[Mr. Chuck Smith]: The title today of my sermon is – it’s a Part 2 – Cephas – The Philosopher. Last week I went into Cephas – the Fisherman, and went into his story. Today I want to go into Cephas – The Philosopher.

There have been great philosophers who have pontificated down through the ages. Philosophers who would speak their minds, who would give you their opinion, whether it was Plato, Aristotle or some not-so-famous philosophers who also talked and had their thoughts and their words written down.

One not-so-famous philosopher – he’s actually a songwriter and a singer… I listened to an interview from him about a song that he wrote, and he said he just wrote down his feelings – just how he felt. And that man was Waylon Jennings. For anybody who listens to country music, you might know Waylon and Willie and the boys. Waylon Jennings – he was big, I don’t know 25, 30 years ago. He was a guitar player for Buddy Holly. Way back when the plane crashed, he gave up his seat to the Big Bopper – I believe it was. He gave up his seat and took a bus, and the plane crashed and killed Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.

So Waylon Jennings wrote a lot of songs, but he philosophized the world. I don’t know that we would agree with his philosophy, but he wrote that there were only two things in life that make it worth living. We would have a different answer than him, I think. For those that know the song, know what he said. “Only two things in life that make it worth living – guitars fine-tuned and firm feeling women.” I would have to say it is sexist at one point, but also, it’s a very epicurean statement, as he dwelt on the physical – because he was not a religious man – where our thoughts typically go to the spiritual.

Now, I don’t know what you think about when you think about things that make this life worth living… Neal talked about having children, having a great wife, having a strong family unit. But one of those that I find make life worth living is serving others – being able to help those who can’t help themselves, being able to be a support system – kind of big in my life and what I think and what we do.

 Another philosopher – Friedrich Nietzsche. Friedrich Nietzsche was known for saying what? “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” I think a lot of us would agree to that, wouldn’t you? Over the years, we’ve seen that. I remember Nietzsche’ statement, “The longer you look into the abyss, the longer the abyss looks into you” – a very profound statement. But Nietzsche is not one I would want to follow. In fact, his statement says he disagreed with the statement at his time in the 1800s that “God is dead,” because he said, “God never existed, so how could He be dead?” This is also the man that, in the last eleven years of his life, lost his mind. He actually sent letters off to his nation’s leaders, trying to convince them that he was the world’s savior. Philosopher? Yes. One you want to follow? Probably not.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Do what you can with what you have where you are.” He was more of a leader or president, who said, “You kind of don’t need to be blaming someone else for what you don’t have. Do the best you can with what you have. Make the best your situation and try to improve it.” Roosevelt is also known as the first president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Advice many of us can follow.

Plato said, “Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something.” Haven’t we all met those? We all know someone like that – hopefully, not really, really well, but most of us do. Plato, of course, had a teacher named Socrates that he learned some of his stuff from. And Plato also had a student named Aristotle. The world considers those three of the greatest minds ever. I don’t know that we would go that far, especially when you study them.

Mahatma Ghandi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Good point. A lot of people want to change other people. How about what our impact is when we have become a change ourselves – when we can change ourselves and people can see that walking/talking example? Ghandi was considered one of the greatest people in the 20th century. It’s interesting. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times and never won it. Interesting study to see who did during those times. Also nominated in the 20th century for the Nobel Peace Prize: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, even Mao. So, who do you want to follow?

Helen Keller said, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” Life is a daring adventure or nothing – as she achieved things that no one had achieved before her. As a matter of fact, she was the first deaf/blind student to ever graduate from college in America. She had to struggle. She made the most of what she had.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” True statement. Emerson graduated Harvard University when he was eighteen years old. He became a teacher and he loved teaching. But then he became a preacher, and he quit that, because it wasn’t very rewarding. Because he had a problem – he had a conflict – that we would not follow his words, even though we would follow those – of not being angry. He studied the Bible, and with all his great education, found out that Jesus Christ was not God – he said, “Not even close.” A man you would follow? Probably not.

