Holy Without Hiding

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!

Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 2:9-12

Context

I want you to picture two buildings with me this morning.

The first building is a fortress. Thick stone walls. No windows, except for small slits, just enough to peek out but not enough for anybody to see in. There’s a moat around it. A drawbridge that’s rarely lowered. And the people inside? They’re safe. Nobody’s arguing that. Nothing gets in that they don’t want in. But here’s the thing about a fortress - it was built for one purpose: To keep the world OUT.

The second building is a lighthouse. It sits right on the edge of the rocks, right where the storm hits hardest, right where the danger is the greatest. And it doesn’t have thick walls to keep anybody out. No, it’s got glass at the top, and a light that burns all night long, and it’s built for one purpose too. Not to keep the world out - but to shine into it. To warn ships away from the rocks. To guide them home safely. A lighthouse doesn’t retreat from the storm. It stands right in the middle of it and does the one thing it was built to do - it shines!!!

Now here’s the question I want you to wrestle with this morning: Which one of those buildings looks more like your life?

Now let's back up for just a second, because if you were here last week, you'll remember we started this series called "Strangers." And the whole first message was built around this idea — this is not my home. We are sojourners. We are pilgrims. Our citizenship, Paul tells us in Philippians 3:20, is in heaven.

That answers who we are. We are “Strangers”, “Pilgrims”… we are “Sojourners”. This world is not our home. But the heart of the message today is this, “What do we do with that truth?”

You can run it toward the fortress. "This world isn't my home, so I'm done with it. I'll just wait it out. Keep my head down, keep my nose clean, and let heaven come get me." That's one way to respond to being a stranger.

Or you can run it toward the lighthouse. "This world isn't my home, but I have been sent here, for now, on purpose, by God, to shine."

So which is it? Which is the proper response?

Good thing is, we don’t have to guess. The Word of God clearly teaches us which of these two responses is the proper response.

1 Peter 2:11–12 NKJV

11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Now watch this carefully. Peter starts exactly where we left off last week — sojourners and pilgrims. Strangers. That part hasn't changed. But look at what he says next. He doesn't say, "so abstain from the Gentiles." He doesn't say, "so withdraw from the world and wait for heaven." No — he says, "having your conduct honorable AMONG the Gentiles." Among them! Right in the middle of them. Living our lives, doing our jobs, raising our kids, walking through our neighborhoods — right there among the very people who don't share our faith.

And why? So that "they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." Did you catch that? They have to observe it. You can't observe something hidden behind a wall. You can't observe good works from somebody who's pulled the drawbridge up and disappeared into the fortress. Observation requires visibility. It requires presence. It requires us to be seen.

That’s not a fortress verse… it’s a lighthouse verse.

God has called us to be lighthouses in this world. He has called us to be Holy Without Hiding.

Today, we are going to dive into this thought and see why its so important for us to the lighthouse that God has called us to be.

To illustrate this, we are going to be looking at John 17:14-18

John 17:14–18 NKJV

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Let’s Pray!!!

Content

John Chapter 17 is often called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. It is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in all of Scripture. He prayed this prayer in the upper room, hours before Gethsemane, hours before the cross. And here’s what’s remarkable about it… a good portion of this prayer isn’t about Himself at all. It’s about us.

Jesus, staring down the most agonizing night of His life, stops and prays for His disciples. And not just for the eleven men sitting in that room. Look at vs. 20:

John 17:20 NKJV

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

That’s you. That’s me. Jesus prayed this prayer over us two thousand years ago. So as we walk through this, don’t think that this text is somehow distant from you, or removed from you. This prayer of Jesus to His heavenly Father, to our heavenly Father, is all about us.

John 17:14 NKJV

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

John 17:16 NKJV

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

A lighthouse is peculiar. Put it against a dark coastline in the middle of a storm and it doesn’t blend in. That’s the whole point. And neither should we.

Holiness Necessarily Creates Distinction.

The word “Holy” carries the idea of being set apart. We belong to another kingdom. We operate according to another standard. We submit to another authority. We possess different priorities and different values.

So being a Stranger means there should be something noticeably different about us.

If nobody can tell the difference between the lighthouse and the darkness surrounding it, something has gone terribly wrong.

