Stand, therefore

Ephesians 6:10-12

      Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

 Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus LBW 389

 1    Stand up, stand up for Jesus, as soldiers of the cross,
     lift high his royal banner; it must not suffer loss.
      From vict’ry unto vict’ry his army he shall lead,
      till ev’ry foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.

2    Stand up, stand up for Jesus; the trumpet call obey;
      stand forth in mighty conflict in this his glorious day.
      Let all his faithful serve him against unnumbered foes;
      let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

3    Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone;
      the arm of flesh will fail you, you dare not trust your own.
      Put on the gospel armor; each piece put on with prayer.
      Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

4    Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;
      this day the din of battle, the next the victor’s song.
      The soldiers, overcoming, their crown of life shall see,
      and with the King of glory shall reign eternally.

Text: George Duffield, 1818-1888, alt.

       In 1858 the churches in Philadelphia conducted a city wide revival held in convention halls, churches, and theaters.  On its first Sunday, Dudley Tyng, a 29 year old Episcopalian priest, spoke to a crowd of 5000 men.  When he was finished, he issued an altar call and 1,000 of them came forward.  Four days later, Tyng was involved in a fatal accident.  As he lay dying, all he could think of were those 1000 men who had answered his altar call. His dying words were these: “tell those men to stand up for Jesus!”

      The next Sunday, it was the turn of George Duffield, a Presbyterian minister, to preach.  He preached a sermon based on Ephesians, titled, “Stand, therefore!”   Using Tyng’s dying declaration, he shared a poem he had written just before the service began. One of those 1000 men in the crowd upon hearing  it, took that poem and sent it to a local music publisher, where, inspired by Duffield’s sermon, it was placed to music to create the hymn, ‘Stand up, Stand up for Jesus!”

Prayer: Trusting in God’s goodness is a lifeline.  We pray that in times of confusion and crisis, faith might be refreshed by God’s call, and in the midst of battle, Christ’s sacrifice will reveal to us God’s overwhelming grace and love. Amen.