Martin Luther King said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools.” He was right, as we see this world begin to perish, and we see people becoming more and more foolish. He knew what it was to have conflict. He knew what it was to try to pull people together. A matter of act, Martin Luther King was arrested 29 times. One time he got arrested for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25 mile an hour zone.

Finally, Winston Churchill: “Courage is what it takes to stand and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit and listen.” Winston Churchill had a lot of profound sayings. As a matter of fact, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. What’s interesting about that was, he was a sorry student in school – barely passed – and there he was writing something like this.

Why do I bring this up? Because life teaches us a great deal, can give us incredible wisdom, if we use the experience that we have plus what we can get from other people. The Bible always talks about the hoary head – the gray hair – and what you learn as you get older, and hopefully, can share with people. Experiences help us help others. That’s why I think Hebrews 4 tells us that we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with us. He can say, “I’ve been there, done that. Hey, living in a fleshly body, compared to what I had of being God before – I was not limited by pain, time or anything else – it can be tough.”

The apostle Paul, or Cephas – the rock – shares with us, in 1 Peter and 2 Peter, his experiences, gives us his wisdom from those experiences, and then gives us a philosophy that is so inspired that God wanted it written down in the Word for us. Because life matters to God, as we heard about in the sermonette. Decisions we make matter to God. It should matter to us. Too many times, sometimes, it doesn’t, and we have to learn to live with those decisions. We have to learn to live with things we could have changed if we had made another decision, or if we had taken somebody else’s experience.

So, I look at 1 and 2 Peter and the incredible depth that is there, because this man had lived a full life, he had encountered things that we have never encountered. And so, I so appreciate this water-walking, shadow-casting, unclean meat-dreaming, Dorcas-raising preacher as he gives us spiritual meat to chew on in just eight chapters of the Bible.

I find it interesting, if you go to the book of Acts – really, almost the first half of the book of Acts – tells you so much about Peter. The second half is, basically – mostly – about Paul. But the first half of the book of Acts, as the church is just starting in Acts 2, who takes center stage? Cephas. Who gives incredible words that cause 3,000 to be baptized that very day? Cephas – the philosopher.

So, we get a full glimpse of his life – most of his life – in Acts, but then, towards the end of his life – even in 2 Peter, when he know he’s about to be killed – he wants to give us even more. He wants to give us his philosophy.

Cephas, in 1 Peter, tells us – as I asked all of you to read – how to act and conduct our lives in the midst of chaos, persecution and trials. And everyone in here has had those. So, I really take those to be pretty important stuff. Because it tells us – and I think it’s just as important – what not to do as what to do to avoid pitfalls – to avoid these things that can happen in our lives.

So, I have picked out, from 1 Peter, six statements – six different philosophies, six different pieces of advice, knowledge and wisdom from Peter. I’m going to go through my six, and then I’m going to open it up to see if you have any. Because there is so much there. I could have given you twenty. But I want to give you my six and look at them, and then I’d like to hear from you – of what touched you in the book of 1 Peter and some statements that, perhaps, I didn’t cover.

So let’s go there. I’ll be reading from the New King James Version. My very first advice I took from Peter is in 1 Peter 1:13. I find it interesting that he puts these words together, and the very first words are, “Gird up the loins of your mind” – a unique statement. “Gird up the loins of your mind.” Because all through the Bible there is girding up your loins that is used, but here it’s the loins of your mind. They used to wear a skirt-like apparatus with the robes, and if you needed to do anything, like walk fast, do any work, you had to gird up, and pull, and bring a belt around and tie up your clothing, so that you could get something done. Here, Peter is saying, in the very first chapter:

