{HSCRC12} Hymn #8, Christ Arose

Hymn Challenge #8: Christ Arose

Written by: Robert Lowry
b. March 12, 1826; d. November 25, 1899

Robert Lowry was an ordained minister and hymn writer. He was married and had 3 sons. Though he was a great hymn writer, he preferred being a pastor. Mr. Lowry said "Music, with me has been a side issue...I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative audience than write a hymn. I have always looked upon myself as a preacher and felt a sort of depreciation when I began to be known more as a composer." He wrote over 500 hymns which include not only this one but also well-known hymns such as "Nothing But the Blood," "Shall We Gather at the River," and more. Having written such amazing hymns, I can only imagine what one of his sermons would have been like! Wow!

So, how many of you sang this hymn today? You may also know it by the title of "Low in the Grave He Lay." Is it not just awesome to hear men, women, and children singing:

"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!"

Praise God that we know He rose, He sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and in that we place our hope! Today as we celebrate Easter, it is only appropriate to look at the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

With the recent tornadoes and storms that have hit Texas this past week, it made me think about the many different accounts we heard about the storms. Even if you are an eye witness to a storm or a car crash, your details may be slightly different from the other eye witnesses. Why? Because our personalities, our gender, age, occupation, etc., make a difference in how we describe the details. Jesus' bodily resurrection is confirmed by many, many witnesses and proofs. And just as eye witnesses today describe things differently, here too in the Bible you can see different details regarding the resurrection. Just because the details may be slightly different does not render the resurrection false. The bottom line is that He rose from the dead just as He said He would! Hallelujah! Christ arose! I encourage you to read:

Matthew 28:1-10
Mark 16:1-8
Luke 24:1-12
John 20:1-18

Let's look at some of the proofs of His resurrection:

1st Proof

Mary and the other women would not have been able to grab onto Jesus and cling to Him if it had not been a bodily resurrection!

Matthew 28:8-9 "So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' He said. They came to Him, clasped his feet and worshiped Him."

John 20:17 "Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

2nd Proof

If someone went into the tomb to steel His body, they would never have taken the time to fold the clothes!

John 20:6-7 "Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen."

3rd Proof

He appeared to the disciples and showed them His pierced hands and feet. He also ate fish!!

Luke 24:37-43 "They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, He asked them, 'Do you have anything here to eat?' They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate it in their presence.'"

4th Proof

Paul lists Jesus' appearance to more than 500 people.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

5th Proof

Jesus' appearance to Thomas and Thomas' response are proof of Jesus' resurrection.

John 20-26:28 "A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'”

There are many, many more proofs. If you want to see a wonderful pdf file with the resurrection timeline and Jesus' appearances, please click here. It's a great printout!

Jesus' resurrection from the dead proves the power of God! The certainty of Jesus' bodily resurrection gives the believer hope for the future and power for today. Are you relying on His resurrection power each and every day?

Below you will find the sheet music to "Christ Arose." I encourage you to read the verses of this hymn by clicking here. You can also hear the hymn at the same link.

I pray you understand that I was unable to get a page done for today. It's been a super busy week with a lot going on. His words to each of you are most important anyway! I pray that you will meditate on the scriptures I posted above or even read them with your family this week. Be blessed as you read and live for Him each and every day!

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC12 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Blessings to each of you and Happy Resurrection Day!