But we must be careful how we interpret this. Different doesn’t always equal Godly. Our goal is not merely to be different, it is to be Godly.

The thing about a lighthouse is that it doesn’t shine for the purpose of people looking at it, but that those same people will pay more attention to where they are. The lighthouse doesn’t say, “Look at me!” The lighthouse says, “Pay attention to where you’re going.”

Biblical Separation Is Not Isolation

It is hard, but sometimes we confuse the two. We read verses like:

2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV

17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”

And we initially think that our best course of action is to just separate ourselves from the world.

Sometimes we turn this thought of separation from sin into separation from sinners.

But if we are isolated, how can we shine into their lives?

Nobody was holier than Jesus, yet Jesus was called “a friend of sinners”, because He sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners.

Jesus repeats this phrase, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” twice. I don’t think He did that because He was running out of things to say. I think He did that to make a very important point clear to us. We are IN the world, but we are not OF the world.

Those are two very different prepositions with two very different realities. And I would venture to say that most of the tension we feel as Christians in this culture comes from getting those two prepositions mixed up. Some of us try to be OF the world — blending in so much you can't tell the difference between us and everybody else. And some of us react to that so hard we try to stop being IN the world altogether — that's the fortress. But Jesus expresses that both of these truths go together. In it. Not of it.

We are to be Peculiar, yet we are to remain present.

Notice what Jesus says in vs. 15:

John 17:15 NKJV

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world…

Now stop and think about this for a second. If Jesus wanted to build us a fortress, this is exactly where he would have prayed for it. He's talking directly to the Father. He's got the Father's full attention. If there was ever a moment to say, "Father, get them out of here, take them out of this evil world, seal them off, protect them behind walls" — this was the moment. But he doesn't pray that. He specifically says, "I do NOT pray that You should take them out of the world." He could have asked for the fortress, but He doesn’t.

Think about where you put a lighthouse:

You don’t build it 20 miles inland where the weather is nice. You put it on rocky coastlines, beside dangerous waters, where storms come, where waves crash, and where ships are in danger.

The lighthouse is intentionally positioned near the danger. That’s exactly what Jesus says about us. He doesn’t say, “Father, the world is wicked. Get them out.” Instead, He prays, “Leave them there.”

Our Presence In The World Is Intentional

Sometimes we talk as though we’re unfortunately stuck here until Jesus comes, but Jesus describes something much more purposeful.

We’re positioned here: Our family, our workplace, our neighborhood, our community, our relationships with unbelievers. Those aren’t merely circumstances we endure. They are places where God has positioned His people.

Sometimes, the darkness around you may not be evidence that you’re in the wrong place, but the very reason God put you there.

A lighthouse isn’t surprised by the darkness. Darkness is why it’s there.

But notice something about the lighthouse: the lighthouse is in the storm without becoming part of the storm. The waves crash against it. The wind beats upon it. The rain pours against it. But the lighthouse remains anchored.

Look back at verse 14 with me:

John 17:14 NKJV

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Listen to what Jesus says: hatred is expected. Not maybe. Not possibly. He says the world HAS hated them. Past tense already happening. Why? Because they are not of the world. And why are they not of the world? Because Jesus gave them the word and that word transformed them into something different, something peculiar.

Now listen — this should not surprise us. If you've been walking with Jesus for any length of time and the world has never once pushed back on you, never once looked at you sideways, never once been uncomfortable with something you believe — I would gently ask you to examine whether you've actually been living distinctly at all. Being hated by the world isn't a sign something's gone wrong. It's actually, according to Jesus, a sign something's gone right. We are not of the world. That's supposed to show. But as a result, this world is going to beat against us.

Now back to vs. 15:

John 17:15 NKJV

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Remove them from the storm.” Instead, He prays, “Keep them from the evil one.”

See, the Christian life isn’t, “Lord, never let the world touch me.” Rather, it’s, “Lord, keep me faithful while I live right in the middle of it.”

Lighthouses must be maintained.

You can’t build a lighthouse, turn on the lamp, walk away for twenty years, and expect everything to function properly.

Salt, moisture, wind, waves, corrosion, and weather continually try to take this lighthouse out of commission. So someone must continually inspect it, repair it, and make sure that it is still operating as it should.