1 Peter 1:13 – “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind…” Do we? Why would he say that? Today, if we were to use that saying – “Gird up your loins” – we have kind of a saying that we use, and it’s, “Roll up your sleeves.” Everybody understand what “roll up your sleeves” means. Right? It means you’re about to get to work. With your kids, it means, “You’re about to get a whooping.’” You’re about to do something. So Peter is telling us, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” He’s saying, “Get ready to put your mind to work!” Do we? Do we really want to do that? Get ready to be active. This is not talking about physically rolling up your sleeves. This is not talking about physically girding up your loins, because his audience would have known exactly what he was talking about then. But he said, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” He’s tying that into us. Prepare and strengthen yourself for what is coming. Have we? We look at a country that is facing some dire times, it looks like, down the road. It sure appears that way. Are we preparing for that in our minds? Preparing for that – one of the things – is getting into your Bible, getting into your prayer life, because I don’t know about you, but I need help. I need help from up there – to face things, to gird up my loins, so that I’m ready to handle the problems and persecution, or trials or tests that are headed our way – that are here now – so we’re not all bent out of shape. I was reading a report the other day of suicides – up dramatically in the last eighteen months. People can’t handle the issues or confronting the world as they see it. They can’t see it getting any better. So, a lot of them, they say, take the easy way out. I don’t how easy that way out is.

Interesting that “gird up your loins” is actually used in Proverbs 31 – as most of you know, the Proverbs 31 woman – the perfect woman. You read Proverbs 31, and you say, “That’s the kind of wife I want to have.” You’ll be looking for a long time! Those are all the qualities that we want in those women, desire. But it actually says there that the Proverbs 31 woman would buy a field, and then gird up her loins. So, she actually did work. Because the others made it sound like she’s just doing this and having servants to do. Yes, she had servants and she’s overseeing this and so forth. But, she’s also doing something. She’s active. It’s a good example for us. Brethren, let’s be active with our minds.

We’ll go to the second scripture just two verses down. 1 Peter 1:16 – one of the first scriptures I memorized after my baptism. And he says there:

1 Peter 1:16 – “…be holy, for I am holy.” He’s referencing what God is saying. He’s saying, “Be holy” – how am I holy? – “in all your conduct.” That’s hard to do! I would have to say, “in all my conduct” – I’ve failed. I’m a failure, because I don’t do it all the time. But it is telling us that we need to be. Peter knows more than anyone else… we went through last week all of his issues and problems he dealt with – denying Christ, the water-walking, all these things that he did – but man, do you see what he became? Where he was with Christ, and then what he became – that even he walked by someone and his shadow healed them, that people prayed and angels came and got him out of a jail where they were going to kill him. He was an amazing individual, even with his issues and problems.

And I think this meant something to him: “Be holy, for I am holy.” Peter’s trying to tell us that we need to be more like God. As said in the opening prayer, we need to mirror Christ in our conduct. And yes, we’re occasionally going to slip and fall. We’re going to disappoint ourselves. And we’ll disappoint our Father, but not to the point that He says, “You’re useless.” No, to the point He says, “Get up and gird up the loins of your mind.” He inspired Peter to write that.

It’s interesting. Be holy. That’s a state. That’s a state that God is in. God is holy. He cannot be unholy. And so, for us to communicate with God, He can’t come down at our level – He sent Christ, but Christ is still perfect, but working with us today. God can’t come down to our level. We have to come up to His, because He’s so holy. And He wants us to be that kind of holy. He wants us to be able – when we need to – to change our state. Because sometimes we get depressed. I don’t know if you guys ever suffer that? Of course, we get depressed, we look around, but is that the state God wants us in? No. Because He’s got this – modern vernacular. He’s got this! He’s still in charge. All of us face that. Our dear brother, Dwight, we faced that. This week with Randy D’Alessandro, another pastor – Chicago – that I knew and really liked. A friend from Vero Beach, Tom Banister. Yes, that can be discouraging, depressing. But that’s our state we’re in. And a state is easy to change, if you want to. Have you ever tried to be sad when you’re laughing? It’s not easy to do, because of your state. It’s hard for a person to be depressed when you look around and you see all the blessings you have, and count your many blessings. What do they say? One by one. So Peter is telling us, because I’m sure he had to change his state.  “Be holy, for I am holy.” What it’s saying there is, it’s not only the state, but it’s going to take some action. It’s going to take some action on our part to become holy. We can’t just lay here and go, “I am so holy. Look how holy I am.” No, we don’t become holy that way. But it’s an act of doing.

