Praise the Lord. I love singing. I really do. But I do love preaching more than I do singing. And I've enjoyed the good preaching I've gotten this week. And the Lord's helped me. And I want to say a big thank you for all those who were at our IFFB last year, a year ago. And I tell you, I know that It was a time when we were going through difficult times. I was questioning even having the IFFB. And I said, how can we minister to all of those coming to the IFFB when we are just absolutely depleted? And we were going through a great deep, deep, deep valley. But I'll tell you, the IFFB ministered to our church. And it was a great turning point, really, for us. We were coming out of, or at the beginning of, a major, major just, it wasn't a split. I mean, we didn't split. We splintered all to pieces. We lost at least 60% of our, I'm not talking about those, you know, who are just kind of pew warmers. the majority of our workforce. And we we went through some deep, deep times, and it also involved some of our family. And we just had so much difficulty going on. and you ministered to us and helped us all the preaching and all the just, some of my dearest friends that I have in this world are part of the IFFB and the time you spent with me just encouraging us and just praying for us and it was just a real help to us and it's been a tough year, really. In fact, but I believe on the other side of that, Last week, we got a letter from another church, and there were 20 of that really solid, all teachers in our school, and our Sunday school teachers, and deacons, and I mean just, we received their request for all of their letter, and I'll be honest with you, at this point, Man, I've been looking forward to this. Man, I can't, you know, honestly, to be able to say, all right, they're yours, you know, and these are people I love. And that's what broke her heart because we love those people. You know, my wife, we went through, both of us, it affected us physically for a while. My wife wound up in the hospital with a lot of things going on with her. And one doctor suggested, said, it seems to me perhaps you've got Get it? Broken-heart syndrome. And I honestly believe just people that you love and care for, and especially when it involves your family and so many people that you've led to Christ, you were there when their babies were born, and those babies grow up, and then marry those within your church, and then some of the in-laws don't get along, and all of that, you know, you just love these people, And I tell you, it was hard. And one dear friend of mine says, well, you know, Brother Lonnie, he said, you know, it is only people that you love that can break your heart. And that's true. People you don't love can make you mad, but they won't break your heart. You know what I'm saying? And we had a lot of that, but God's been so good. And then, you know, we just pushing and pushing and going and going and trying to rebuild and God blessed and has been doing that. And then all of this mess came in. So we wonder, Lord, what's going on? And it seemed like, you know, just the brakes were put on again. And all of you know what that was like. But to be honest, God sometimes sends some things like that our way, not necessarily that we want or desire, but they work together for good, our good, his glory, and that's what we want in our life. When all this began, God laid upon my heart a series of messages that I had been contemplating, but it seems so many said, you know, it seems like we're just living in a cave. And it seems all this isolation and this sheltering in place. There seems to be a... It's like living in a cave. So God led me on a series of messages that I preached, and I began to preach those, as you did, preaching over the internet, and that was a good experience. We'll continue, perhaps, to do that, and I believe it opened up some doors that I would not have. That's not my forte, but thankfully, the Lord's given us some people that help us with those things. But we began doing that, and then God helped us to continue. I preached a series on the cavemen of the Bible, cavemen and women of the Bible. There's a lot of them. I was surprised. And the caves of the Bible. And there's about 15 different messages that God gave me out of this experience. And I want to say, oftentimes, God may put you in a cave. God may do that. And he may do it, as the one we're going to look at today, for refuge. He may do it for rest. I seriously believe God allowed some of this archaic experience for my wife and I, that time of rest. It may be for recovery. My wife spent the first nine days of this quarantine time in the hospital, not with the coronavirus, but our eyes was opened a lot to what's going on now because they emptied the hospitals while we were there. The hospital was emptied. They almost pushed her out before they took care of her. But thankfully, I insisted and they took care of the problem before sending her home to the socialized medicine that we're now living in, to where it might be months and months and months before you can get what they deem to be what you need. So we're going through that process. By the way, the hospital still isn't full. and back to the capacity they had. But nevertheless, it gave my wife a time. Myself, I believe we just needed that. Without a crowd of people there, we had a wonderful spirit like unbelievable. We had about 10 people to carry on our services and to sing. It sounded