Exegeting the Hymns #34 - He is Risen, Hallelujah

He is Risen, Hallelujah
w/m Bill & Karen Itzel

Death could not hold Him down
And the tomb could not keep Him bound
So the lost could now be found
He’s alive

The blood is now applied
For the cross on which He died
Was the place God was satisfied
He’s alive

The stone was rolled away

He is risen hallelujah
He is risen from the grave
He is risen hallelujah
He is risen now to save

Our God crushed His only Son
His work on earth was done
Through His loss, our lives were won
He’s alive

Grace on display for all
Is applied to the ones who call
and repent, on our knees we fall
He’s alive

This is an interesting Exegeting the Hymns because I happen to know the writers personally. Karen and I have been writing and recording songs since 1990, and a few have made for good congregational songs, but 2 years ago, after celebrating our 25th anniversary in music, we decided to focus on songs for corporate worship. This one is one of our first efforts.

Death could not hold Him down and the tomb could not keep Him bound so the lost could now be found. He’s alive! The reason Jesus came to this world was to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). In Luke 15 Jesus tells 3 parables of precious things that were lost and then found (a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son). In each of the parables the owner/father had lost something dear to them, something that was theirs, and they did not stop until it was found. So it is with us. 1 Corinthians 15 says, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” The man left the 99 and found the sheep, the woman searched everywhere and found the coin, the father forgave everything and ran to the son, and Jesus came to earth, was crucified, was buried, and rose again, defeating death, to save us.

The blood is now applied, for the cross on which He died was the place God was satisfied. He’s alive! In Exodus 12, we read how the blood was applied to the doorposts of the houses that the angel of death would pass over. The blood of Christ is applied to our hearts, His perfect life and death applied to our account, so God’s wrath would be satisfied. Romans 3:25 says, “God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint, God passed over the sins previously committed.” We no longer have to pay for our sins. Christ did that on the cross.

The stone was rolled away. He is risen, hallelujah. He is risen from the grave. He is risen, hallelujah. He is risen now to save. If Jesus was still in the grave like all of the other men and women that people worship, we would have no hope of salvation. There is, however, an empty tomb. There is no body. No one could find the body of Jesus because He was using it, walking around, revealing Himself as the risen Messiah.

Our God crushed His only Son. His work on earth was done. Through His loss, our lives were won. He’s alive! I have been talking to some friends about the atonement and the idea that the Father would pour out His wrath on Jesus. They seemed to think it was not a Biblical concept. However, Isaiah 53:10 makes it clear that “it was the will of the Lord to crush Him”. Jesus bore all of the wrath for our sins. 1 John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Hebrews 2:17 says, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Jesus satisfied the wrath of God by bearing our punishment and exchanging our life for His.

Grace on display for all is applied to the ones who call and repent, on our knees we fall. He’s alive! God’s grace is on display for all at the cross. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me”, but that grace is only applied to the ones who repent, turn from their sins, and trust in Jesus.

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Free Sheet Music Here