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Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

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Words: George Duffield Jr. (b. Sept. 12, 1818; d. July 6, 1888)
Music: Webb, by George James Webb (b. June 24, 1803; d. Oct. 7, 1887)

Note: American George Duffield became a Presbyterian clergyman like his father. Pastor Duffield, at the bedside of a dying man, had asked if he had any message for others. His reply was, “Tell them to stand up for Jesus.” Duffield not only passed on those words, he wrote a hymn expressing them.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

To stand for something, or stand up and be counted, is to publicly declare support for someone of something–even if doing so requires a personal sacrifice of some kind.

Many Christians have done that through the twenty centuries of the Christian era, and many are still doing so. To stand up and identify yourself as a follower of Christ may make you unpopular, and it could lead to various kinds of social strictures and ostracism. In the extreme, it has led to martyrdom.

In the Roman Empire, Christians were executed as common criminals by crucifixion or by being thrown to wild beasts in the Colosseum. Cruel emperors delighted in novel ways of killing Christians. Nero introduced twilight executions where Christians were nailed to crosses and burned alive as torches to light public spectacles.

Early Christians used the Latin word sacramentum to describe believer’s baptism. It was the word used by a Roman soldier of his oath of absolute devotion and obedience to his general. For those who had put their faith in Christ, baptism became a public stand for Christ, despite the cost.

Centuries later, a guide was giving some travelers a tour of the Colosseum. He told how many Christians had died there to entertain the ravening crowd. The visitors asked whether relics [personal possessions, etc.] of these saints could still be obtained. The guide replied, “Gather the dust of the Colosseum; it is all the martyrs.”

Stephen was apparently the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:59), but he has been followed by a noble host of others. Amazingly, a young man named Saul was complicit in the death of Stephen (vs. 18), and went on to persecute the church of Christ (Acts 8:1; 9:1-2). But he put his faith in Christ and was transformed. Later known as Paul, he wrote this:

In nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Phil. 1:20-21; cf. Acts 26:22

And most of the churches that received letters from him were told to stand firm, whatever the cost.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong” (I Cor. 16:13, NIV). “Stand fast [firm]…in the liberty by which Christ has made us free” (Gal. 5:1). “Stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11, 13, 14). “Stand fast in the Lord” (Phil. 1:27; 4:1; also see I Thess. 3:8; II Thess. 2:15).

This has been the determination of many ardent servants of Christ ever since, and that same spirit has been echoed in a multitude of our hymns. A few days ago I wrote an article on the song Standing on the Promises, but there are many more that make use of the standing imagery.

  • The Solid Rock, by Edward Mote, declares “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand.”
  • Charles Wesley’s Soldiers of Christ Arise urges, “Stand then in His great might.”
  • In the great hymn How Firm a Foundation the Lord says, “I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand.”
  • And Philip Bliss’s Dare to Be a Daniel hails those who are “Standing by a purpose true,” and “dare to stand alone.”

This is merely a small sampling, but we conclude with George Duffield’s Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.

(1) Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.

(6) Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song.
To him who overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally.

Questions:

  1. Have you recently faced some kind of opposition or criticism for your Christian stand?
  2. How did you handle it?

Links:

How Sad Our State by Nature Is

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Words: Isaac Watts (b. July 17, 1674; d. Nov. 25, 1748)
Music: Southwell (or Irons), by Herbert Stephen Irons (b. Jan, 19, 1834; d. June 29, 1905)

Note: Isaac Watts was both a pastor and a prominent hymn writer–in fact, he’s considered the Father of English Hymnody. And he was determined not to gloss over sin, but to call it what it is, a vile abomination to a holy God. Some churches today, bent on emphasizing the positive and making each church service a happy experience, shy away from some of his songs (or others like them). But their strong medicine is needed all the same.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Perhaps you’ve said it yourself in disciplining a child–said it with exasperated impatience, “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times not to do that.” Which being interpreted means: “If I’ve told you once, I [might as well] have told you a thousand times [for all the good it’s done].”

Christian psychologist Henry Brandt asked a group of parents, “How long does it take us to teach a boy to tidy his room?” His answer, after a pause, “Twenty years!” which brought the laughter of recognition from his audience. Yes, some things have to be repeated over and over, before we learn them and apply them consistently.

