"Instead" 9-25-22

Overview

The Power of One Small Word: "Instead"

A single, unassuming word stands at the hinge of Peter's exhortation to the church: instead. In 1 Peter 1:14-16, the apostle writes, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" That pivot word—instead—does the quiet work of redirecting an entire life. It doesn't argue. It doesn't elaborate. It simply points the way forward.

Peter writes to lift up our identity in Christ, to address suffering, and to set our hope on the place prepared for us. Through baptism, God has made us His children, and as His children we are called to obedience—not shaped by the sinful desires that once defined us in our ignorance. Paul echoes this in Romans 6:17, and Galatians 5:19-21 gives us the kind of catalog Peter has in mind: anger, jealousy, strife, envy, and "things like these." Hebrews 12:1 urges us to lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely. Holiness means being set apart from sin and set apart for God—imitators of our Father, as Ephesians 5:1 says, and reflecting the perfection of the One who calls us, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:48.

But instead has an enemy: furthermore. Furthermore is the continuation of the old pattern—the cutting words spoken with a smirk, the crude language that flows through our culture like a never-ending sewer, the actions we mirror because "everyone does it," the good we leave undone because we don't want to seem odd. The temptation is always to keep going, to add one more sinful thought, word, or deed onto yesterday's pile. Yet God never says, "Go ahead, have your sinful furthermores instead of My grace." Instead, He sent His Son. Jesus, the Word made flesh, bore every one of our furthermores to the cross, and through baptism we are clothed with Him: "as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" Galatians 3:27. When the Father looks at us, He sees the holiness of His Son.

This is more than exhortation—it is empowerment. Philippians 2:13 reminds us that "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." He gives us not only the command but the desire and the strength to live it. A single candle, it's said, can be seen 1.7 miles away in total darkness, simply because of the contrast. Jesus says of His people, "You are the light of the world" Matthew 5:14. Amid a world saturated with furthermore, God is at work in His people—bringing forth the instead thought, the gracious word that stills the shouting, the different deed that pierces the darkness. The struggle continues until our last breath, but the One who called us holy is faithful to make it so. Don't you just love that word? Instead.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles please with me for our study today? 3s

To first Peter, the first chapter. 7s

If you're using a Pula Edition, you're going to find that on page 205 in the New Testament. 9s

Page 205, first Peter, the first chapter. 16s

Instead, instead. 24s

It's really not the most exciting word, is it? 29s

There are other words that invoke things, sunrise, sunset, snowflake, love, kindness. 34s

Those words, they invoke something. 49s

They invoke images in our mind. They affect us. 53s

But instead, instead just seems rather plain, doesn't it? 59s

Maybe a tad bit boring. 67s

There are different words that you can use for instead, of course, rather than 72s

or taking a different course or in lieu of, but notice that the substitutes for 78s

instead so often include more words. 87s

Instead, instead just gets to job done. 92s

One word gets to done. 96s

It doesn't need all of that verbosity. 99s

It just does what instead does. 103s

It gets the job done. 108s

But sometimes, sometimes instead holds the prominent spot. 114s

Leading off the parade of thought in a sentence, like a drum major, 122s

leaving the band. 130s

And there is instead right at the front, pointing the way. 132s

That's instead in our text. 143s

Notice what the word does instead. 148s

We studied today from first Peter. 156s

The author, of course, is Peter himself, the disciple of the Lord. 160s

Peter was called to ministry called to be a disciple when he was a fisherman in Beth's 164s

and later on now in his ministry, when under the inspiration of the spirit, he 171s

pins this letter. 176s

He does so for three reasons. 178s

First, he wants to lift up identity in the Lord Jesus Christ. 182s

Secondly, he wants to deal with the issue of suffering and third, he wants to 187s

look on the place. 200s

At verse 14, the very first part, he writes this. 201s

Like obedient children, let's pause there. 207s

When God brings us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he makes us through the waters of baptism, 214s

he makes us his children, his children. 222s

And as children of the Heavenly Father, we are called to obedience. 228s

Scripture tells us in Romans 6. 234s

But thanks be to God that you have once been slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart 237s

to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 245s

He says, like obedient children, 250s

and then he goes on, do not be conformed to the desires that you formally had in ignorance. 255s

Conform there means shaped by, it means fashioned by. 267s

So Peter is saying, don't be formed by those sinful desires, those sinful desires of thought and 271s

word and deed. 280s

Galatians, for example, gives a list of sinful desires and sinful expression, 283s

fornication and purity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, 290s

quarrels, dissentions, factions envy, drunkenness, curousing, and then it says, 299s

like this. You see that is saying, this is an all-inclusive list here of sinful desires, 306s

expressing itself and thought and word and deed. 314s

It's an things like these. 317s

He says, don't act out of ignorance. 322s

Ignorance meaning before you became a Christian, and before you came to know better. 327s

