Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense

Jesus Christ

my sure de­fense

And my Sav­ior

ev­er liv­eth;

Knowing this

my con­fi­dence

Rests up­on the hope it giv­eth

Though the night of death be fraught

Still with many an anx­ious thought.

Jesus

my Re­deem­er

lives;

I

too

un­to life shall wak­en.

Endless joy my Sav­ior gives;

Shall my cour­age

then

be shak­en?

Shall I fear

or could the Head

Rise and leave His mem­bers dead?

Nay

too close­ly I am bound

Unto Him by hope for­ev­er;

Faith’s strong hand the Rock hath found

Grasped it

and will leave it nev­er;

Even death now can­not part

From its Lord the trust­ing heart.

I am flesh and must re­turn

Unto dust

whence I am tak­en;

But by faith I now dis­cern

That from death I shall awak­en

With my Sav­ior to ab­ide

In His glo­ry

at His side.

Glorified

I shall anew

With this flesh then be en­shroud­ed;

In this bo­dy I shall view

God

my Lord

with eyes un­cloud­ed;

In this flesh I then shall see

Jesus Christ eter­nal­ly.

Then these eyes my Lord shall know

My Re­deemer and my bro­ther;

In His love my soul shall glow—

I my­self

and not ano­ther!

Then the weak­ness I feel here

Shall for­ev­er dis­ap­pear.

They who sor­row here and moan

There in glad­ness shall be reign­ing;

Earthly here the seed is sown

There im­mor­tal life at­tain­ing

Here our sin­ful bo­dies die

Glorified to dwell on high.

Then take com­fort and re­joice

For His mem­bers Christ will cher­ish.

Fear not

they will hear His voice;

Dying

they shall nev­er per­ish;

For the ve­ry grave is stirred

When the trum­pet’s blast is heard.

Laugh to scorn the gloomy grave

And at death no long­er trem­ble;

He

the Lord

who came to save

Will at last His own as­sem­ble.

They will go their Lord to meet

Treading death be­neath their feet.

Oh

then draw away your hearts

Now from plea­sures base and hol­low.

There to share what He im­parts

Here His foot­steps ye must fol­low.

Fix your hearts be­yond the skies

Whither ye your­selves would rise.