That relates to our hymn singing in church. “Let [literally, keep on letting] the word of Christ [or God’s Word] dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace [or thanksgiving] in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).

We are to keep on filling our minds with Scripture, allowing it to bear fruit in our lives as we assimilate and apply it. And that practice should both inform and motivate our hymn singing. Our sacred songs are meant to reinforce the teachings of God’s Word. We don’t just sing them as an empty ritual, or because it’s a traditional part of what we do in church. Our singing is to be intentional. We’re singing our thanks and praise to God, and also singing to one another, to teach, exhort, and encourage those around us.

Years ago, a strongly worded hymn by Isaac Watts was to be sung in an evening service with an interesting result. Pastor Spencer announced the hymn, reading the words first, so the congregation could think about them. (A worthy practice.)

(1) How sad our state by nature is!
Our sin, how deep it stains!
And Satan binds our captive souls
Fast in his slavish chains.

(2) But hark! a voice of sovereign grace
Sounds from the sacred Word;
“Ho, ye despairing sinners, come,
And trust upon the Lord!”

(3) My soul obeys the Almighty’s call,
And runs to this relief;
I would believe Thy promise, Lord;
O help my unbelief!

(4) To the blest fountain of Thy blood,
Incarnate God, I fly;
Here let me wash my spotted soul
From sins of deepest dye.

Dr. Spencer almost hesitated to finish his reading, because he knew there was, in the congregation, a young woman who was deeply troubled about her spiritual condition. How would she handle the last stanza in which the hymn writer calls himself, “a guilty, weak, and helpless worm”? Well, she left at the end of the service without speaking to him–possibly a bad sign.

But the next day she came to see her pastor to say she’d made a great discovery. “I have never been so happy before,” she said. “All is light to me now. I see my way clear, and am not burdened and troubled as I was.” After Pastor Spencer had read the hymn, she’d apparently sat in the pew reading it over and over. “I did not hear your prayer. I did not hear a word of your sermon–I do not know your text.”

Here is Watts’s final stanza of the hymn through which her heart found peace.

(6) A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,
Into Thy hands I fall;
Be Thou my strength and righteousness,
My Saviour, and my all.

“Why sir,” she said simply, “don’t you think the reason we don’t get out of darkness sooner is that we don’t believe?” The pastor realized this simple truth was something that had been “told to her a thousand times,” but it needed to be said again–which is one job of our hymns. And at last she got it!

Sometimes the simplicity of the gospel can almost discourage us. We feel there must be something more to it. One time a young man wrestled for hours in prayer, not sensing that he had done enough to be saved. Finally, he said, “Well, it’s all of no use. I have done all I can do.” But that’s just the point! It’s not up to what we can do at all, but accepting what Christ has already done on our behalf (Acts 16:30-31).

Questions:

  1. Do you have the confidence that you have received God’s forgiveness and eternal salvation? If not, check out the article about God’s Plan of Salvation.
  2. Why is it that we want to complicate things and add certain works to the offer of God’s grace?

Links:

As the Deer

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Words: a meditation on Psalm 42:1 by Martin L. Nystrom (b. Oct. 17, 1956, some erroneously have 1957)
Music: Martin L. Nystrom

Note: Hymnary.org has more detail on Nystrom’s biography. His is a popular contemporary version of the opening of Psalm 42. A longer, metrical version of the psalm from 1562 is As Pants the Hart for Cooling Streams.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Thirst. It’s something we’re familiar with. On a hot day, or after physical exertion, our mouth is dry, and we may even feel a little light-headed, or find our muscles cramping. We want and need something to drink.

The body’s thirst monitor in the brain is the hypothalamus, an organ that also regulates such things as body temperature, sleep, and appetite. When sodium levels in the body are high–for example, after we eat a salty snack–the message is sent out that we need to drink something. The same thing happens when blood pressure drops to a low level (suggesting a lack of fluids in the body).

Surprisingly, this sensitivity decreases with advancing age, sometimes to the point where the individual loses the sense of thirst completely. Or, the opposite can happen. Certain diseases or conditions cause an extreme and uncontrollable thirst.

