Because Jesus is resurrected - our relationship with God can be restored and our relationship with each other can be changed forever. This morning we want to explore the reality of that relationship - the significance of our relationship together in Jesus Christ.

I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 16:15-18. And we’ll come there in a minute. But, as your turning - we’d like to consider the cross of Jesus Christ. We have this "khchkar" - this cross here in the sanctuary. Its a very beautiful and symbolic reminder to us of our Savior’s sacrifice - His death and resurrection.

The shape of the cross reminds us of the relationship we have with God and with each other. The upright post symbolizes the restoration of our relationship with God. Jesus died on the cross - giving His life for the forgiveness of our sins. God Himself reaches down from His holiness - into our human need - in order to reconcile us to Himself.

God knows our pain and suffering. He sees the struggles in our relationships. He knows the hurt and the emptiness and the alienation we feel - and the root of it all - the sin we live in. And Jesus is the one chosen by God - to die in our place - paying the penalty for our sins - His resurrection is the guarantee of eternal life with God for all those who are trusting Him as their Savior.

When we see the vertical post we are reminded of how much God loves us. The way is open - through Christ - to have a relationship with God.

And then there’s the horizontal beam. Imagine Jesus’ arms stretched out on that horizontal beam - His servant hands nailed to it. And His arms extended - reaching out to all who want reconciliation - drawing us together in an embrace of love - drawing us to be reconciled with God, and with each other. When we see the horizontal beam - we are reminded of the relationship we have together through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16 - Jesus is talking with His disciples about who He is - the Christ - verse 15: He - Jesus - said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is the vertical post - God reaching down to us - our relationship with God restored through Christ. Verse 17: And Jesus answered him - Peter - “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock - the reality of who Jesus is - I will build my church, - this is the horizontal beam - Christ embracing us - bringing us together in Him as the church - and the powers of death - the power of hell itself - shall not prevail against the church.

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CAN CHANGE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER FOREVER

Years ago, a survey was taken. And the main question was this: “If you don’t attend church would you be willing to tell me why?”

One frequent answer they got back was that the church was irrelevant to daily life. A typical response was: “My marriage is in turmoil. My oldest son is out of control. My husband doesn’t know how to show love to our kids. I’m loosing hope, and I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I get to the point where I just want to end it all, but I’m afraid to die. I used to wonder if maybe God could help. But when I went to church, I found no answers. Pastors talked about issues that had nothing to do with my daily life.”

Another answer was that the church services were lifeless - boring - predictable. One man said, “I don’t have to go to church anymore. I went to one for 15 years, and I figured out the whole routine. I haven’t been back in 5 years, but I could tell you who sits where, what the choir will sing on Mother’s Day, the order of the service, and what the pastor will probably preach on. If I need a little ‘shot’ of church, I can just sit at home and conjure up the whole thing in my mind.”

Another answer was against pastors who preached down at parishioners and made pronouncements and judgments.

The fourth common answer was that churches were always asking for money.

Please don’t misunderstand me - our relationship with God is most important. The most important choice we make in life is to accept Jesus as our Savior and to enter into a restored relationship with God. But, the vertical post by itself doesn’t make a cross.

God has given us each other. By the resurrection of Jesus Christ we are called into a powerful - vibrant - loving - warm - attractive community - the Church.

Many people see only the vertical post. They see Christianity as having a relationship with God - and nothing more. Going to Church maintains that relationship - keeps us connected with God. And church - in terms of real relationships - becomes lifeless - a series of meetings and obligations - ritual and liturgy. The pastor doing ministry - and a serious lack of relevancy to where we really live our lives.

Years after the conversation that Jesus had with Peter and the disciples - that we read about in Matthew 16 - Peter comments on what Jesus told them. In 1 Peter 2, Peter says that we come to Jesus, as to a living stone - the foundation of our relationship together - and - we - are like living stones - because the resurrected Christ lives in us. And we are being built - into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood - a team of servant ministers - offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Peter describes the church as, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called - us - from the darkness - of sin - into His own marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:4,5,9)

Its a powerful description of a community which demonstrates its relationship with God - testifies of the resurrection of Jesus - not by ritual and obligation - but by the love and service shown to each member.

In Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian's book, Community 101, he shares an example of what Jesus’ resurrection makes possible. A woman has come to trust Jesus as her Savior. Her husband leaves her without warning and runs away with a woman he knew from work. He takes the car and leaves her with two month’s rent due - the phone cut off - no money - and almost no food - and two small kids to care for.

She shares her experience: I went through a very hard time. I couldn’t call anyone or go anywhere. I had never been on welfare before. I didn’t even know who to talk to. Our neighbors went to work every day. The three of us sat alone in that empty building, crying all the time. Soon, we became hungry. The children were asking for food. I became sad and could do nothing. All that came in the mail was bills and letters from lawyers asking for money. It dawned on me that we might die. I was only hoping that the three of us would die at the same time.

One evening I had an idea. I waited for the building to become quiet and, in the middle of the night, I went out to the garbage bins. I learned to move my neighbors garbage from one bin to another and gather leftovers that we could eat. But I felt depressed and wanted to die.

Then a miracle happened. One evening, the buzzer rang. When I opened the door, an angel of the Lord was standing there. She came in, saw my predicament, and left. That “angel” was actually a Sunday School teacher who came to find out what had happened to the children who had been coming to Sunday School. That same evening, some people came in and brought a beautiful hot meal. A man an his son brought bags of groceries and children’s clothes. They said it was all from the church’s food pantry. Two people came with a little sack of twenty dollar bills and said the money was ours. I couldn’t believe my eyes, for they were complete strangers to me.

The next day the rent was paid and the phone reconnected. Two ladies came in, put a set of keys on the table, and said there was a car parked outside that was provided by the car ministry of the church and that it was mine. In the following days, they arranged for child care and gave me leads so I could look for a job. I did find a job, and now we’re standing on our own feet. I know we are going to make it. This church saved our lives.

I am amazed when I read a story like this - the possibilities of what God enables us to do. Sometimes I look at our community here - and I praise God. I’m not saying this to boast. But, for encouragement. Because - by His grace - we’re moving in this direction. And there is a genuine growing love here - and some have given sacrificially - and some very real needs have been met. There are many who lift up others in prayer. And we are growing closer together in Christ.

The Church is a community of people who demonstrate their love for God by loving and serving others. Jesus says to Peter, "on this rock I will build my church" and the power of hell itself shall not prevail against the church.

The society in which we live struggles against the power of hell. Children bring guns to school and shoot their teachers and classmates - profit and being politically correct is more important than morality - over ½ of the marriages in this state end in divorce - and according to a recent survey the majority of the surviving marriages are not healthy - families are coming apart. And we could go on.

We feel this everyday in the reality of where we live our lives - a society impacted with the power of Hell.

But Jesus says, that as He builds His church - the powers of Hell itself will not defeat it. With all of the struggles that we have in this life - God - through Christ - has given us each other. And, the powers of Hell cannot prevail against the Church.

Our society needs the church to be the church and to live in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ - a resurrection community - to see the power of Christ’s resurrection lived out in us. The significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that our relationship with God can be restored and our relationship with each other can be changed forever.