like we had this big choir. I just expected the health department to show up so we know there's more people there. But we, and by the way, they did that in our funeral, in a funeral home. They came and they said, there's too many cars. You surely got more than 10 people and stopped the service and counted everybody. I tell you, isn't it terrible, the days we're living in? But nevertheless, it seems so much like a time of, you know, a cave experience, and maybe God puts you there sometimes for refuge, sometimes for restoration, for rest and recovery, and it's okay. Every now and then, God says, come apart and rest a while, and I believe God has allowed us to do that. But oftentimes, it is to help us. Maybe a time that he's working in our life to come out of. And can I say all the caves that I've studied here are temporary. They're temporary. They're not forever. We get to thinking they are. But they're all temporary experiences. And can I say when God puts you in the cave, he's always in the cave with you. One of the caves, two different men were in the same cave. It was a cave on the Mount of God, Mount Horeb. God put Moses in that cave. Moses said, I really want to know you, and God put him in the cave that he could know God. And I'll tell you, if you will allow God in whatever cave you may be in to be in that cave with you, you could come out knowing God, with God on you. Now, a few centuries later, Elijah went into the same cave that Moses was in. Elijah went in there to die. but he met God in there. What doest thou hear, Elijah? Same cake, the same one. Moses went in seeking God, Elijah perhaps to hide from God and to die, and he came out commissioned and with a new endeavor and God empowering him. Sometimes God puts you in the cave, sometimes we flee to the cave on our own. Now, that's where my concern is now. I'm afraid we and the church and many of the Christians are content being in the cave and they're there for fear. Oftentimes, the children of Israel, such as the caveman Gideon, The children of Israel because the Midianites had come and invaded the land and were ravaging the land that God had given to God's people. God's people abandoned that which God had given them and took to the caves. Gideon, by the way, he was a valiant man of valor because he's the only one out of the caves. He might have been ducking and hiding, trying to thresh his wheat over behind the wine press, but at least he was out of the caves. And I think you and I maybe are feeling a little bit that way. We're still ducking and hiding. I'm being very careful what I say over the internet right now, especially myself. I don't know if you know what took place with our church a few weeks ago, but we were in national news. around the country, so I'm careful. In fact, I said perhaps too much in a camp meeting here a few weeks ago, and the pastor went to the sound man, cut him off of Facebook. You know, I don't want this to go out there. They didn't want to be in trouble, so we're all ducking and hiding a little bit. but I believe we're coming out of the caves. And I have found this as well. When people are hiding in the caves, the one God calls and commissions are those out of the cave. Remember Jonathan? He's a great example. While Saul and the Philistines had come and invaded the land, it says that Israel took to the caves and to the dens, and to the rocks, and so forth, to hide themselves while the Philistines ravaged the land. The Philistines had convinced the children of Israel to only concern themselves with making a living. And they had their mattocks, and they had their farming implements, and the Philistines had the swords. And so while Israel were content with making a living and making America great again and getting all this income, then the Philistines come and take it all. And what do the children of Israel do? They head to the caves. And I sense that's what's happening in America. God has given this country to God-fearing people. God bless this nation. And there have been a tremendous price, and this convicted me. It convicted me. When I realized the children of Israel, the price that was paid for them to have that land and the liberty to live within it, for them to give it up and head to the caves for fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear. One of the messages that I preached, I preached about Jonathan. I had rather be in the front line of the battle with Jesus than to be in a cave without him. And God used Jonathan to route the Philistines and to drive them back out of their land again and for the children of Israel to come back. and God called him, God used him. The cave of Adullam. I want us to think about David. Now, sometimes we're in a cave, we come out of the cave, and let me say, too, A lot of people crawl in a molehole and they think they're a cave expert. And they think, they think, boy, I can judge everybody else in their cave. I'm going to tell you, there's no two caves alike. And you and I need to be careful how we judge someone else of their cave experience. And I'll tell you, pastors, right now, this is new territory for all of us. And we need to be careful how we look at one another and judge one another right now. And we need to be praying for one another and encouraging one another as we are able. Sometimes... We think, man, I've come out of this and I'll never be in that again. The cave experience we're going to look at today, and if you turn in your Bible to 