The word “thirst” itself has been around for centuries, and it’s been used since the early thirteenth century, not only of a physical craving, but of emotional desires as well. With reference to the emotions, thirst describes an ardent desire, a yearning, a craving or passion for someone or something. A person may thirst in this way for knowledge, or for truth. Or strongly desire the presence and affection of another individual. When the latter is not controlled by dependence on God and moral convictions it can become sinful lust.

The Bible uses the word thirst many times. Sometimes a physical thirst is in view. The Israelites thirsted for water in their journey through the wilderness (Exod. 17:3). The Lord Jesus thirsted during His agony on the cross (Jn. 19:28). And in describing the hardships of his missionary work, the Apostle Paul spoke of being “in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst” (II Cor. 11:27).

But the thirst God’s Word describes as more significant is emotional and spiritual. In warning of coming judgment on Israel, the Lord says, “I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). And in the Beatitudes, Christ says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6).

In John’s Gospel, we learn that eternal life comes through a spiritual birth, which is an inner work of the Holy Spirit, a ministry symbolized by water. Jesus says, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4:14). And later, “Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink’” (Jn. 7:37; cf. Isa. 44:3).

In Psalms, David uses thirst as poetic imagery to express his intense longing for fellowship with God.

Early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

Ps. 63:1

As the deer pants for the water brooks [perhaps as it flees from a hunter], so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Ps. 42:1-2

It is these last verses that Martin Nystrom turned into a hymn in 1984. A Seattle school teacher in his mid-twenties, Marty enrolled in a six-week summer course in Dallas, chiefly so he could get to know a girl who was also taking the course. However, things didn’t work out romantically with her, and he was heart-broken and discouraged. It was then, after a period of fasting and prayer, he said, “My spirit became more and more hungry for communion with God.”

Sitting at the piano with this heart desire, he wrote a musical setting for Psalm 42:1. Ten years later he was thrilled to hear a gathering of 100,000 believers in Seoul, Korea, sing his song, which begins:

As the deer panteth for the water,
So my soul longeth after You.
You alone are my heart’s desire,
And I long to worship You.

Significantly, given Nystrom’s prior romantic disappointment, the second stanza of his hymn says, “I love You more than any other,” and, in the final stanza, “only You can satisfy.”

Questions:

  1. Do you have a deep thirst or hunger for God, and His Word?
  2. If you do, how does it express itself? (If you don’t, what might be the reason?)

Links:

Standing on the Promises

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Words: Russell Kelso Carter (b. Nov. 18, 1849; d. Aug. 23, 1928)
Music: Russell Kelso Carter

Note: Carter attended the Pennsylvania Military Academy, where he was a good student and an excellent athlete. Mr. Carter later became a teacher at the academy–of chemistry, natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Then, the year after he published the present song, he was ordained as a Methodist clergyman. And as if those career changes were not enough, he later trained and became a medical doctor! Along the way, he wrote many hymns, and co-edited a hymn book. And you can add to that his time as a sheep rancher, and the fact that he was a published novelist. That’s surely enough for more than one lifetime!

The lyrics of the song are good. But gospel musician Norman Johnson (1928-1983) felt Carter’s rather bouncy, and sometimes overly hurried melody did not suit the serious subject. He wrote a new tune called Turlock, named after the California city where he was married. It has since appeared in a couple of hymn books: Praise! Our Songs and Hymns, and Hymns for the Family of God.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Peter Marshall (1902-1949) was a Scottish-American pastor. He also served as the esteemed chaplain of the United States Senate. Marshall was know for his colourful and insightful prayers. Some of them may make us smile, but they often sharply strike the conscience. Once he prayed:

“Give us a clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for–because, unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

That says a great deal. First, it’s an appeal to God to give us the spiritual insight, to see the significant issues of life with clarity. Then to be equipped to choose what is right and wise, and take our stand there. Without a consistency of personal convictions, we’re open to any foolish notion or moral perversity that has become the fad and fashion of the moment.

The word “stand,” used the way Peter Marshall does, refers to our values and priorities, our attitude concerning what is true and good. It is used in a number of compounds. We can stand for something; or stand on it; we can stand by our decision; we can stand with others.

