I want us to continue looking at that dimension of our natural human fear for the divine and for the holy for the transcendent. Several years ago a book was written that became very popular in the secular world. It was called the Peter principle, and it was a study of a syndrome that happens in businesses and corporations were people seek to go up the corporate ladder and rise to the next level of authority and the Peter principle is the principle that says that there is a tendency in the business world for people to rise to their level of incompetency is an interesting insight is that the people may be very competent at level I. Go to level II and still be competent because they display competence. They given a promotion to level III and now all of a sudden they're thrust into a position over their heads, but sooner or later the theory goes we get elevated beyond where we should be the level of incompetency.

While there was much discussion about that but there is a chapter in that book that fascinates me from a theological perspective and that is the chapter that describes the person who is the super competent. The author speaks of the super incompetent that person who never goes above the first level he so incompetent he can even make it at the entrance level of the organization and he's waited out and loses his job. But what about that rare individual is not simply competent but has an abundance of competency who is super competent with the book says that according to the surveys that they had done is that for a person who is exceptionally competent to advance to an appropriate level in an organization frequently almost always must move to another company because the super competent person faces an enormous resistance from two sides from the people who are under in or her because they are intimidated, threatened by this superlative degree of competence and even more so the people who are over them because they feel threatened by that super competent person coming to take their job say this so what happens to a person who is exceptionally able is for them to advance in the corporate world they have to move from company to company where there brought in a level that is looking for somebody super competent and doesn't represent a contemporary threat. How does that apply to theology when were trying to explain the reaction of people to Jesus.

We can apply this Jesus was the most super competent human being that ever walked on the earth and who was it that hated him and resisted him the most. It wasn't the common people. The Scripture say that the common people heard him gladly, they rejoiced in his ability, and in his competency, but it was the Pharisees and the scribes had him why will the Pharisees were a group of people who began historically as a group of people who called themselves the separated ones who devoted themselves to the rigorous pursuit of righteousness and they were so zealous in their pursuit of righteousness that they achieved an uncommon level of popular appreciation and a clean for their status as being the pillars of the community. They gave all of the outward appearances of greatness with respect to righteous. They were so disciplined, so much more disciplined than the common people so devout in their praying and their tithing and and in their leadership that the people began to look at them as the paragons of all virtue but they were for their righteousness was only superficial. They were hypocrites and a hypocrite is somebody who play acts gives a show outwardly of righteousness. But who inwardly is corrupt, but they were able to fool the people the counterfeit holy was not revealed to be counterfeit and fraudulent until the holy one appeared. This is what happens when truth appears clearly, falsehood is exposed for what it is and the presence of Jesus of Nazareth was a threatening exposé to those people who prided themselves in their righteousness and they were threatened. They were better. They were hostile and they plotted to destroy. I remember a situation I had in the very first year of my teaching career I was teaching at Presbyterian College in Pennsylvania and I had a young lady who was a senior in my philosophy classes to taken several courses that I was teaching in philosophy and in every course. She not only made A's but she scored clearly the highest grade on every exam I gave and I used to grade on a curve and sometimes the students didn't do very well exam was perhaps too difficult.

I had made up in the grades for had to be promoted, and I would read what the number was that the people gave and I would scale them on the blackboard and so what. And maybe the average grade was 60 or 70 in the class and I said, but then this woman scored a 90 what you suppose was the response of the students.

When I would make an they didn't rise up instantaneously and give her a standing ovation. There would be this grown emanate from the classroom groan of disdain. They didn't like that she had been showing them up by her superior performance and one day I gave an exam in a philosophy class and when I graded this exam. This girl flunked exam paper was terrible. She missed every question and so I called her in and I said to her what happened to you on this exam. I said there something fishy here. I said you missed every question in a way that you have to know the right answer to make sure that your method every time I sit there something funny going on here. She dissolved in and she explained to me that she was in her final semester of her senior year she was not married she was not engaged she didn't have a boyfriend she never had any dates. She was panicked and she said the boys tell me that they don't want to thank me because I'm too intelligent for and she said Prof. Spruill, I just want to get married I want to have a family look down on people who don't do as well as I do in school and she intentionally flunked exam because she realized that her superior performance was driving other people away because she broke the standard she broke the car she broke the mold. No one ever ever did that, like Jesus.

Now there's another episode in the New Testament that involves the Sea of Galilee that involves Jesus the same C and the same disciples that we looked at in the episode where Jesus calmed the storm.

This one is recorded for us in the fifth chapter of Luke's gospel beginning in verse one we read this and so it was as the multitude pressed about him, to hear the word of God that he stood by the lake of gin*that's another name for the Sea of Galilee or the like of guile and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets that he got into one of the boats which were Simons and ask him to put out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat and when it stopped speaking, he said to Simon launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered and said to him master. We have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, that your word I will let down the net and when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking.

And so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them and they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sing and when Simon Peter saw that he fell down at Jesus naysaying depart from me, for I am a sinful man allure for he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken and so also were James and John's the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon that he see what's going on here cases is about to lecture to the multitudes in their pressing up against him, he does name have room to turn around so in order to get in a position that is suitable to address this large multitude.

He asked the disciples to get one of the boats free so that he can sit in the boat just offshore and address this multitude and after he finishes this message he now says to Simon in the disciples who had been there on the shore with the boats repairing their net, which was a daily occurrence.

If you've ever been to Gloucester, Massachusetts, for example, on the wharf. There you will see the fishermen gathered at the end of the day.

Even to this day carefully going over there nets to repair any holes that have developed and that's because refreshment has holes in his neck. He doesn't catch the fish as the fish get out the hole and so he has to keep those nets in careful repair.