Hebrews chapter 12, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely. 337s

We're obedient children of the Heavenly Father. 352s

God has brought us to faith in Him. 356s

We're brought us to faith in the Triune. 359s

God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 360s

We're not to act in ignorance before we were a Christian. 364s

We're to leave behind all of the sinful desires and thought and word and indeed, 371s

we are to be different. 378s

And then here it comes. 388s

Here it comes. 391s

That word, verse 15, 395s

in stead. 403s

As he who called you is holy, beholdy, 408s

yourselves in all your conduct. 412s

And there is plain old, simple, instead. 417s

In all of instead's unpretentious ways, good old instead, 424s

pointing the way forward, leading off plain old instead, 432s

leading off the sentence. 439s

There's no in place of, there's no rather than, 443s

there's no fancy in lieu of, there's just, 449s

instead, instead. 459s

Instead, as he who called you is holy, 465s

beholdy yourselves in all your conduct. 472s

For it is written, you shall be holy, 478s

for I am holy. 485s

It is that great opening, Him, 489s

holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 492s

early in the morning, our song shall rise to thee. 496s

When we sang that as we began the service this morning, 501s

we were joining the chorus of the angels that surround the throne of God, 504s

that Isaiah reveals to us, 509s

sing holy, holy, holy, 511s

to God Almighty. 515s

And as followers of the holy one, 517s

we are to be holy. 520s

Holy means to be set apart from sin, 523s

and set apart for God. 528s

Matthew 5th chapter. 533s

Jesus says, be perfect. 534s

Therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 537s

Ephesians 5th chapter says, 542s

therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. 544s

Peter says, verse 14, 551s

leave this behind. 553s

And then verse 15, 557s

it starts with, 560s

instead, 566s

but lurking in the darkness is another word. 580s

It's the enemy of instead. 590s

It lurks in the darkness. 596s

You know that word. 599s

Furthermore, 603s

furthermore. 607s

We're all familiar with furthermore, right? 609s

We're all familiar with furthermore. 613s

The enemy of instead. 616s

Oh, we may hear it sometimes in terms of what's more or in addition to, 619s

but it's the same thought. 623s

It's the continuation, 625s

the continuation of what we're saying, 626s

what we're thinking, what we're doing. 632s

It's that continuation of furthermore. 634s

We're called to instead, 640s

but what comes naturally? 646s

It's furthermore. 651s

We may not use that word too much 654s

because it sounds rather high-falutin, 657s

and maybe a little bit staggy. 660s

But we sure are familiar with living it. 664s

Aren't we? 668s

The enemy of instead. 670s

The world with all of the thoughts 677s

that also invade our mind, 682s

not simply because we're tempted by the world, 684s

but it's the sinful self within us. 686s

It's the tempting of the devil, 689s

and the thoughts can permeate our thinking. 691s

So we think the same way as the sinful world. 697s

And when we do, we live out. 702s

We live out furthermore. 706s

We live it out. 709s

It's all the words that are around us, 713s

all of the words, all of the ugly words, 716s

all of the anger, all of the division, 721s

all of those words that destroy. 725s

It's those nicknaming type of cutesy words 728s

that the little people, as someone says it with a smirk 733s

while they're tearing down the person. 738s

It's those kind of words that flow through our society 741s

like a never ending sewer. 748s

It's the words that tumble out of one's mouth. 752s

Because there hasn't been any kind of filter or thought. 758s

It's words that are just vomited out. 762s

Because there's no screen. 766s

And we're tempted. 769s

We're tempted to speak the same language. 771s

We're tempted to say this is ordinary, 774s

and this is normal. 777s

So I guess this is how people talk nowadays. 778s

We're tempted to do the same thing. 781s

And when we do so, we live out furthermore. 783s

We live it out. 790s

It's all of the actions, all the actions of the sinful world 794s

that we then can just start to mirror. 802s

Because we think it's just normal. 807s

And when we do, we live out the furthermore. 812s

It's all the things that we should do, but we don't do. 821s

Because we look around and we say, 824s

well, I don't want to be odd. 826s

Nobody else is doing it. 827s

I want to fit in. 829s

And so all the things that we should be doing, 831s

but we don't do. 832s

And when we don't do the things that we should be doing, 833s

what we live out is furthermore. 836s