The word is used in the Bible hundreds of times, with a wide variety of applications. But let’s consider a few New Testament examples that relate to the present theme. When we put our faith in Christ as our Saviour, the One who paid our debt of sin, we receive not only forgiveness, but God’s gift of eternal life (Eph. 1:7; Jn. 3:16).

It’s then we could be described as standing knee-deep in the grace–the unmerited favour of God. “We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:2; cf. I Pet. 5:12). Not only are we saved, through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8), but we are exhorted to live by faith, with an ongoing trust in God (II Cor. 5:7). “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (I Cor. 16:13).

There is also encouragement to study and stand steadfastly on the teachings of the Word of God. “Stand fast [firm] and hold the traditions [Christian teaching handed on] which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (II Thess. 2:15). “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). This further relates to our stand against Satan, the enemy of our souls.

We’re exhorted to “put on the whole armour of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). And a key piece of equipment for spiritual warfare is “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” (vs. 17). We are to take our stand, by faith, on the promises of God, “for we [believers] shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” to give account (Rom. 14:10).

In 1886, Kelso Carter wrote words and music for a gospel song expressing this theme. His song says:

(1) Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Saviour;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

(4) Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Questions:

  1. What are the most important things you personally stand for?
  2. Why do you stand for these things above all?

Links:

He Rose Triumphantly

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Words: Oswald Jeffrey Smith (b. Nov. 8, 1889; d. Jan. 25, 1986)
Music: Bentley DeForest Ackley (b. Sept. 27, 1872; d. Sept. 3, 1958)

Note: Oswald Smith was the pastor of a large church in Toronto for many years, a church well known for its support of world missions. Dr. Smith also wrote about twelve hundred hymns.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

It happens every four years. What we call leap year adds another day to the month of February. The reason that’s needed is that earth’s journey around the sun, defining our calendar year and its seasons, takes about 365¼ days. If no allowance were made for the fraction, eventually our summer would be in the winter! February 29th puts us back on track.

Those who are born on that date can only celebrate their actual birth date every four years. Most compromise by partying on February 28th or March 1st the other three years. Hymn writers are not immune to this complication. John Byrom (1691-1763), the author of the Christmas carol Christians Awake, was born on February 29th.

A more unusual phenomenon is having February 29th fall on a Sunday. (The last one was in 2004, and the next comes up in 2032.) Back in 2004, at the church where I served as pastor, we planned to make the worship service on that Sunday as unusual as the date. Noticing that February 29th fell about halfway between Christmas and Easter, we decided to have a program combining the two themes.

At the front of the church was a rugged wooden cross. On one arm of the cross we hung a Christmas wreath, on the other a scarlet cloth representing the shed blood of Christ. The music that day involved both Christmas carols and Easter hymns. My sermon was entitled “The Cradle and the Cross.”

Jesus was born in Bethlehem around 5 BC, and He was crucified on Calvary, outside the city of Jerusalem, in AD 30. But those two events are inseparably bound together in the purposes of God. In a real sense, Christ came to earth to die. Though that was not the only purpose of His coming, it was a dominant one.

As an angel told Joseph, “She [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). And Jesus said He came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). Yes, He died. But as the eternal Son of God, Christ had power over death:

I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.

Jn. 10:17-18

In prophecy, He said, “You will not leave my soul in Sheol [the place of the dead], nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Ps. 16:10). And Peter, preaching on the Day of Pentecost announced, “God [the Father] raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him” (Acts 2:24, NIV).

We generally sing Christmas carols only around Christmas, but seem to do better with hymns about Christ’s death and resurrection. Easter hymns should not be confined only to one Sunday a year. American hymn writer Bentley Ackley thought so. In 1944 he wrote to his friend, Canadian pastor Oswald Smith, asking if he’d write something on the resurrection, with no mention of Easter, a song that could be used all year round.

Oswald Smith read the words of Mr. Ackley in his letter:

“We are all making a mistake in using certain songs only at Easter time, when the centre of our salvation is wrapped up in the resurrection.”

The comment brought to mind some lines of verse Smith had written a few years before, during a time of illness. (He suffered from bouts of malaria, contracted in his travels abroad.) As he lay in bed, he listened to his son Paul improvising on the piano. The words he wrote seemed to follow the metre of the music. He forwarded these to Ackley when set them to music of his own, and they became the hymn He Rose Triumphantly.

