If you'll open your Bibles please to Nehemiah chapter 3 and then also to Matthew chapter 22

We're in a series called the blueprint God's master plan for your life and we began this series by looking at the literal meaning of the book

of Nehemiah.

We then transitioned to where we're looking at the spiritual meaning of the book of Nehemiah.

Three weeks ago, Pastor Robert talked about the

sheep gate, those strangely named gates into the old city of Jerusalem, and how the sheep gate represents that all of us are sheep and all of us need a

shepherd. Shepherds are a part of God's plan. And then two weeks ago

Pastor Robert looked at the fish gate and how all of us are responsible to share the love

of God with other people.

And so we're going to continue this study of Nehemiah and then go to some other places in God's word. But you know I was thinking as I prepared for this message how

strange of a time it is in the course of human history this day in which we live and I really believe that God has honored each one of us by allowing us to be alive today.

Sociologists tell us that people who are alive today are the most discouraged and the most medicated of people in all of human history,

of anyone who's ever lived. But I believe that there's a biblical reason for that.

Revelation 12 and verse 12 says that the devil knows that his time is short.

And five verses later, Revelation 12,

verse 17 says,

because the devil knows that his time is short,

what he seeks to do is to cause as much misery for people

as he possibly can. And so I believe that the way he does this the most is by

disrupting and destroying human relationships.

You know, the thing that you and I hunger for most are the very thing that we were most and first

created for, and that is healthy, good, strong, loving relationships.

...