A Complex Thought That's Full of Hope

Good morning my friend, I hope you're doing well. I'm Dr. Lee Warren and I'm here with you on another episode of Self Brain Surgery.

We're going to get after it in just a minute, but today is Tuesday and that means it's the

day for spiritual brain surgery.

It's Tuesdays with Tata. We've got a brand new episode with my main man, Dennis McDonald.

If you're new around here, Dennis is my father-in-law and everybody calls him Tata and there's a story behind that.

Like most grandparents, he got his grandparent name from the oldest grandchild.

So his first grandchild, Josh, our son Josh, was supposed to call him Papa,

but it turned out that Josh couldn't say Papa, so he said Tata, and the name stuck.

So now everybody in the world that gets to know Dennis MacDonald pretty soon starts calling him Tata.

He's just one of those guys that becomes a father figure for you as soon as you meet him.

And so he's got this great lifetime of pastoral care, experience and ministry and prayer ministry,

and he worked with Max Likado for years at O'Keele's Church,

and he's just got this depth of biblical knowledge and this passion for helping people

see how their lives can be better by getting to know Jesus and finding new ways to think about things.

And so several years ago now, we started this Tuesdays with Tata,

and we've got a whole, almost 100 episodes now of archived conversations,

and every week, Tata brings us something powerful to think about.

This week is no exception. We're in 1 Peter 4, this strange verse

that at first seems to say that Peter thinks

it's hard to be saved.

And it's a little deeper than that. We had a great conversation, and I have spent hours trying to fix the audio.

There was a weird problem with the audio we recorded as I tried to mix it this morning.

I recognized that my audio, for some reason, was panned all the way off to your right ear,

and Tata's audio was panned all the way off to your left ear, so when you listened

to the episode, it sounded like we were coming at you from two different sides of the room.

It was really strange.

It took me forever to figure out what was going on with the recording software and how to fix that

So you hear something funny, maybe I missed a piece. I don't think so. It's a great conversation

Sometimes I feel like when we have a really important conversation, there's some opposition to it

we've had several of these weird episodes where her weird issues where,

Something technological would jump up and threaten our ability to get it out to you

There was even one time when the file just disappeared.

It like literally wasn't anywhere and so I released a different episode and then three

or four weeks later, popped up on the desktop of the computer out of nowhere and we released

it and we got all kinds of emails that that was the perfect timing for that episode to come out.

So, strange things happen with Tuesdays with Tata. Not sure about it, but today we're giving you a little talk out of 1 Peter 4.

It's going to be helpful. I hope it's a blessing to you, but before we get started my friend, I have one question

for you.

I'm Dr. Lee Warren, and this is where we go deep into how we're wired, take control of our thinking, and find real hope.

This is where we learn to become healthier, feel better, and be happier.

This is where we leave the past behind and transform our minds.

This is where we start today. Are you ready?

This is your podcast. This is your place. This is your time, my friend.

Let's get after it.

Music.

Well, friend, we're back and I'm so excited to be sitting here on the riverbank on a Sunday

afternoon again with my main man, Dennis McDonald. How are you doing, Tata?

I am doing well, and it is good to be here with you.

Good to be with you, and people can see our faces today. Hopefully we'll be able to work the video parts of this out eventually.

So you probably will not see this video, but we're working on the technology piece of being,

able to bring you Tata's smiling face on Sunday afternoons, but it's Tuesdays with Tata.

And there's no makeup artist on site. That's right.

Lisa is probably capable of doing that for us, but we're going to skip the makeup for now.

Well, Tata, what do you got for us today?

Well, I've been thinking a lot about Peter and his writings, and I landed in 1 Peter

uh... chapter four yes sir,

but one of the things that I saw uh... is verse eighteen,

and when I first read it in the english standard version it took me back somewhat

because in that translation

the writer Peter says that if the righteous are scarcely saved,

And then the NIV, which I have here with me today, he says that it would be hard,

for the righteous to be saved.

When I first read that, I don't know, I can't explain that to you,

and I don't know that I can't unpack that verse for you.

I can't unpack it for myself. But one of the things that I did note is that Peter's emphasis in chapter 4 is about suffering.

And he begins in verse 1 with the word, therefore.

And remember what our key is, that every time we see the word therefore, we ask, why is

that therefore therefore?

And so we have to go back.

And if you go back to chapter 3, and Peter says, talking about suffering for doing good,

in verse 13 he says, who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

Because he talked about Christ, for Christ also suffered once for sins,

the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

Excuse me.

The whole point there is that we will suffer. That in this life we will have problems.

Jesus Christ himself said that, that we would have, in this world we would have trouble,

but not to be concerned, and fear not is what he said, because he had overcome the world.

That's right.