You know what’s so interesting about this is, that this verse is actually quoted from Leviticus 11, about clean and unclean food. Because God gives all these clean and unclean foods, and says about the unclean, “Don’t eat them.” And then He says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” So what’s He actually telling us? It’s the action of not eating unclean food that can make you holy. Because God doesn’t do that. And so, He’s telling us how to become like Him. And no matter what people want to say, ham didn’t automatically just become clean somebody hung off a piece of wood, and was in the ground for three days – so now ham is all clean? And buzzards are like… “Ah, let me have some of that buzzard.” You see? This is holiness. This is what God is teaching us – to be holy. And Peter is such a great teacher at doing it.

Let’s move on to another verse – 1 Peter 1:24-25. Boy, if this doesn’t give you wisdom if you can swallow it – put you in your place.

1 Peter 1:24-25 – “…because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is like a flower,” that grows up and doesn’t last long. “The grass withers, and its flower falls away.” The grass is going to die. We’re all going to die. If life continues, we’re all going to die. We can’t avoid it. You can get cryogenics, and have them freeze your head or your body… you’re still going to die. Nothing you can do about it, except realize that you are going to! And that kind of helps change your state, as you go back up there – because you can worry about dying, or you can enjoy living. Which one do you want? It’s up to you. Because you control your state of mind. Which one does God want you to do? “But the word of God is forever.” So, we fleshly human beings are going to die, but God gives us a chance to live for however many days, He sets the number of days. They’re numbered. Are we enjoying those days, even when there are trials, tribulations, problems, tests? Are we still able to enjoy those? This is what Peter is trying to tell us, that God wants us too. Peter is only months from dying – being killed – and he’s trying to leave behind some philosophical words that we can use to continue to live our lives. Because it’s important we learn from other people.

When I was younger, I had to go to my grandfather and my grandmother’s funerals within three months of each other. And I was close to both of them – very close. I was 12, 13 years old. I’d spent an incredible amount of time… And so, at the time, after the last one, I said, “I’m not going to any funeral. I don’t like funerals. It’s depressing. I don’t want to be depressed. I don’t want any of that. I’m not going! I remember my parents… I got a whipping one time – I was about thirteen – for not going to a funeral. I said, “I’m not going!” And I didn’t for quite a few years – until I had some friends that died, and I realized, it was about them, not about me. Now I do funerals. But I will have a funeral. I’ll die sometime. This “grass,” known as me, is going to die. But am I going to make the most of it right now? It’s inevitable. Because I don’t have to worry. The Word of God lives forever! It’s going on past me, which the Word of God tells me that I’m going to live again, if I keep the Word of God.

Now, I was going to bring a hat – a ball cap – today. I was looking for it this week. I put it up somewhere – the ball cap that my father was wearing the day he died. My father was a very wise man. He gave me a lot of words of wisdom. And even in death, his words – his life – taught me something. There was a hat – a white ball cap – he wore one quite a bit – and he went out to do some work. He went out to pour concrete at one of the houses that he had, and he had what they call a widow-maker – a heart attack – where you’re gone, just like that. And I kept the hat, because it was his, and on the side of the hat is the concrete that he fell in. He fell into the concrete as he died. He died and his head fell into the concrete. Now, one thing that I’ve learned from that – my father would tell me, if he was alive – is, don’t pour concrete when you’re 74 years old and it’s 99 degrees out. Because that’s what got him.

See, we can learn from other people’s experiences, even after they’re passed. We can learn from a man like Dwight, that we want to say, “He lived a good life” – what an example. I still remember some of his words. But here we have Peter’s words. Let’s go down to 1 Peter 2:9.

