Now whenever you look in the Scriptures, you discover this tremendous contrast between the world and us. The world's standing is in Adam, our standing is in Christ. The world is under condemnation. We have been accepted in the beloved. The world is born of the flesh. We are born of the Spirit. They are evil and we are holy. The world has a different father-"Ye are of your father the devil." We are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. The aim of the world is self, and the aim of the believer is to please Christ. The citizenship of the worldling is on earth and our citizenship is in heaven. And they have a different way of life from ours. They have a different destiny. Their destiny is the lake of fire. And our destiny is the Father's house, where there are many mansions.
Now Jesus is praying for us. He's praying for us because He knows our peril. There's a peril in being in the world. There's great danger in being in the midst of Philadelphia. I'm not talking about going down the streets where the hoodlums are. I'm talking about the danger in some churches of just having everybody say, "It's all nice, it's all nice," and you have just enough inoculation to keep you from catching reality. It's possible to be inoculated with religion that keeps you from catching reality. But what we must do is have that inoculation which makes us resistant to all of the viruses that would destroy our spiritual life. We must realize that in being joined with Christ, we are in a perilous position, because the world hates Him.
Let's see some of the things that the Father says about the world. 1 John 2:16 reads, "For all that is in the world (Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York), the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." And if you want to know the course of this world, Ephesians 2:2-3 says you were "children of disobedience, children of wrath." We had our life in the course of this world. And in Romans 12:2, "Be not conformed to this world." Don't be shaped by Kansas City or Anytown, U.S.A. Then Galatians 1:4 says that Jesus died and shed His blood that He might deliver us from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It says "this present evil world" and "this present evil world" is any place where you happen to be living.
Sometimes we sing a hymn with the chorus, "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!" Well, let's sing a new verse and put in today's date. For instance, "When May 1 comes, what a day of rejoicing that will be!" and the next day, change the verse to, "When May 2 comes, what a day of rejoicing that will be!" And if you are planning to teach a Sunday School lesson next February 20th, include in the lesson, "When February 20th comes, what a day of rejoicing that will be!" April 15-that's tax day-"What a day of rejoicing that will be!" "Well," someone says, "I'm having final examinations." "What a day of rejoicing that will be!" You see, God says it doesn't make any difference about the circumstance. He said "I am inside." Circum means around. Stance refers to the things that are standing, like a man's stance when he's playing golf. Circumstances are the things that are all around you. Well, what difference do the things around you make if Christ is in you? You see, that's joy. That's the utter absolute joy that we may have day by day and moment by moment.
Listen to Jesus in Psalm 5. Verse 10 proves that this is Jesus Christ talking. For on the Day of Pentecost Peter quoted this verse in reference to Christ, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." So let's listen to Jesus in verse 5. "Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage"-you and I are the goodly heritage-"I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel: My reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set Jehovah always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope." (See Psalm 16:5-9.)