So that is a concern. And if you think about suffering, think about what we talked about last week when we talked

about Job and the things that happened to him in one day.

He lost his possessions, he lost his family, and he finally lost his health.

And his wife even said to him, why don't you just curse God and die?

That's right.

And he said, that's when he said, Job said, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord. And he praised God even in his misery and even in his suffering.

Where did that come from? We have to ask ourselves that question, where it came from inside of him, and how had he

prepared for that?

We know that he was a righteous man. God even recognized that.

God called him his servant. And that's a term I hope he remembers me by.

Well, I want to be his friend as well, because Jesus himself said, I once called you servants,

but I call you friends now.

Because the servant doesn't know what the master is about, but if he calls you a friend, then he's going to tell you everything.

And he's going to tell you whatever you need to know.

But the whole point there is that Jesus Christ himself suffered,

and we know that the writer of Hebrew tells us that none of us even suffered to the shedding of our own blood as he did.

And he was the Son of God, and he came.

That he was human, just like us. Yes, he was God's son, but he was a human being.

And so he had feelings, and he suffered with pain, he suffered with hunger,

he suffered with all kinds of situations, just like we do. And he was

tempted in every way that we are, but he was without sin. Gosh, because he knew where he was going. And that's the key. So ask ourselves,

do I know where I'm going when I leave this world, when I change addresses? Do I.

Know where I'm gonna wind up? Yeah. And so the whole point, the whole point of it

is that look at yourself as we all do, and the whole point is that if Christ

suffered and he did nothing but good, he suffered and he suffered but he came and

to die for the unrighteous as well as the righteous, to bring us all to God. And,

And so in verse 1 of chapter 4,

therefore since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude.

Because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin So that that's the whole that's the whole thing that we have to do,

We have to examine ourselves now and all of us have suffered and and I know and I see that I see the request,

the prayer request on the prayer wall and And sometimes it's just overwhelming to me to think about that,

to think about the suffering that people are experiencing and I and I also think of this the suffering that's going on in the

Middle East right now, but what can we do about that? We can pray about that. We can

remember those people, and I think about the people that are still suffering from the earthquakes

that took place there, and Syria and Turkey and Afghanistan. And all of that situation,

I pray for Israel as well, because they're in the midst of a crisis as well.

Their homeland has been threatened, their children and women,

and their families have been killed, their friends have been killed.

And think about the poor people in Gaza as well. Think about the children.

That's the part that troubles me also, about what will become of the children.

Yeah, and how and so we ask ourselves and when we are in the midst of our own trial,

We we we are just we're human beings as well,

Are we pleased with how we responded to that probably not in my own case I can tell you I'm not I,

Did and I said before we I did all of it. I bargained with God I don't remember ever shaking my fist at God.

And maybe it's because I knew in my heart of hearts that this world is not our home.

And then I agree that we're aliens and strangers here. And so we shouldn't make ourselves cozy in this place.

But we do because we call this place home. But if we've acknowledged that Jesus Christ is the Son of God

and accepted Him and made Him Lord of our lives, this world is not our home.

Our home is in heaven. And that's another point that we need to always keep focused on.

And it goes on in chapter 4, rather, verse 12. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you

to test you as though something strange were happening to you.

Yep.

And I recall one of the things that I said to God was, not in my house. I've said that before and I can recall that moment vividly.

Not in my house. Don't you remember? Of course, and then it dawned on me later, of

course he does. Yeah, he does. He knows. And he's nearer the brokenhearted.

That's right. And so the hope, another point that Peter makes is about the judgment, time for judgment to begin with God's household, and if it begins with us,

what will become the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God, and, and then

in verse 18, it is hard for the righteous to be saved, well what will become of this

ungodly and the sinner?

The one thing that I know, and I believe very strongly, that my name is in the book.

The book. The book of life. The Lamb's book of life. And I have accepted Jesus Christ as my

Lord and Savior, and that's the prayer that I have for people that I know that don't know God.

That they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Hard to do in some cases, yes.

Is it the right thing to do? Yes. No doubt about it. That's the only thing to do. But

the other point that he continues with, that Peter continues with is in the last verse,

so then those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful

creator and continue to do good. That's right. So whatever we are experiencing in this life.

Whether it's a loved one who has gone from us, we should still continue to praise God

and accept Jesus Christ. So we should not turn our backs on God like so many people

have. And as you look around and you wonder, as you look at what's happening

in the Middle East for example, the question has not been come up,

hasn't come up, I haven't seen it in print, but and I know it's in the back of

people's mind, is this Armageddon? Because a lot of nations are already

represented. The Navy is there, military is on the way, it's there, who knows who's

who's there on the ground, and who knows what's happening there.

Somebody knows, but I don't know.

That's not my work.

My work is to walk faithfully and look to Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of my salvation.