2 Samuel chapter 23, it was the cave of Adullam. It was a cave that David many times had resorted to. The time previous to this one that we're going to read about, no doubt David thought, I will never be here again. But in the experience that we're going to read about right now, David, he's between 45 and 50 years of age. He has already been crowned king of all of Israel. He didn't ever dream that he would be back in the cave, and I'll be honest with you, what is taking place this year, I never dreamed. I never dreamed that heathen could tell you and I we couldn't have church services and we head to the caves. Hey, I've been one of them. I mean, we all. This was new territory. David didn't think he would ever be back in the cave again, but he's now king, crown king of a united Israel. He thought those days were over, but sure enough, the Philistines came in the land, and great King David, it was unexpected. It caught him off guard. He was unprepared. And he takes back to the cave of Adullam. And I feel like I've been there. I understand that very well. But you can only stay there so long without getting under conviction. You and I have a mighty God. A God that has given us the land and a God that has given us opportunities and you and I, it is time that you and I come out of the caves. This experience in David's life, he is recalling from his deathbed. It was a turning point in his life. It was a transition time. Greater things happened after this event than what had taken place up to that point, and who's to say that this trial, this cave experience that we're experiencing in this country, might be the greatest time for the church, even for our country, but we are in the balance. Just like David was, this new kingdom, United Kingdom, under David, could go either way. The cave of Adullam for David is a classroom. And there he receives from the master teacher leadership training that would transform this former shepherd boy, now warrior, into the greatest king Israel would ever know. In this cavern classroom, David developed an intimate master-pupil relationship David would ask very intense questions and express his deepest heartfelt emotions, fears, and anxieties, and he came to expect answers as well as actions from the Almighty God. From the cave of Adullam, he writes four Psalms. Psalm 56, he's going into the cave. Psalm 34, are instructions on how to behave in the cave. A few years ago, I preached that message, how to behave in the cave, thinking I had my experience, which was so small compared to this past year. How to behave in the cave, and it is very good, by the way, to get instructions to make sure your people behave. in a right way. You got God's word on how we should behave during this time. Have a great spirit. I'll bless the Lord at all times. That's what David said. There's over 400 people there. You better have some guidelines. You better have some instructions. And I tell you, you pastors, you better help your people right now. because they're struggling right now with their attitudes. They're really confused right now as to what they should be doing and how they should be approaching this. He writes Psalm 57 and Psalm 142 while he's in the caves. And I'm not sure at what point that he's in. And so here he is in the cave. He had often retreated to the cave of Adullam not for learning but for refuge. However, in every retreat David had found more than refuge, he found God. He came out of the cave of learning assured of the will of God for his life. He's about 45, between 45 and 50 years of age when this experience happened. It's the last recorded experience of David in this cave of learning. This would be his final exam. He would graduate summa cum laude with highest honor. Amazingly, this midlife cave experience is coupled with his last words. As he backtraces his steps of life, he recalls this cave of a dulem experience and the men who graduated with him. Three of them, graduated magna cum laude, ahead of their class. And this is their story, as David recalls. Brother Stephen, the message you preached was a great encouragement because this story really is not about David. And what transpires in this event, these three men, young men propel David at a time of great discouragement. As David is stuck with his memories of better days, recollection of childhood times and good days, three young men venture out of the cave and they God used them to do something that unhinges David. I mean, it triggers David and the rest of Israel to go forward and make a conquest of all the land that Israel, to that point, had not conquered. David, from this transition time, goes forth and conquers the land from the River Euphrates to the River of Egypt, all the land that God had promised Israel. But how did this happen? Three young men. And by the way, Brother Stephen, to encourage you, all those great, great, great men that we have heard about And we have admired, I'm talking about the Dr. Lee Robertson's, the Dr. Harold B. Seitler's, the Dr. Tom Malone's, the Dr. John R. Rice, Dr. Jack Hiles, all of those men, their great accomplishments were when they were young men. I always thought of them as old men, even in my young days. But when I was a boy, 40 years old was an old man. And many of those heroes that we look up to, they had already done great things and they were just in their 40s. God will use anyone. And if you have youth... And let me say that the key, I believe, to coming out of