Rebuilding Relationships: A Sermon on the Mount Floor Plan

Three fundamental relationships from which you derive your greatest joys and sharpest pains stand at the center of your life: your connection with others, your bond with God, and your association with possessions. Most long for fulfilling families, friendships, and daily relationships. Many of us are searching for a deep and authentic spirituality. The majority of us want balance and simplicity when it comes to the things we own-we don't want them to own us! In his greatest speech-the Sermon on the Mount-Jesus addresses these three basic longings. Using the image of a house, he reveals a floor plan for life that enables all three relationships to reach their fullest potential. Jesus demonstrates how to build a life characterized by gratifying relationships, rewarding piety, and freedom from consumerism. He does this by punching a hole in the roof of our lives and urging us to look through it to the God above. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus removes the dark clouds of divine mystery and reveals surprising views of God. These, in turn, transform how we treat others, the way in which we practice our spirituality, and the view we take on wealth and possessions. Let the Master Carpenter help you build a better life. Strengthen your relationships. Deepen your spiritual experiences. And find true financial freedom.

Chris Altrock is a preaching minister at the Highland Street Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the author of Preaching to Pluralists: How to Proclaim Christ in a Postmodern Age and Rebuilding Relationships: A Sermon on the Mount Floor Plan.