Words by Spencer Parsons
Music by Bryan J Emerson

Behold the Man! Oh, what a vision:
Scourged and beaten with a rod;
Disfigured beyond recognition 
As a man, or as their God.
As a man, or as their God.

Now lifted up, just as the serpent
In the wilderness was raised;
Behold the Man! In faith, repentant:
All your sins on him are laid.
All your sins on him are laid.

(Chorus 1)
Behold the Man! Oh, what a vision!
All His righteousness is mine!
Behold the Man! The Second Adam!
Justified by grace divine!
I'm justified by grace divine!

Behold the Man! Once dead, now risen;
He the firstborn from the grave.
We fix our eyes on Christ in Heaven,
“Even so”, Lord come and save!
“Even so”, Lord come and save!

(Chorus 2)
Behold the Man! Oh, what a vision!
Seated now upon His throne!
Behold the Man! The Final Adam!
Death is conquered, Christ has won!
Now death is conquered, Christ has won!
Death is conquered, Christ has won!
Now death is conquered, Christ has won!

Behold the Man (6.18.23)

Wake up! Sleeper! Rise up from the dead
Christ will come and shine on you
I said wake up! Sleeper! Rise up from the dead
Christ will come and shine on you

Once you were darkness
But now you are light in the Lord
Live as children of light

Once you were darkness
But now you are light in the Lord
Live as children of light

Have nothing to do with the darkness
The darkness
Have nothing to do with its fruitless deeds
But expose them

Wake up! Sleeper! Rise up from the dead
Christ will come and shine on you
I said wake up! Sleeper! Rise up from the dead
Christ will come and shine on you

The fruit of the light is
Made up of all that is good
Righteous and true

The fruit of the light is
Made up of all that is good
Righteous and true

The darkness is full of shame
The darkness is full of secrets
So expose them

Everything exposed by the light becomes visible
And everything that's shined upon becomes a light
And Christ will come!
Christ will come and shine on you!

So wake up! Sleeper! Rise up from the dead
Christ will come and shine on you
I said wake up! Sleeper! Rise up from the dead
Christ will come and shine on you

1/27/17 Living Room Session

Wake Up! Sleeper!

You, O Lord, are able
To keep my feet from stumbling
It's You, It's only You
Who lifts me up and makes me blameless

Without You I cannot stand
In the presence of Your glory
Without You I will always fall
But with joy I lift this song
To the only One who is able

You, O Lord, are able
To keep my feet from stumbling
It's You, It's only You
Who lifts me up and makes me blameless

Without You I cannot stand
In the presence of Your glory
Without You I will always fall
But with joy I lift this song
To the only One who is able

Who is able
The only One
The only One who is able

To the only God our Savior
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
To You be all glory and majesty
Dominion and authority
Before all time and now and forever

To the only God our Savior
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
To You be all glory and majesty
Dominion and authority
Before all time and now and forever

Before all time and now and forever
Before all time and now and forever

Amen

The Only One

Inspired by the hymn "I Stand Amazed in the Presence" by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel

-Verse 1:
I was a sinner, condemned unclean
Needed a savior to come and rescue me
Couldn't live in the holiness surrounding Your throne
Yet I’m standing in Your presence
How could You love this wretched soul?

-Chorus:
Whoa! Your marvelous love has saved me from my sins
Whoa! Your wonderful love - it bids me enter in(to)
(In)to Your kingdom
To Your glory, to the God who suffered on the tree
How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me

-Verse 2:
You bore my burden, you took it far from me
You carried all the weight up to Calvary
You are God, but You suffered and You died alone
You took my sin and sorrow.
How could you call them as Your own?

-Chorus:
Whoa! Your marvelous love has saved me from my sins
Whoa! Your wonderful love - it bids me enter in(to)
(In)to Your kingdom
To Your glory, to the God who suffered on the tree
How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me

-Bridge: 
And when I finally see Your face and stand
In the Glory of my perfect King
With the ransomed church from every land, 
I will lift my voice and sing

And when I finally see Your face and stand
In the Glory of my perfect King
With the ransomed church from every land, 
I will lift my voice and sing
I will lift my voice and sing

-Chorus:
Whoa! Your marvelous love has saved me from my sins
Whoa! Your wonderful love - it bids me enter in(to)
(In)to Your kingdom
To Your glory, to the God who suffered on the tree
How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me

My Savior's Love (Updated 5/7/18)

-VERSE 1

Lord I come
Ashamed of the sin 
I’ve embraced with content for so long
And I cannot pay this debt I owe

Lord I come
I bring what I have 
These things that have shackled my heart
These things You’ve asked me to let go