this right now is not the old generation remembering how it used to be, because that's what's happening with David. He is recalling his youth when he cries out, for a drink of the well which is by the gate of Bethlehem. And three young men venture out of the cave and start a revival. I'm praying, and can I say, we that are older, we cannot just resort to recollections of better days. I'll be honest, Brother Stephen. I heard when I was your age standing in the IFFB pulpit for the first time, and I remember that. I was probably not as old as you the first time, and the reason I got to preach, there was a freak little snowstorm in Anderson, South Carolina, where Dr. Russell Rice was hosting the IFFB conference, and Brother Don Strange couldn't get there. He was stuck. I mean, South Carolina's not prepared for snow, even in February. And there was about three of the speakers couldn't get there that morning, and guess who, this young little whippersnapper who had just started his church, Dr. Maurer, he said, Lonnie, you come up here. He was the president. He called on me to preach, and God came down in that place. But I'd heard oftentimes those older preachers say, this is how it used to be, the great revivals. and oftentimes it was no different then than it is now. We often scorn the generation coming on. I felt and heard, Brother Jeff, you know the same thing. We often heard those hide-skinning messages. It's never been any different, Brother Stephen. It never has. Every generation, I think, does that to the younger generation. Brother Jeff and I, we heard that. We really did. Praise God. You know, God will use us too. But God uses these young men. It's got to be this younger generation. We've got to encourage. I preached... In the tent meeting, my people must have needed it because I've preached two tent meetings and my people came to it, and I preached the same message. I wasn't thinking. Brother Steve Kuth was nervous about and apologized because he preached that message last night a few weeks ago in a meeting that I was in. He said, I'm sorry. I said, hey, have you ever heard me sing the same song twice? But Psalm 127 on the family said, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman, but in vain. And he goes on to say, children are heritage of the Lord. Blessed is man, have his quiver full of them. And it says, they, talking about the children, shall speak with the enemy in the gate. Jesus said, Jesus said, agree with thine adversary while he is yet in the way. My father's generation did not stop the enemy, 1963. What took place with casting the Bible out of the schools? Allowing abortion to come on demand in this country? And now, he didn't stop the enemy. My generation hasn't stopped the enemy while it's on the way. Except Jesus said, that's when they come. bring thee before the judge, and the judge to the magistrate, and they cast thee into the prison, and thou shalt not come out till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." While we slept, while the enemy slept, do you know what, during this whole time, what the Supreme Court has done to destroy the liberties that we have had afforded by us by the Constitution? While we slept, while we've hunkered down, while we've kept our head down, We've allowed the enemy now to come in the gate. Now, here's the question. Can our children, can this generation, Brother Stephen, can your generation, are they ready? Are they prepared? Because that's our only hope. Because now the enemy's in the gate. Had it been left up to just David and his generation while they're in the cave of Adullam, Israel would have been lost. But there's three young men. to come out of that cave. Let me quickly read the text. Verse 13. I didn't do this. I preached this message at Tabernacle in Greenville two weeks ago for homecoming, and my wife reminded me and said, do you know you didn't read your text? I got too busy. 2 Timothy chapter 23, or Samuel. Verse 13, And three of the thirty chiefs went down and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam. And the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in a hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. Now think about it. It's his hometown. Isn't that the way the Philistines do it? They'll take what's most sacred, precious to you. They'll take it as they're doing here in America. What is so sacred to you and I, now they have taken possession of. And David, in thinking of it, he says, Oh! David longed and said, Oh! That one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate. Why did they take Bethlehem? because it was a reproach to David. It's his hometown. And I'm going to tell you why has the church been centered upon in this pandemic. They're scoffing at us. Oh, you can't have services until we tell you. And when you do have services, you can't sing. You can't have communion. You can't have baptism. You can't take up an offering. You can't greet one another. They drink from our well and scoff at us. I'm telling you, I got convicted. My heart, as I began to... I am sheltering in place. were pitiful, I got ashamed. I got convicted. I began to say, oh, oh, Lord, if I could just have a drink from the well which is by the gate of Bethlehem. I want to preach on that just a moment. A drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem. Now think about it. David is a boy. He's anointed to be the next king of Israel. He's excited. He's probably 12 years old. Oh, my