Resurrection Celebration!
Study Guide, April 5, 2026
Pastor Clay Olsen
While the Cross calls for us to humble ourselves before God and the world, the Resurrection calls for us to shout “Hallelujah” before God and the world! To “celebrate” the resurrection is to rejoice in the victory and the “new life” that Jesus’ rising from the dead guarantees. While the cross is where the price was paid, the resurrection is the victory parade. It is the proof that the sacrifice was accepted and that death has been defeated. Since the early church, Christians shifted their primary day of worship to Sunday specifically to celebrate the Resurrection on a weekly basis.
So, again, the Resurrection of Christ is our reason to celebrate life. And we foremost celebrate Christ’s own life. For our faith is not built upon our religious preferences, it is built upon a Perfect Person…the Person of our Creator and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, the Apostle Paul told us that Jesus Himself is the foundation of our faith. 1 Cor. 3:11 – “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” And not only is Jesus Himself the foundation of our faith, He is also the cornerstone upon which our faith and life is to be built! Eph.2:17-22 – “And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” NASB
And so, every day we have reason to glory in the Cross in which we marvel over the ‘cost’ of our salvation; and every day we have reason to celebrate the Resurrection, in which we rejoice because of the ‘certainty’ of our salvation. Remember, the Resurrection pointed back to the Cross and said “It worked!” 1 Cor.15:19.20 – “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.” Everything necessary to pardon your sins and redeem your soul was fully accomplished and paid in full by the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is finished indeed! “Hallelujah!”
And so we live each day with the peace of the Cross, and we walk each in the parade of the Resurrection. Did you know that you were part of a parade…part of God’s parade? There’s a fascinating passage in Ephesians 4 where the Apostle alludes to King David’s victory parade in Psalm 68 as illustrating Jesus’ own victory parade after the resurrection. Notice: Eph.6:8 – “Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives…” What is fascinating about this is that when Kings rescued their own people from captivity, they then became part of the ‘victory parade’ and were cheered and celebrated.
So guess what? Who among us was once held captive in sin and death, but has now been rescued by the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ? Right, every one of us! That is, everyone who has called out to Christ in repentance and faith to become rescued and saved by our King and Redeemer! You are part of the parade! Every day of your life is a walk in the victory parade of the Rescued and Redeemed children of God! And the great crowd of witnesses from the Angels in our midst to other Angels and the Saints that are already Home are all cheering you on in your walk toward your real Home of Heaven. And if you will listen, by faith, you will hear them, by faith…hear them cheering you on as you fight the good fight of faith and fulfill your calling in following Christ as you worship Him day by day and serve Him wherever you may. And that calls for another “Hallelujah!”
So every day is a ‘Resurrection Celebration’ for those who have been raised up with Christ. Oh, to be sure…the part of you that is really you has already been resurrected…already raised up. Look at this: Eph. 2:5,6 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” What an amazing change in our lives! Once you and I were dead…spiritually dead, separated from the life of Christ, but now by God’s grace and through your faith in Christ, your spirit has been raised up from the dead and is united to the very life of Christ! You already have the victory over spiritual death! And whenever the last enemy comes, whenever physical death comes, you will also have victory over that as well. For death has already been defeated!
Which is something else to celebrate, and that is that you are already a part of the ‘New Creation.’ 2 Cor. 5:17 – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” You have not only become a new creation in Christ, but you have also become a member of a new order of humanity. Say what? Oh yeah. Remember, there was not only the first Adam of humanity, but there was also a second Adam, or a ‘last Adam’ as the Scriptures say. Notice: 1 Cor.15:45-49 – “The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.”
So understand this: There is an earthly order of humanity and there is also a heavenly order of humanity. Though members of the people of earth, Born-Again people are also members of Heaven. We are new ‘people group – Heavenly People!’ Another way to put that is that there are ‘Once Born’ humans with dead spirits and there are ‘Twice Born’ humans with resurrected spirits. As new creations in Christ we are also members of a New Creation order of humans, and we will also become part of the new creation order of the New Heavens and the New Earth. And this New Earth will be inhabited by all who have been both spiritually resurrected and one day physically resurrected, with both immortal souls and immortal bodies! Brothers and Sisters, because of our Last Adam, our living Lord, and our Risen Savior, your past is forgiven, your present is empowered, and your future is secure! That’s why we celebrate! “Hallelujah!”
