[110]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HALLELUJAH CHRIST AROSE
{{1 Corinthians 15:17-20 “and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied, BUT NOW CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”}}
Paul meditated about his faith so he would write this – {{1 Corinthians 15:13-15 “but if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain. YOUR FAITH ALSO IS VAIN. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.”}}
No one wants to believe in a lie or to be deceived by others. There were more than 500 witnesses to Christ's resurrection not including the disciples and all the acquaintances. Jesus Christ is risen indeed. Hallelujah! A poem for Easter.
This poem takes a look at the burial and resurrection of the Lord, and what follows from that is the resurrection of the bodies of ALL His redeemed from the time of Adam until the Rapture. Can you possibly imagine how many souls that would include!
Will it be difficult to achieve that? Not at all, for the same God who created the universe out of nothing is the One who will create the new bodies from those past.
The title of this poem has been taken in part from the hymn, “Lo in the grave He lay, Jesus my Saviour.” This is the chorus:-
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! HALLELUJAH! CHRIST AROSE!
The resurrection is categorically pivotal to our faith so Paul made absolutely certain of the facts he wrote to the Corinthians in what we have as chapter 15. He made sure he mentioned the eye witnesses. To the Romans he wrote – {{2 Timothy 2:18 “men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some.”}}. Paul had seen the risen Christ on the Damascus Road so he also was 100% certain about the fact.
Peter could write – {{1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”}} He knew the resurrection as a certainty. No one should ever doubt it.
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HALLELUJAH CHRIST AROSE
No grave could hold the Creator of life;
He who brought existence out of nothing.
The Word of God, Eternal Life and love,
Would rise again, He, our sins’ offering.
Jesus went into the bowels of the earth,
But rising, through repentance, gives new birth.
We love you, Lord, for loving us in death,
And will love you until our final breath.
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Christ's resurrection is the forerunner,
Of the mighty resurrection to come.
Millions will rise with perfect, new bodies;
Physical voices from mouths that were dumb.
God says the dead in Christ will rise up first;
In the flash of the eye, the graves will burst.
Glory, glory, with the Lord forever,
Bound by love - bonds that nothing will sever.
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In another’s tomb the Saviour was placed.
By loving and gentle hands, He was laid;
Nicodemus and Joseph put Him there
In that beautiful grave Joseph had made.
But at the appointed time, Jesus rose -
The Resurrection and the Life, for those
Who are in Christ, now resting in the grave.
The resurrected Lord who died to save.
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Never more He will die for mankind’s sin,
Once for all, the Just died for the unjust.
Through death, the Lamb of God, our atonement,
Brought salvation to us, children of dust.
In aloes and myrrh His body was wrapped,
But raised in power, so death’s bands were snapped.
Lord of the living, to Himself will call,
From surrendering graves, a mighty haul.
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20-21 September 2021 R E Ferguson Metre = 10 throughout
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