Spiritually speaking, we are no different. Because here is the danger of living in the world: The very world that we are trying to reach is simultaneously trying to influence us.

That is why Jesus doesn’t just pray to leave us in the world, but actually goes a step further. He says, “keep them from the evil one.” And then in verse 17, He says:

John 17:17 NKJV

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

We Cannot Maintain Holiness Accidentally

At the beginning of the year, we walked through a series on the spiritual disciplines. This is where those come into play.

Reading the Word; Studying the Word; Meditating on the Word; Memorizing the Word; Praying; Praise; Worship; Fellowship; Accountability; Repentance; The local church.

All of these things continually bring our hearts back into alignment with Christ.

Now… there is something we have to understand and be very clear on:

Maintenance doesn’t create the lighthouse. Maintenance keeps the lighthouse functioning properly so that it can fulfill the purpose for which it was created.

Likewise, spiritual disciplines don’t save us. Christ saves us. But saved people must continually submit themselves to God’s sanctifying work through the Word of God. This keeps us functioning properly so that we too might fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

We don’t preserve our holiness by hiding from the world. We preserve our holiness by staying close to Christ.

The Fortress says: “Protection comes from isolation.”

Jesus says: “Protection comes from sanctification.”

But Jesus doesn’t stop here. He takes it a step further:

John 17:18 NKJV

18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Yes… we are to be sanctified. But we are also to be sent out.

We are to be “Holy… Without Hiding!”

A fortress exists primarily for the people inside it.

A lighthouse exists primarily for the people outside it.

And we do have to be careful with this, because it is very easy to develop a fortress mentality of Christianity within ourselves, and even within the church. Everything becomes about us: what we like, what we’re comfortable with, what we’re accustomed to, protecting ourselves, and preserving our preferences.

But a lighthouse exists because someone is in danger.

Ships are navigating dangerous waters; Rocks lie beneath the surface; Danger exists that sailors may not recognize.

And the lighthouse stands there screaming: “Danger! Don’t go this way!”

While at the same time saying: “There is a safe way! Go this way instead!”

We must understand that both are necessary. We do not exist just to point out sin, but also to point towards safety. And safety isn’t found in us… it’s found in Christ.

This world is navigating waters it doesn’t fully understand. Sin promises freedom. Sin promises pleasure. Sin promises fulfillment. But beneath the surface of those waters are jagged rocks that will ultimately lead to destruction. And God has placed His church in the world to faithfully declare: “There is danger ahead. Don’t go that way. There is a better way. There is a Savior. His name is Jesus!”

The lighthouse doesn’t hate the ship because it is headed for the rocks. The lighthouse shines because it wants to make sure that those ships make it home safely.

We don’t confront sin because we hate sinners. We confront sin because we know where living that life leads to. And we point them towards Christ and His Word because we know where salvation is found.

God did not call us to build a fortress where we can hide from the darkness; He called us to remain holy while standing right in the middle of it.

Commitment

So which one have you been building? A fortress - or a lighthouse?

Have you been using holiness as a reason to hide? Or are you allowing God to keep you holy while He sends you into the lives of people who desperately need Christ?

As we close today, I want to ask you all to bow in prayer and I want to pray this prayer over us today, because I believe this same prayer is still true for us today.

Father, we come to You this morning as Your people - strangers in this world, but not abandoned to it. We thank You that You have not left us to build our own walls, our own defenses, our own fortresses to hide behind. We thank You that Your Son, on the night before He gave His life for us, looked past His own suffering and prayed for us.

Father, we ask, just as Jesus asked - not that You would take us out of this world, but that You would keep us from the evil one. Guard our hearts. Guard our homes. Guard us from the temptation to withdraw, to hide, to build walls where You have called us to build light.

And Father, sanctify us by Your truth. Let Your Word shape us, set us apart, and make us distinct - not in a way that isolates from the people around us, but in a way that draws them toward You. As You sent Your Son into the world, send us too - into our workplaces, onto our screens, into our neighborhoods, onto the sidelines of our children’s lives - not shrinking back, but shining.

Let our good works be observed, Father, so that those who watch us might, in the day of visitation, glorify You.

Wherever we are this week, Lord, may we be a lighthouse, and not a fortress. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!