And friends, that's what I want for you desperately, that you would have that peace and that you

would have that comfort. And I know this sounds so easy to say, and if I was talking to Peter,

if he was right here in the room with him, I'd say, why did you say it like this? Well,

God said it. Don't, friends, don't think it's strange or something's happening to you. That's

not common. When you're experiencing fiery trials, and the fiery trials take many faces,

They visit you, and if you're not careful in that trial, you'll be consumed.

Don't let that happen.

Fight back. Always look to God and ask Him. And the thing is that what we have to do is we must ask Him for help.

We can't go forward in this life handling all of these trials that come into our house.

There's no way.

There's a couple of things that I'm really grateful, first of all, that you gave me some heads up

about this verse that we were gonna cover today.

Ta-Ka dropped 418 on me this morning.

It's tricky, you know, if you read it, in almost every translation it comes across as,

it sounds as if Peter's saying that it's hard to be saved.

And Jesus said that, it's hard, you know, that many find the- It's easier.

The wide way, and few find the narrow way.

What Peter says here, this is NIV, If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

And he's quoting a proverb. What's the proverb?

1131. 1131. And so the research I did, I went to my favorite go-to, which is the interlinear,

Aberram translation, where you can pull up every word in the New Testament in the Greek,

translation, and there's usually some commentary. And so what's happening here is,

and I read multiple commentaries today,

Peter is quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

And it's one of only two places where Peter uses the Greek instead of the Hebrew translation of the Old Testament,

the original language.

And he's editing it a little bit. He's quoting it, but using it as a proverb.

The part he left out in the Septuagint is, if it is hard on the earth for the righteous to be saved,

what them will become of the ungodly and the sinner.

And he's quoting that proverb, and what he's saying is, it's really hard to go through this life if you don't have hope,

if you don't have the hope of salvation.

That's right. And you're going to go through trials, and you're going to go through difficulties,

and thank God we have something to hold on to.

Absolutely. But the ungodly and the sinner, they don't have that hope.

And he's saying, if it's even hard for us, how much harder must it be for them to get through this life?

And that's why up in verse 12, I'm sorry, not 12, you quoted that, up in seven, he says this,

and it goes to your concerns about, is this Armageddon, all these stressful fears

that we always have about what's happening on the earth.

Peter says, the end of all things is near, therefore, what's that therefore, therefore?

Therefore be alert and of sober mind, so that you may pray.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Now earlier today, Tata and Lisa and I, we weren't feeling well, so we watched church online

from our old church in Alabama, and the pastor.

Quoted the passage in John where it says that Jesus came full of two things. Remember what he was full of?

Grace and truth. Jesus was equally full of grace and truth. And what Peter's getting

at here is we need to give people the truth because the end is near.

Even if it's not right now. This is a stressful time in history and there will be

other stressful times in history, but someday the Lord's coming back.

That's the end of it, and people need to be ready.

And so we need to love the truth enough, love people enough to tell them the truth,

that the reason for the hope that we have is because of Jesus, right?

But we also need to have enough grace to love them where they are,

and be able to encourage them and say, hey, I know some things that might help you

get through this hard time. It's not judgmental, it's not intolerant.

It's telling truth, but telling them with the grace that we've been given.

And I think that's what Peter's getting at here, Dad. It's really hard to get through this life,

even if you had the hope of Christ. There's just massive things,

and there's traumas, and there's tragedies.

But thank God we know the end. Amen, that's right. And for me, I say Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

And if he comes today, I'm happy about that.

The thing is that we must consider keep always in our present thinking is that we were in God's hand yesterday,

we're in his hand today, and if we have tomorrow, we'll be in his hand.

And so he is with us as long as, even where we are, he loves everyone.

One. He loved David, and he loved Saul, who became Paul.

And then and Jesus loved Peter. That's right and Peter denied him. That's right,

Three times this is a an aside, but I think it's important. We're talking about,

How we we learn to have hope in Christ and those of us who are saved haven't,

Have an advantage in the hard things of life because of our hope.

Look who's telling us this Peter right the fisherman The rough guy who denied Christ and cut off the ear in the garden

and abandoned Jesus at the end and even cursed somebody out and denied him.

And then he later is, you know, Jesus loves him and restores him and he's filled with the Holy Spirit. He goes on to be, you know, this apostle

who writes New Testament books and is one of the founders of the church.

Look what he's done in that time from being this ignorant fisherman to now being a guy who knows both of the Hebrew Scriptures,

and the Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures in a way that he can pull them out and contrast them

and use them for proverbs and teach us lessons from them

and remind us of the importance of studying God's Word and of the hope found therein

and leave us with something like that.

So then those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful creator

and continue to do good.

That's a powerful lesson. The kind of person you can become if you spend your time.