And so a question: How should we then celebrate? How should a Twice Born follower of Christ, who has already had their spirit raised up to new life in Christ…how should we celebrate our blessed life? For everyone who has been raised up in your spirit with Christ, each day you need to rise up in your soul in Christ…rise up in your mind, rise up in your emotions, rise up in your will. Your spiritual tomb has been opened! Because we have been resurrected with Christ, we have much to celebrate.
For example: Unlike the world, whose lives are defined by what they have and what they do, our life is defined by Who our God is and who we are in Him. Our life is defined by the fact that we are a royal son or daughter of the King of Kings. We are citizens of Heaven who happen to still be living on Earth for a little while yet. Our very identity includes the fact that we are completely accepted as a child of God’s. We are, in fact, His royal heirs to His Kingdom over which He is going to grant us to rule and to reign and to forever enjoy all of the wonders and worlds of His new creation. And as His own children we are free from any condemnation and are free from the condemnation that remains on the unrepentant. And since Christ’s gift of pardon for our sins and imputation of His righteousness cannot be revoked, we are therefore assured of our salvation and are eternally secure in it! Plus, there is, even now, a part of us, our soul, that cannot be touched by the world, the flesh, or the devil because our soul belongs to God alone. Oh yes, we have much to celebrate!
We also celebrate because our Resurrected Savior has given us a new resurrected power to live out our new resurrected life. Resurrection empowers our new life in Christ. You see, as those who are ‘in Christ’ we don’t just turn over a new leaf, we walk in a new life. And again, this new life is not just us trying to do new things for Christ, it’s us seeking to experience everything in life in a new way with Christ…in a shared way with Christ…in a way in which we can say with Paul, “Christ lives in me, and the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave up His life for me.” (Gal.2:20)
We are not only forgiven, we are also being transformed…transformed from our natural selves to a new self that walks and talks and thinks and behaves more and more like Christ, whose own Spirit has moved into our life. And thus, our body is essentially, Christ’s temple! So even ‘your body’ has been transformed into becoming not just ‘your body’, but essentially ‘our body’…Christ’s and yours.
It’s like we have said before: For a Christian, your life is no longer ‘Me, Myself, and I’, but ‘We, Ourselves, and Us’…Jesus and you, sharing new life together in a new temple together and experiencing life in a new way…together! Remember something that is life-changing, and it is this: The most fulfilling and rewarding thing in life is not just experiencing the Christian life, but experiencing Christ working in your life. And you experience Christ working in your life by working with Christ in doing the works of Christ…like spending time in devotions in your walk with Christ…doing works of service in your duties for Christ…seeking to share the truths and the Gospel of Christ with others…and trying to show in word and deed something of Christ to those in your spheres of influence. Day by day and in every way, ask W.W.J.D and then J.D.I? Ask: ‘What would Jesus do? And then – ‘Just do it.’ And then just watch what Jesus does with what you do!
In fact, celebrate for the glory of God whatever you seek to do to the glory of God! Celebrate it with joy and gratitude and hope. Remember, unlike the world which lives with a false hope, we have a sure hope because we have a true Savior. Our hope is first a Person, the Person of the Blessed Hope, the Lord Jesus Christ. Which means that our hope is not rooted in our circumstances, but in our Risen Savior. Neither is our joy rooted in our circumstances…. rather, our joy is rooted in our Risen Lord. Yes, trials are real, struggles are real, sufferings are real, but we are related to a greater reality. And our Great God gives us the real victory over the real battles that we still have to face in this real world.
Do not forget: Our God has already overcome all things, and therefore, in Christ we will also overcome all things. And, we are ‘Overcomers’ even in the midst of all the things with which we have to do battle. From bad health to bad finances to bad people, you will overcome because in Christ you are an ‘Overcomer!’ It’s only a matter of time, a short time. It’s like: “Pain – you only have a short time to mess with me. Sorrow – you only have a short time to mess with me. Anxiety – you only have a short time to mess with me. Enemy – you only have a short time to mess with me. Devil – you only have a short time to mess with me…because in Christ I am more than a conqueror because my Savior lives and He loves me so! My future is a resurrected future in a land where there is no pain, no sorrow, no stress or mess from the world, the flesh, or the devil…but filled with joy and peace and wonder and adventure and discovery and service and worship and fellowship with my Creator and with my family of the saved, forever and ever! So there!!!
Which is something else to celebrate…a Christian doesn’t have to worry about giving a piece of your mind to the world, the flesh, or the devil…no, just give them a piece of the Bible! Give them a piece of the mind of Christ, which is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12) And then celebrate God’s Word in your life and in your mind and in your heart.
Rise up with the Word of God and you’ll live a life of Resurrection Celebration!