1. Our blessed Lord was slain,
The Christ who came to reign,
And in the grave He lay,
To wait the coming day.

He rose triumphantly,
In pow’r and majesty,
The Saviour rose no more to die;
O let us now proclaim
The glory of His name,
And tell to all He lives today.

3. The stone was rolled away,
For Christ was raised that day;
And now He lives above
To manifest His love.

Questions:

  1. Why was the resurrection of Christ necessary?
  2. What does the resurrection mean to you in your life today?

Links:

Who Trusts in God

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Words: first stanza by Joachim Magdeburg (circa 1525-1587); last two stanzas by an unknown author
Music: Bishopgarth (also called Victoria), by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (b. May 13, 1842; d. Nov. 22, 1900)

Note: Martin Luther is identified as a leading light in the Reformation. After his time, there was an active Catholic Counter-Reformation. Facing it boldly was a strong-minded Lutheran preacher named Joachim Magdeburg. Refusing to adopt ceremonies ordered by the Augsburg Interim Act, he was driven from one town to another.

But when he lacked an earthly dwelling, he looked to the Lord as his spiritual refuge and safe retreat. He could say with David, “ In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Ps. 56:11).

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Our home, by definition, is where we live, our place of residence. Most of us have an expectation that it will provide shelter, and a measure of security. Those who live within its walls also hope it’ll be a place of mutual love and concern, and a safe haven from whatever threatens in the world outside.

That’s certainly the ideal. But the daily news, and our own experience, paint a different picture. In dry summer days, wild fires can consume almost everything in their path, including whole communities. Or spiraling tornado winds can level homes and cause streets to looked like bombed-out targets of war. Or flood waters can render buildings unlivable, and perhaps even beyond repair and restoration.

Then there are the trio of threats mentioned by Christ: moths, rust, and thieves (Matt. 6:19), both natural forces and human malice that can invade the home. Plus economic troubles that might lead a family to sell and downsize. Family conflict and abuse can also scatter  family members who seek a safer and more congenial place.

It’s a bleak picture, yet there are many homes that have survived for generations and have seen families grow, with individuals moving on to form new families, all becoming part of the kind of moral and benevolent network that strengthens communities.

In our English hymns, the word home is applied in three different ways. There are songs of aspiration regarding the home and family: Happy the Home When God Is There, by Henry Ware, and A Christian Home, by Barbara Hart. And songs about the heavenly home of the saints: Home, Sweet Home, by N. B. Vandall, and Frank Smith’s The Home Beyond the River.

But it is a third application we’ll look at here. There is a real sense in which God Himself is a secure home for the believer. “The eternal God is your refuge [or dwelling place]” (Deut. 33:27). “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10). It’s a picture of complete trust in God found many times in Psalms.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Ps. 46:1

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

Ps. 90:1

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust”.

Ps. 91:1-2

You are my hiding place.

Ps. 119:114

During the Reformation, Martin Luther (1483-1546) gave us a hymn in that vein, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (based on Psalm 46). For his part, Magdeburg also wrote a beautiful hymn about that. His first stanza has been preserved. The author of the rest of the hymn is unknown.

(1) Who trusts in God, a strong abode
In heav’n and earth possesses;
Who looks in love to Christ above,
No fear his heart oppresses.
In Thee alone, dear Lord, we own
Sweet hope and consolation;
Our shield from foes, our balm for woes,
Our great and sure salvation.

(2) Though Satan’s wrath beset our path,
And worldly scorn assail us;
While Thou art near we will not fear,
Thy strength shall never fail us.
Thy rod and staff, shall keep us safe,
And guide our steps forever;
Nor shades of death, nor hell beneath,
Our souls from Thee shall sever.

Questions:

  1. What kinds of things are provided in our homes that have a spiritual parallel in God?
  2. What are some of the spiritual dangers in the world that the Lord protects us from?

Links:

We Shall Behold Him

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Words: Joyce Reba Luttrell (“Dottie”) Rambo (b. March 2, 1934; d. May 11, 2008)
Music: Joyce Reba Luttrell (“Dottie”) Rambo

Note: Dottie Rambo was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She died at the age of seventy-four, in a bus accident.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

People go into hiding for a variety of reasons, some of them quite benign. Children hide, in a game of hide-and-seek. Relatives and friends hide to surprise someone with a birthday, when he arrives home. But there are more sinister reasons for concealment as well.

Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann had a major part in the murder of millions of European Jews. After the war, he fled with his family to Argentina, but he was found, captured, tried, and hung in 1962. The tyrant Saddam Hussein was found in 2003, hiding in a dirty hole in the ground, and was later tried and executed. Criminals have sought to conceal themselves in other equally unpleasant places: one reportedly in a sewer, another in a dumpster. Both were caught.

Not all seem to have a sense of guilt for the evil things they’ve done. Eichmann certainly didn’t. He said toward the end of the war that he would “leap laughing into the grave” because of the satisfying role he had in killing millions of Jews. That grotesque statement is the product of a totally debauched and reprobate mind.

But many likewise do not seem to struggle with guilt over their actions. It’s as though, as the Bible puts it, their conscience has been “seared with a hot iron” (I Tim. 4:2), and become insensitive to the wrongness of their deeds. Yet there is fear. No sense of guilt for their behaviour, but fear of getting caught, and a desire to escape the consequences.

The Bible opens and closes with two instances of people trying vainly to hide from God.

In Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned by eating fruit from a tree forbidden to them (Gen. 2:17; 3:6). With their souls awash with guilt, they felt alienated from one another, and tried to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7). Then we read this:

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.

Gen. 3:8

Sin had brought about a painful rift in their relationship with God, and they tried to hide themselves from Him.

Fast forward to the end of time, when God will pour out His judgment on this sinful world. Then, we read:

The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

Rev. 6:15-16

What a difference there is for the believer who is walking in fellowship with the Lord. We look forward to seeing Him, and being with Him, either ushered into His presence through death, or when summoned into His presence at Christ’s return. Paul spoke of his own “desire to depart and be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23), and of others who “have loved His appearing” (II Tim. 4:8).

Gospel song writer Dottie Rambo was travelling by car with a friend to a revival meeting to be held in a large tent. As she drove, she watched an unusually beautiful sunset, with “colours that I had never seen in my lifetime.” She thought of the wonderful prospect of Jesus, “coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).

Tears filled her eyes so she could not see to drive. She asked her friend Patty to take the wheel, and she composed, in her mind, the words and music of a beautiful song about Christ’s return. It begins:

The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance;
The stars will applaud Him with thunders of praise;
The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those awaiting;
And we shall behold Him then, face to face.

Questions:

  1. How important is the truth of Christ’s coming in the overall teachings of the local church?
  2. Do you feeling this truth is being neglected today by many Christians? (If so, why?)

Links:

Thou Art the Way

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Words: George Washington Doane (b. May 27, 1799; d. April ___, 1859)
Music: St. James, by Ralph (or Raphael) Courteville (b. before 1677; d. June ___, 1772)

Note: George Washington Doane was named in honour of America’s first president, who died the year Doane was born. He became both a pastor and a college professor, and he’s known for his strong support of world missions.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The first wireless radio broadcast dates back to 1906. The experiment was followed by more complex developments until, in the early 1920s, the regular public broadcasting of radio programs included both talk and music.

It was soon realized that words and music could be combined to sell products of various kinds. With that, the singing commercial was born. On Christmas Eve, 1926, the first of these was used by a station in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. To promote Wheaties, a breakfast cereal, a men’s quartet sang:

“Have you tried Wheaties?
They’re whole wheat with all of the bran…”

General Mills, the maker of the cereal, had considered dropping the product because of poor sales. But they reported that, as the commercial ran in the weeks following, sales increased significantly in the area reached by the radio station, and Wheaties stayed around for decades after that.

Poetry, even when it’s a trite radio jingle, paints word pictures in order to help us better feel the facts. Then, music can add an even stronger emotional element, to get our attention and prompt us to act. Appropriate and memorable music can enhance the message of the words and increase their impact.

God knew that, long before human beings discovered it. Psalms, the longest book in the Bible, is actually a hymn book. The melodies originally used by Israel in singing the songs have been lost to us, but sing them they did, often with instrumental accompaniment.