-PRE-CHORUS 1

So take these idols Lord
I break these idols at your feet
But I need you to set my heart free

-CHORUS

I want to sing Your praise unashamed
Remove this sin from my life
Remove these scales from my eyes
So I can see Your face and all of Your glory
Lord, reform my ways
So I can sing Your praise unashamed

-VERSE 2

Lord I come
You’re changing my heart
And making me part of the Bride of Christ
Bought by His sacrifice

Lord I come
Humbly before You
To love and adore You, I’m reconciled
I’m Your adopted child

-CHORUS

I want to sing Your praise unashamed
Remove this sin from my life
Remove these scales from my eyes
So I can see Your face and all of Your glory
Lord, reform my ways
So I can sing Your praise unashamed

-PRE-CHORUS 2 / BRIDGE

So take these idols Lord
I break these idols Lord
I break these idols at Your feet

So take these idols Lord
I break these idols at your feet
But I need you to set my heart free

-CHORUS

I want to sing Your praise unashamed
Remove this sin from my life
Remove these scales from my eyes
So I can see Your face and all of Your glory
Lord, reform my ways
So I can sing Your praise

-TAG

O Lord, reform my ways
So I can sing Your praise unashamed

Unashamed (Updated 4/28/18)

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more;
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted even me.

All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I'll cling,
In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing.
Love so mighty and so true merits my soul's best songs;
Faithful loving service, too, to Him belongs. 

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted even me.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted even me.

Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves;
He will lift you by His love out of the angry waves;
He's the master of the sea, billows His will obey;
He has bought you by His blood, let His church say.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted even me.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted even me.

Love Lifted Me (Updated 11/7/18)

I'm on my knees again
Broken and defeated by my own sin
I can't keep breathing in
Knowing that no matter what I won't win

You ask me to be perfect
But I can't even do the things that I want to
How can I be worth it
When every chance I get I run from You?

Take my sin away!
I know that I'm forgiven, but I'm still broken
And I need Your promises every day
To fix my eyes on, to put my hope in
God I know my debt is paid
And I know You see Your Son
When You look on my face
But I can't fight this battle
Unless You take my sin away

I'm on my knees again
Bowing at the feet of a good Friend
I can't stop looking into
The holes that sprang up mercy's fountain

You ask me to be perfect
But I can't even do the things that I want to
How can I be worth it
When every chance I get I still run from You?

Take my sin away!
I know that I'm forgiven, but I'm still broken
And I need Your promises every day
To fix my eyes on, to put my hope in
God I know my debt is paid
And I know You see Your Son
When You look on my face
But I can't fight this battle
Unless You take my sin away

Oh Father, take my sin away!

Will grace abound if I keep on sinning?
Am I only thorny ground if I keep on sinning?
If I'm lost can I be found?
Will I ever hear the sound of my Father saying,
"Well done, my good and faithful servant"?

Take my sin away!
I know that I'm forgiven, but I'm still broken
And I need Your promises every day
To fix my eyes on, to put my hope in

Take my sin away!
I know that I'm forgiven, but I'm still broken
And I need Your promises every day
To fix my eyes on, to put my hope in
God I know my debt is paid
And I know You see Your Son
When You look on my face
But I can't fight this battle

No I can't fight this battle
Until You take my sin away

Take My Sin Away (Updated 11/7/18)

Kathleen "Kit" Felicity Emerson
May 22, 2019 - November 9, 2019

The day we learned she had a congenital heart defect, it snowed.
The day we buried her, it snowed.
The day I wrote this song, it snowed.

Verse 1
I watch the snow fall gentle on
The empty street below
My arms are cold and empty now
That she is gone, and while I know

There is a time to laugh a time to hurt
A time for death a time for birth

I don’t know why 
I couldn’t have more time with her.

Chorus
The snow keeps falling gentle
The cold keeps mocking me
And I’m reminded things are not
Just how they’re meant to be

I know the sun will come
And set this cold world free
Then maybe I could think of something simple
And watch the snow fall gentle

Verse 2
I think of all Your promises
Your gifts of love and grace
I think of how You lavish those
On such an undeserving race

But could I take the sun without the frost
Or see your throne without the cross?

I know her gain 
Is so much greater than my loss.

Snow Fall Gentle

There is a Balm in Gilead

Purchased Me (updated 1/21/21)

Hello all!

My name is Bryan J Emerson and I write CCM/P&W music.  My music focuses on the joys and the struggles of the Christian walk.  My music often includes darker undertones, similar to R.E.M. but more like "finding my religion".

I am co-host of the Balm in Gilead podcast, where we talk about contemporary Christian music, praise & worship music and practices, and the Regulative Principle of Worship.

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy!

Bryan J Emerson

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