1 Peter 2:9 – “For you are royal priesthood…” Wow! He’s trying to remind us of who we are. He was reminding the people at the time. “…you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.” Yes, we’re special. He called us. “A royal priesthood” – the Melchisedek priesthood, which is an eternal priesthood. We will serve and live forever after this priesthood that Christ was a part of. That’s why Hebrews 7:3 said about this Melchisedek, “He had no beginning, He had no end.” That’s eternal. We have a beginning. We’re not going to be eternal. We’re going to have eternal life, which means we had a beginning, but we will not have an end. Isn’t that amazing! He’s trying to remind us! We’re that royal priesthood! We’re going to reign with Him. As kings, we’re also a priesthood. He wanted Israel to be a nation of priests, He told them in the Old Testament, but it wasn’t that big a deal to them. They let it slide. Is it a big deal to us? Peter thought it was! Peter thought you should really grab hold of this and remember it, because it’s a great promise – His own special people – “that you may proclaim the praises of Him.” It’s part of being in the priesthood. 1 Peter 3:7 – the next one. I find this incredible – this statement.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Husbands” ­– all you husbands, listen up. Peter was a husband. He had a wife – Scripture tells us. He had a wife. See, I listen to this because he has been there. He was there. Paul? Sorry, I don’t really listen to his advice that much to husbands. He’s never married. He didn’t know. Now, I believe he had inspired words, but I’m sorry, this man takes precedence, because he’s been there. He’s done that. And his words are incredible, because he says: “Dwell with them with understanding…”  Now, you can leave the rest of that “heirs together” we all know. No! “…Dwell with them with understanding…” What’s he saying? He’s saying that, “Men, it’s our job to dwell with our wives, and so we have to understand God made them a certain way. It’s not our job remake them in our image. God gave them qualities. God gave them personalities. God gave them all this, and so, it’s our job to dwell with them with understanding.” “Oh, you’re too emotional! Why are you crying about this?” That’s the way God made them! So Peter’s saying, “Shut up! It’s your job, husbands, to understand that, because God made them that way.” See, he told the wives, earlier in the chapter – verse 1 or 2 – to be submissive to your husbands. Because then he compares us – husbands – to Jesus Christ and the wife to the church, because we’re the bride. So, guess what? We have a lot on us! Because we need to be like Christ. It’s a little easier to be like the church because there are flaws. Peter’s saying, “No, we need to have the love, the care and understanding that Jesus Christ had to everyone – the prostitutes, the poor, the sick – everybody! The children – they came to God because they could – because He had an understanding.

It’s really neat whenever I’m counseling for marriage with someone. I bring this out quite often – that it’s your job, men, to understand. Doesn’t mean that your wife can’t improve. It doesn’t mean your future wife can’t do this… but no, you have to understand. It’s our job to be like Christ.

Last one – number 6 – 1 Peter 4:8. Boy! Is that ever a statement.

 

1 Peter 4:8 – “And above” ­– way up here – “above all things” – that’s everything that he had previously said that we just went into – “above all things have fervent love for one another, for love” - does what? - “will cover a multitude of sins.” Does it ever! Does it ever.

Have you had somebody do you wrong? Even a brother in Christ? Sister? Do you confront them? That’s your choice. If you don’t, can you let it go and let love cover a multitude of sins? Because Christ prayed for people who did not repent. Can we do the same? You can, because love will cover a multitude of sins. See, He said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” He still asked for forgiveness for them. Love covers a multitude of sins.

I found something out this week – that someone that I dearly loved many years ago didn’t tell me the truth, and I’d believed it all these years – what he said. And I couldn’t find it. So, he’s dead. And so, I was kind of like, “Wow. Did he lie to me about other things? The things that he told me at other times, were they lies too?” Then I had to try to think, “Well, wait a minute. I loved this man. I loved him and I knew him for 20 years, 18 years of my life.” But no, I didn’t know him to be a liar. So, I had to think, “Well, maybe he got the story wrong. Maybe he forgot. Maybe this or that.” But do you know what I had to come down to? I loved him. Let it go, because love covers a multitude of sins. I don’t want to think about him in that way, because I had good thoughts. We have the opportunity to do that with so many people.