We’ve since composed our own tunes to sing some psalms. Jesse Irvine, a pastor’s daughter, in Scotland, wrote a beautiful tune for Psalm 23, in 1871. She named the tune Crimond, after the town where she lived. Her melody is still used today for The Lord’s My Shepherd.

When God’s Word is set to suitable music, it can be taught and remembered better. Colossians 3:16 says:

Let the word of Christ [the Scriptures] dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Our hymnbooks today contain many songs. When they are soundly biblical, and speak with clarity, they both enrich our praise and help the teachings of the Bible to stick in our minds. Particularly since the nineteenth century, gospel songs (likely what Colossians means by “spiritual songs”) have been used as a teaching tool. Early on, they were often called Sunday School Songs, since they were used there for that purpose.

A few examples: William Newell’s gospel song At Calvary doesn’t quote Scripture directly, but it outlines the whole work of salvation in simple terms. Ernest Sellers Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart quotes Psalm 119:11, and Daniel Whittle’s I Know Whom I Have Believed uses Second Timothy 1:12. William MacKay’s Revive Us Again, and Anna Warner’s We Would See Jesus, make use of phrases from Psalm 85:6 and John 12:21, respectively.

In 1824, George Doane wrote a song dealing with the declaration of the Lord Jesus in John 14:6:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

His fine song deals with each of the three terms–the way, the truth, the life–in succeeding stanzas, summing up all three in the final one.

(1) Thou art the way: to Thee alone
From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek
Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee.

(2) Thou art the truth: Thy Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
Thou only canst inform the mind,
And purify the heart.

(3) Thou art the life: the rending tomb
Proclaims Thy conquering arm,
And those who put their trust in Thee
Nor death nor hell shall harm.

(4) Thou art the way, the truth, the life;
Grant us that way to know,
That truth to keep, that life to win,
Whose joys eternal flow.

Questions:

  1. What other ways to be saved or reach heaven (other than through faith in Christ) have people tried?
  2. Why is Christ the only way?

Links:

Speed Away

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Words: Frances Jane (“Fanny”) Crosby (b. March 24, 1820; d. Feb. 12, 1915)
Music: Isaac Baker Woodbury (b. Oct. 23, 1819; d. Oct. 26, 1858)

Note: Without much question, Fanny Crosby was the premiere gospel song writer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She wrote something like 8,500 songs, and quite a few of them are still popular–To God Be the Glory, Blessed Assurance, Safe in the Arms of Jesus, Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour, and many more.

Fanny was blind from the age of six months but she never let this hinder her many activities and accomplishments. She was trained, and later became a teacher at the New York City School for the Blind. There she was befriended by future president Grover Cleveland, who spent hours writing down poems she composed.

She was the first woman to speak before a joint session of the American Congress (April, 1846), and she performed at the White House for President James Polk around the same time. Interestingly, she was a distant relative of popular singer Bing Crosby. Early on, Miss Crosby wrote many secular songs and poems. She put her faith in Christ at the age of thirty. Then, from her mid-forties onward she wrote only hymns.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

We could describe a fast car as speeding along. But speed is a relative thing. What is great rapidity in one case is a mind-numbing crawl in another.

A garden snail may think it’s hurrying when it travels 0.047 kilometres per hour. Human beings can go much faster. Sprint champion Usain Bolt runs short distances at about 45 kms/hr (28 miles per hour), which was often near the top speed of the earliest automobiles. Today, racing cars can travel almost ten times as fast.

But all of this is dwarfed by the speed of light. In one second it travels nearly 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles)–which is equal to seven times around the earth. At that rate, light from the sun, 93,000,000 miles away, takes only eight and a half minutes to reach us.

Speeding in a car beyond the set speed limit is illegal. It can also be dangerous, especially when the highway is wet or icy. But there are times when speed can be a wonderful thing. Think of the way we can see on television what’s happening on the other side of the earth, almost as it happens. Receiving news from Japan or the Philippines, or sending messages there, can be done in seconds.

These facts relate to a missionary hymn written by Fanny Crosby in 1890, after she heard a song called Speed Away, that had been produced forty years earlier. It recounted a legend about an Indian maiden who died. Her father mourned her loss, until she sent a bird from the Happy Hunting Grounds with a reassuring message for him.