life is going to be wonderful. He has this wonderful time with God. He grows and he develops, and he has a great experience, and by faith, facing Goliath, and my people are singing his praises. Things are going wonderful. And then the cave of Adullam comes. in his life as he flees from Saul, finds refuge there. And now here in his later years, it seems Satan has possessed what was once sacred to him, dares us to do anything about it. You realize that's what the Philistines were doing? I dare you, David. to do anything about it. And church, we have been challenged now. Who dares go out soul winning? Who dares to stand up for God? Who dares to assemble? I want to do three quick things, and I think I can make my point. and we can quickly be done. I've been smelling that good food. I want us to consider the remembrance, his request, and then the revival. Here, David, on his deathbed, he remembers this cave of Adullam. And may God grant it. you and I, this cave experience that we're experiencing will be a memory soon. And may it be a memory of a time that God brought us out to bring us in. During this time, he remembers the cave, the cave of Adullam. He calls it It became known to him as the rock. And he called this place and he says, Thou art my rock. He called it the rock. He called it under his wings, the same place. David, he called it there under the shadow of thy wings, Psalm 57, the cave psalm that he wrote. He called it the secret place. And can I say it's not all bad. Listen, if God's got us here right now, let's find out what God wants to do with us and let's go far from this place. but make sure it is not a time, a retreat from the Lord. I'm afraid some of my people, it became a time to retreat from God rather than to Him. The secret place. Perhaps at this time, Psalm 142 doesn't tell us which experience the cave of the Dulem was in David's life, but in Psalm 142, you can read it. He's discouraged. He calls it a prison. In Psalm 142 there, in his prayer, he's praying, oh God, he says, bring me out. Bring me out. Let me share this with you. He says, Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. The righteous shall come past me about, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Oh, word to God, we can pray this in America. God, bring us out of this prison. Deliver us that our people can be assembled again, and we can praise your name. the remembrance of the cave. It's a remembrance of a time. He's recalling his memory is of a memory. You see, what David is recalling here, oh, that God would give me a drink. One would give me a drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem. He's thinking of his boyhood days. He's thinking of, can you just imagine his mama His mom was saying to him as a boy, son, I'm about to bring the bread out of the oven. Bethlehem, the house of bread, the bakery. Supper's about ready. Go to the well that is by the gate, draw a bucket of water, and bring it, and let's have supper. Oh, there's nothing. I remember. Up home, when I was growing up, we didn't have running water, not unless you wanted to run and get it. And it was common to draw water out of a well, and to be able to draw a bucket of water out of that well without it sloshing on the sides and hitting the sides of the well and bringing that up, and it was, oh, there's just seemingly nothing better. Now, maybe it wasn't the best water in the world, but in my memory right now, thinking of those times, Brother David, that was, oh, that was good water. And that's what David is doing here. He's thinking of how it used to be when he was a boy. No doubt maybe he's thought of coming back after a battle. Maybe when he fought with Goliath. And he came back home, and you know, they're singing his praises, and he goes back home, and mama says, son, supper's about ready. I've got some fresh bread here, son. How about going to the well that is by the gate and draw a bucket of water and let's have supper? Can't you see David now in this cave? He's thinking of that time. And it seems like many of our conferences often we refer back to those days. and there have been some great times in America, and I remember those times, and I'll tell you, I was, Brother Don, I remembered as I was preaching there at Tabernacle here a couple of weeks ago, my mind raced back there as a boy, and the memories, I tell you, I just, I just, one memory after another of all that place, and my how, it was just, it was just amazing during those times, hearing Dr. Seidler preach, you know. Oh, I wish we could go back. But we cannot go back. If memories are all we have, we're done for, Brother Stephen. We're done. We got to have more than our memories, men. We need a revival. He remembers the time. He was newly made king. It had taken 30 years. David never expected it to be so difficult. I never expected, well, I didn't want to surrender. I held it off for as long as I could to surrender to the ministry because I did kind of know what it was like growing up in the ministry. But I'll be honest with you. You don't know all the trials you'll face. Thirty years before David becomes the king over all of Israel. All the trials and battles, disappointments in people that David had. But now he's anointed king and he's saying, hey, I've made it. Philistines heard about it and they flooded the Valley of Rephia. David's in the cave of Doolam, Bethlehem, about eight miles one direction, the major host about eight miles another