Furthermore, because furthermore is the enemy of instead. 840s

And we're comfortable, aren't we? 848s

With furthermore. 853s

This guy never gets to a place where he just simply says, 858s

you know, I'm just kind of tired of it. 862s

I'm just kind of tired of it. 864s

Enough is enough. 865s

So, so have your sinful furthermore's. 867s

Go ahead and have your sinful furthermore's. 870s

So instead of my love, instead of my grace, 873s

instead of my promises, 879s

instead of my presence, go ahead and have your sinful furthermore's. 881s

Does God ever say that? 890s

No. 895s

No. 899s

No. 902s

He speaks by sending his son the word, 903s

the Lord Jesus Christ. 907s

And the word goes to the cross. 910s

And the word, the Lord Jesus Christ, 914s

bears all of our sinful furthermore's upon him. 917s

And God says, for given. 925s

He makes us holy. 931s

We're washed in the victory of the cross and the empty tomb in our baptism. 935s

In Galatians the third chapter, 940s

it says, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 942s

We are clothed in the righteous garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. 952s

His perfect holy life. 956s

We're washed in it. 960s

We're clothed in it. 962s

So when the Father looks at us, 964s

He sees the perfection and the holiness of his son, 966s

the Lord Jesus Christ, 970s

washed in his holiness, 973s

washed in his perfection. 975s

We are to exhibit the holy person that we are. 978s

Because this is who you are. 987s

I've made you holy. 991s

I've redeemed you. 992s

I've opened the gates of heaven for you. 994s

You are mine for all of eternity. 996s

We are to exhibit the holiness. 1002s

And here's the thing. 1006s

He empowers them the expression of what he desires. 1009s

Paul says this, Philippians 2, 1016s

it is God who is at work in you and enabling you. 1020s

Now catch this. 1025s

Both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 1027s

Causes you are of holy. 1035s

You are mine for all of eternity. 1037s

Be who you are. 1040s

He doesn't leave us with the exhortation. 1042s

He empowers us to live all of the exhortation. 1044s

Giving us the desire to will it and also to be it. 1048s

Amit's the struggle that we will have until our last breath, 1054s

the sight of heaven, 1059s

without old Adam and old Eve inside of us. 1060s

Amit's our struggle that we will have. 1063s

God is at work bringing forth the new. 1066s

Bringing it forth. 1071s

The very thing that he calls us. 1073s

To be. 1077s

Amit has an interesting article. 1083s

They did a test. 1086s

How far? 1088s

How far can you see a lit candle in total darkness? 1090s

So total darkness. 1097s

They lit. 1099s

It's just a tiny little candle. 1099s

You know that you could see that candle they determined. 1101s

One point seven miles away. 1109s

You could see the flame. 1115s

They said, the only reason you can see that is because it is in such contrast 1118s

with the darkness around it. 1123s

But if there wasn't the contrast there, you wouldn't be able to see the candle. 1127s

But because there's the contrast. 1131s

They said, you could see that little tiny candle. 1134s

That little flame piercing the darkness. 1136s

For 1.7 miles. 1141s

Jesus said, 1148s

you are the light of the world. 1152s

You are. 1161s

As the Lord Jesus Christ lives inside of us by the Holy Spirit, 1164s

we're the light that pierces the darkness. 1171s

It's the light of a people who have been made holy. 1179s

Light of a people piercing the darkness and seen. 1189s

Amidst all of the thoughts. 1205s

God is at work. 1209s

Bringing forth different thoughts. 1212s

Instead thoughts. 1219s

Amidst the language that surrounds us in its crudity and ugliness. 1224s

God is at work to bring forth from us. 1231s

The instead. 1237s

The different word that comes from our lips. 1240s

The gracious word that comes from our lips. 1244s

The quiet word that stills the shouting by its beauty and its purity and its godliness. 1249s

And God is at work. 1262s

Bringing forth. 1265s

The instead. 1268s

God is at work. 1271s

Amidst all of the deeds that were tempted to say, 1275s

well I guess it must be how we just are these days. 1279s

God is at work. 1283s

Bringing forth the different action from his people. 1285s

God is at work. 1291s

Bringing forth the instead. 1294s

Amidst the world of the furthermore. 1298s

God's at work. 1304s

Saying I will crush. 1308s

Instead's enemy. 1311s

And what will be. 1315s

Will simply be. 1318s

The instead. 1321s

From my people. 1324s

Like obedient children. 1330s

Do not be conform to the desires that you formally had an ignorance. 1333s

Instead. 1342s

Instead. 1346s

Don't you just love that word. 1358s

Instead. 1369s