Remember what Erwin McManus told us.

Jesus has the only kind of genius that can rub off on somebody.

And we see it here with Peter today, don't we? That's right.

And the whole point is that it's how we live our lives. That's right.

And if we go around and beating people over the head with a hammer or beating them over the head with the Bible.

And make a point and treating them, making them feel worse than they did already.

And why would they want to be with us? But if we were kind and gentle with them,

that's the way Jesus was.

That's right. That's that phrase, truth without grace is mean. That's right.

And grace without truth is meaningless. That's right.

That's exactly right, and so we have to be, that's what Jesus talked about being a disciple,

being an example, and that's what, and Peter is very blunt in the writings.

Now, we know that all the scripture was inspired by God, but God used Peter to write these words. That's right.

So we can't just pick and choose Just because it's so hard, and if we're righteous, we're going to scarcely be saved.

Why would we do that?

Let me ask you this, or let me ask our friends this. What's the other option?

That's right. That's why it says, therefore, you're going to suffer.

You're going to suffer whether you're saved or not. That's right.

Jesus doesn't remove our sufferings. He told us that. In fact, if you ever think he did, don't forget he got nails in his hand.

That's right. Side pierced. He suffered. And he tells us in John, don't be surprised.

This is happening to me. It's going to happen to you too.

That's right. And so you're going to suffer. The question is, do you suffer well

And have hope that it's going to end well for you or do you suffer in this way?

That what will become of the ungodly and the same and the other side of that is that we just don't stop,

We continue to do good. That's right. We continue to do right. That's right.

And I mean the whole point of that is and that's where the struggle comes in because

I know i've heard people that and i've talked to people as you probably have as well, but,

I've talked to people that were not lovable, that didn't want to hear anything.

They wanted to know, but they didn't want me to tell them.

Does that make sense? They resisted to the end. And so what do we do about those people?

It's not our work. We've done everything that we could have done.

And that's one of the things that Peter insists that we do, is continue to pray.

He didn't say pray, he said continue to pray. Keep on praying. That's right.

And I know that there are people that we pray for, that we don't know what happens to them.

I've been praying for a man and his family, and not long ago I saw him, and he looked different.

And I didn't have a chance to talk to him, but he looked different.

And that impressed me. Huh. Prayer changes people.

But you don't know, we don't know what God is doing to change people, but we know what He,

we can feel what He's doing with us.

And if we say something that we shouldn't say, and we know immediately,

our conscience will tell us.

And our conscience will remind us that we shouldn't say that or we shouldn't do that,

If we lose our temper We're told we know because God will remind us the Holy Spirit will remind us. That's right,

And that's where we are so thankful that God gave us the Holy Spirit. That's right,

And the Holy Spirit will not leave us. That's right.

So in the in the midst of all the trials and tribulations of this life the that we have to continue to keep on keeping on.

And it is hard. It is. It's very hard.

Peter gives us the prescription right here. This is in 10.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace

in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one

who speaks the very words of God.

How do you speak the words of God? You gotta know them. That's right.

And here's where you find them.

Here's where you find them. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides.

If you're tired of being so tired, God says, I'll give you the strength to carry on.

So that in all things, God may be praised through Jesus Christ, to him be the glory

and the power forever and ever, amen. Amen, that's right.

And in chapter four, beginning in verse 12, He makes a point in verse 13,

but rejoice in as much as you participate in the suffering of Christ. That's right.

So that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed.

For the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer,

or a thief or any other kind of criminal or even as a meddler.

As even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed,

but praise God that you bear that name.

And then he starts making that point, for the time for judgment is to begin with God's household.

And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome of those who do not obey the Gospel of God? It is hard for the righteous to be saved,

it, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner.

And so that's the whole point of that is that we have to be,

we have to know God and we have to know Jesus Christ, and we have to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God

and believe that He came as a man, and He was God and He was in the flesh,

and that He was tempted in every way that we are, and we have to claim Him, and we have to ask Him to be Lord of our lives.

That's right. And lead us.

What a remarkable conversation today, we've really mined some amazing power of what to

do when you're suffering out of this passage in 1 Peter 4.

And I guess the question is if we're going to be these people that try to persevere in

hard times and help others find their way and continue to do good, when should we start?

We start today.

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Hey, thanks for listening. The Dr. Lee Warren podcast is brought to you by my brand new book, Hope is the First Dose.

It's a treatment plan for recovering from trauma, tragedy, and other massive things.

It's available everywhere books are sold and I narrated the audio books.

Hey, the theme music for the show is Get Up by my friend Tommy Walker, available for free,

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I'm Dr. Lee Warren, and I'll talk to you soon. Remember, friend, you can't change your life,

until you change your mind.

And the good news is you can start today.

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