Yes, the Bible even says – Matthew 18 – go to that person, if they sinned against you or offended you. Go to them, and point out this, and if they don’t accept it, you take somebody else, and if they don’t accept that, then you take it to the church. Yes, we have that right. That’s how we solve problems in the Church. But, there’s also another way. Let it go. If it’s not that big a deal, let it go. You do it out of love.

So, you can see Peter’s been through the wars. And he also realized these people were going through trials and problems at the time. Waylon Jennings dwelt on the physical. Cephas – or Peter – dwelt on the spiritual. And he leaves those words with us.

Does anybody have one that I didn’t cover in 1 Peter that stands out to you, because there’s plenty in there – about life, about handling difficult situations?

Go back to 1 Peter, as I wrap this sermon up. I’d like to you read this as, perhaps, you’ve never… Somebody asked me this week – asked me on the phone – they said, “Well, did the church give something out? Because Fred Kellers is covering this in a Bible study on Fridays nights – 1 and 2 Peter – and Lewis VanAusdle is doing it in New York? Did they tell you guys to do this?” No. No, I just find Peter intriguing. And I find that his words are something that I kind of need to deal with and to look at. When you read this – 1 Peter – you realize that he said, in 1 Peter 5:8,

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion…” You’ve heard that for years, right? Do we? Do we realize when we’re confronted by him – when we hear the roar? Because spiritually, you can hear the roar.

I watched a program about a guy on the Serengeti. He was a guide. And he was talking about lions. So, I found it very interesting that lions only roar for two things. Isn’t that funny? They only roar for two things. They don’t just walk around “Rrrrrr! Rrrrr! Rrrrr!” They don’t. That’s not their nature. They’re called king of the jungle for a reason. Now, they’re basically pretty lazy – lions are. They like to sleep during the day while it’s hot and hunt at night when it’s more opportune. It’s interesting, because they only roar when they have killed something and they’re standing over it. And it’s a warning to all the other animals. “Don’t think you’re going to come in here and grab a piece of mine.” But they also roar to put fear… because that roar, they use it so few times that when you hear it, it like [raises hands in fearful expression]… And so the animals will, sometimes, start to run, and he will circle them, and once he roars, they freeze, they pause they’re so scared. And it allows him to get them.

So, Peter knew this and was telling us that Satan – our adversary – walks about as a roaring lion. He wants to destroy us. And he doesn’t care about eating us. He’s about destroying us spiritually – to where we give up. We’re intimidated, we’re scared, we’re tired of getting stronger. This world, sometimes – it’s called gym fatigue, where guys go work out at the gym, and pretty soon, you’re just working out and so on that you just fatigue, and then you just kind of quit. And then you’re actually in a worse condition than you were before. This is what Satan wants us to do, doesn’t he? He wants us to give up! And occasionally we will hear that roar, and it will cause us to pause.

Brethren, we have a big God behind us. We have an army behind us – of angels – and we have a powerful God. And Peter is trying to tell us, “Don’t fear.” Because he knew fear. And that had to have gotten into him mind time and time again – “that three times you’re going to deny Me.”  “Oh no! Not me! They’re all going to do it, but not me!” And he did. Because he did it out of fear. And he’s telling us:

V-8 – “…seeking whom he may devour” – verse 8. “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Brethren, there are some incredible lessons here. Let us read 1 Peter again and again and again to where we know it, and we can call on it when we hear the roar of Satan in our lives. Because we’ve all heard it, and we’ll hear it again. Let us be strong. Let us read some of the philosophy of Cephas, the philosopher – Simon Peter – and we’ll be able to have stronger spiritual lives when those trials and when those tribulations come. And they will come. Let us be strong.