Fanny loved the melody, and she wrote a Christian missionary hymn to fit it, using the same title but with a totally different message. Ira Sankey, the music director of evangelist Dwight Moody, adapted Woodbury’s original tune to suit the words. In the years since, it has been used often at farewell services for departing missionaries.

(1) Speed away, speed away, on your mission of light,
To the lands that are lying in darkness and night;
’Tis the Master’s command; go ye forth in His name,
The wonderful gospel of Jesus proclaim;
Take your lives in your hand, to the work while ’tis day,
Speed away, speed away, speed away.

(3) Speed away, speed away with the message of rest,
To the souls by the tempter in bondage oppressed;
For the Savior has purchased their ransom from sin,
And the banquet is ready, O gather them in;
To the rescue make haste, there’s no time for delay,
Speed away, speed away, speed away.

We have tools to do that more quickly today than Christians did in 1890. But the question is: Are we using the tools we have? Are we busy in the Lord’s work? There is reason for haste. The Lord Jesus told John in his book of prophecy:

Behold, I am coming quickly [or soon], and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Rev. 22:12

If His coming was “soon” in John’s day, it is very soon today. We must serve the Lord with the view that His return could come at any moment. Meanwhile, we have a commission to fulfil:

“You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mk 16:15).

Questions:

  1. What are some things that require haste?
  2. What are some things where haste often causes problems?

Links:

Rise, My Soul, and Stretch Thy Wings

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Words: Robert Seagrave (b. Nov. 22, 1693; d. circa 1759)
Music: Amsterdam, by James Nares (b. Apr. 19, 1715; d. Feb. 10, 1783)

Note: Robert Seagrave was an English clergyman who was appointed Sunday Evening Lecturer at Lorimers’ Hall, a Baptist meeting house in London. He also worked with John and Charles Wesley, and evangelist George Whitefield. In 1742, Seagrave published a book with the lengthy title, Hymns for Christian Worship, Partly Composed and Partly Collected from Various Authors. Included in it was this hymn about longing for heaven.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

What is time? The Oxford Dictionary tells us:

“Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.”

As creatures of time, we remember yesterday, we live today, and we anticipate tomorrow. The present moment is our God-given currency, to invest or to waste, to spend helpfully or harmfully. But what of the past and the future?

It’s best not to dwell too much on personal memories of days gone by. Either we become discouraged, and flooded with regrets about past failures. Or we are inflated with pride over our perceived successes. Neither is particularly helpful. Like a runner in a race, constantly looking back may cause us to stumble and lose ground.

As to the future, it’s a wise thing to plan and prepare for it. As the Lord put it:

Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it–lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish”?

Lk. 14:28-30

But having planned and prepared, we mustn’t assume a kind of divine sovereignty over tomorrow. We are not God. In this mortal life, there is no guarantee we’ll be able to do what we hoped to do. So many unexpected things can intervene–both pleasant things and ones not so pleasant. Perhaps we have a surprise visit from a good friend we haven’t seen in years, or maybe illness keeps us home when we intended to go to a concert.

The Bible says:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;” whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that”.

Jas. 4:13-15

Though we must live out our mortal span of years, and are responsible to use them well, God’s Word encourages Christians to see the present as transitory, while comforting ourselves with the future the Lord has in store for us. Unlike our own plans, God’s designs will always be fulfilled.

Let not your heart be troubled….I [Jesus] go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jn. 14:1-3

Later, from a prison cell, Paul wrote that he had “a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23; cf. II Cor. 4:17-18). And he said this to the Thessalonian believers: “Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thess. 4:17-18).

(1) Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings,
Thy better portion trace;
Rise from transitory things,
Towards heav’n, thy native place:
Sun and moon and stars decay,
Time shall soon this earth remove;
Rise, my soul, and haste away
To seats prepared above.

(4) Cease, ye pilgrims, cease to mourn,
Press onward to the prize;
Soon our Saviour will return,
Triumphant in the skies:
Yet a season, and you know
Happy entrance will be giv’n
All our sorrows left below,
And earth exchanged for heav’n.

Questions:

  1. How can confidence about our heavenly home affect our lives here and now?
  2. Is it possible to focus too much on heaven and our future there? (Why? Or why not?)

Links:

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