That's what the disciples had done and they had done this after they had completed their fishing expedition for the day and were preparing for the next venture into the water and so Jesus now after his face and sees that the nets are fixed.

He says to them let's cast out into the deep, and cast your nets into the sea. Remember that Jesus is their master. He is the rabbi there. The students and whatever the rabbi says they're supposed to follow and throughout most of Jesus ministry when Jesus tells his disciples to do something they normally do it without a whole lot of foster work argument, but on this occasion, Peter argues with Jesus. It's as if Simon is saying Jesus.

We understand how super competent you are in areas of theology and when you teach us theology. We are utterly deferential and we are at your feet, but give us a little credit we know something about the fishing business. We are professionals we been doing this and we were out there all night long way catch anything Peter doesn't say this exactly exist simply reminds Jesus of what Jesus already knew that they had been out there all night and had a lousy night as far as catching and it is as if Simon is saying all right, fellows, humor him if he tells us the drop, the nets will drop the nets will show him that there are any fish around today so you know what happens they go out. They dropped the nets in every fish in the sea of Galilee jumps in and that I'm such a catch as they've never had in history. Not only are there nets filled their filled to the breaking point, and when they haul in this catch and put it in the boat. It is so huge that the boat is now beginning to sink and I have to get other boats to come alongside the help handle this huge catch of fish and and those boats are now in danger of sink so we have what's called this miraculous draft of fish.

No, I want us to look at as we consider continually now the trauma of holiness is the reaction of Simon to this episode. What you think his reaction would be. Remember Simons, Jewish, and is a businessman and Jewish businessmen are not known for being disinterested in profits. I would've said Jesus look. Here's the deal. 50% of the business. All you have to do is once a month come by here and do this little trick is once a month, 50% of the profits are yours will take care the nets will take care the boats will do our normal fishing just one day a month you come down here and do this again is what I would estimate Peter's Peter looked at Jesus and said please leave Galway here words that we read in the text depart from me, Lord, I would. He asked Jesus to leave. He hadn't heard the nets he hadn't heard the boats he hadn't heard the people Simon gives us the reason he said, depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful and what in the world that the filling of the nets was fishes had to do with the sinfulness of Simon Peter again. Do you see what happens here in this miraculous work of Christ. There is a sudden breakthrough of glory is transcendent majesty which is been veiled and cloaked and hidden by his humanity suddenly breaks out and again Simon has an acute realization that he standing in the presence of the holy I can't stand it. Jesus please leave Galway center.

I can't stand in the presence of the Holly I'm naked and exposed. When you display your glory like that. It's devastating to me. It's traumatic. I have no defense for it. I need some space you're intruding and making me profoundly uncomfortable.

Why do people run Christ. Why do people flee from God.

Why are we by nature fugitives. The Bible says that the wicked flee when no man pursues them. Luther used to say the pagan trembles at the rustling of the leaf because we know we are not worth from the very first sin. Human beings have gone into hiding from the gaze of God. Desperately seeking something to cover us to protect us from the trauma of the present as such. RC Sproul from his series, the holiness of God and you're listening to Renewing Your Mind is RC so clearly pointed out to us today. In this lesson we cannot stand in God's presence without the covering provided to us by Christ. I hope you'll stay with us because Dr. Strohl has a final thought for us in just a moment.

Mercy once said the holiness of God affects every aspect of our lives, economics, politics, athletics, romance, everything. As believers we need to be reminded of who God is and I hope you'll contact us today and request our resource offer two copies of Dr. Sproles booklet. God is holy and it RC explains why God's presence is terrifying to us but we also see how this holy God is also a God of grace. He has provided a way for us to find peace with them. We hope you'll share these booklets with others, and that's why were offering two free copies today. Just contact us and request them by going to Renewing Your Mind.org or if you prefer you can call us at 800-435-4343 every two years later ministries conducts a poll to see what Americans think about Jesus, the Bible truth and ethics of the results of our most recent state of theology survey are in the there are some encouraging aspects to it, but unfortunately there are many findings that are rather discouraging evangelical seem to be influenced by the cultures uncertainty about the truth about who Jesus is and how sinners are saved findings like that reinforce our commitment to teaching the truth of God's word. In fact, we like to say here later ministries we do three things.

Theology. Theology and theology. If you'd like to explore the results of our most recent survey in the take the survey yourself that let me encourage you to go to the state of theology.com and before we go today. Here's RC with a final thought force in our core and day out.

Thought for the day. We ask you how comfortable you are in the presence of the holy I noticed something remarkable in my dealings with my friends, Christian friends, non-Christian friends, I spend a lot of time playing golf and men who make no profession of faith in Christ and sometimes the language gets a little bit rough and if they'll unleash some undeleted expletives on the golf course till quickly turned me so sorry Rev., I apologize and I make this apology to me as if there were some way that they were accountable to me for the language of another judge let the my ears are virgin, or even in my mouth. This version I heard those words a million.I don't know why they feel the need to apologize to me, but sometimes we talked about it and they will say well you know RC your minister, so the not all that comfortable. Sometimes they are comfortable. My failure like a resident. We really feel like we could be ourselves right. Why would they need to say that to me. I'm not God I'm not Christ that I'm not holy but as a minister I represented the holy and sometimes people will react against Christians and call them holier than thou. The Christians may be perfectly humble. All you have to do is bear the name of Christ, never make people uncomfortable.

Are you uncomfortable Renewing Your Mind is the listener supported outreach of leader ministries. Thank you for being with us today.

Hope you enjoy this again tomorrow