direction. The headquarters is in Bethlehem, the garrison, the headquarters, Bethlehem, David's hometown. He's remembering the enemy. Ruthless. No mercy. Adversaries. He's recalling this. He was remembering. But then he remembers that well, that well that is by the gate. It's accessible to whosoever. And let me tell you, the well is still by the gate. That water, it's still accessible, it's still available, and it still satisfies, and it is still there! It's still here in America! The well is still well! Amen? The house of bread? It still satisfies every hungry soul. David, he remembers the three. The three as they became known, they didn't call themselves the three, but because of what they did, people from that time forward would call them as the three mighty men. Oh, would to God. we could have some rise up that would begin this revival. Well, let me go to the second part quickly, the request of David. Now, David is requesting for a drink. It's not much of a request. He's not even asking for a whole well. He's not asking for the well. He's not asking for the house of bread. He's not asking for the bakery. Just a drink of water from the well. And I'll be honest with you. I don't know of anyone right now in this nation when the need is so great that has enough faith to ask for the whole well right now. But my plea is this. Could you and I ask God for a drink from the well? David didn't ask for the well. He asked for a drink. In my study of these caves, one thing I found quite often Men would ask for a sign, and this became a sign for David. If these three men could bring me a drink from the well, if these three men could overcome the garrison that is in Bethlehem. If these three men, he poured it out to the Lord. Why? It was for a sign. Gideon, uncertain, his face so small, he said, Well, Lord, let me ask a sign. And you know the fleece. Could I have just a bowl of water? I mean, the fleece be wet and the ground dry. And they rang a bowl of water. He rang a bowl of water out of that fleece. Next day, Lord, can I have another sign? Let the ground withdo and the fleece." And then that wasn't enough. He was still nervous. Even God had whittled him down to 300, and can I say, God didn't have to have many. That's what Jonathan said when he came out of his cave. He said, let's find out a sign from God if God's going to use us. Jonathan was between a rock and a hard place. Those two rocks, where he was, he named them. One, Sina, and the other one, Bosna, Bozes, and Sina. He was between a rock and a hard place. These two rocks. One was like a marbled rock, the other, jagged cliff. He said, let's see if God will use it because God didn't have to have many. or few for God to use. He said, we don't even have few. It's just me and you, he said. But let's see if God will give us a sign here. And so they asked God, said, Philistine, say, come up. It's a sign. God's going to deliver them to. And they climbed that cliff hand over. It's not easy, but it was just a sign. And that little skirmish up on that little ground is what led to the victory that God gave Israel. It was a sign. This is a sign for David. He poured it out to the Lord. He said, I'm not going to drink till we all drink, till we get the whole well. This is just a sign. Can you and I have enough faith this morning to say, Oh, God, give me a drink? This request, just for a sign, could you give me revival? I don't know how you feel, I feel like I need revival. Can I experience revival? The same revival that Harold B. Seitler experienced within him before that great church, Tabernacle Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, was built. Harold Seitler first experienced revival in himself. Oliver B. Green, he first experienced revival before God used him to see revival sweep all along the east coast of America. Dolphus Price first experienced revival within his own soul before God so greatly used him across this land. How about your church? Would it be enough that you could ask God to give you a sign revival in your church? You may not be able to ask for your town, but could we start with our church? You may not be able to ask for your state, but could we ask God to give us revival in our church? We may not be able to ask God for a revival in America, but could we trust Him for a sign? These three men, God used them. How did He use them to answer this request, David? They were loyal men. God will not use anyone that is not loyal, humble, they're not prideful, they're not glory-seeking, vain men. They did not name themselves. Others call them the three mighty men. They're unselfish, self-sacrificing men. They're seeking the good of others. They're courageous men. They're men of faith. And they're close enough to David to hear his requests. I'm praying, O God, Give me three mighty men. Oh God, would you give me a drink from the well? Oh God, if you will, I'll give it back to you. The revival. David prayed. The three were close enough to hear the prayer. They were in fellowship. They ventured out of the cave. They were not ordered to go. They faced, they fought, they persevered over the enemy, but they did not quit, nomos, when it became difficult or even wounded. Their selfless act was for others. They did not drink till all could drink. God help us to quit remembering how it used to be. We cannot satisfy ourselves with our memories, men. God, help us. If that's all we got left, we're done for. America's done for. We got to make some requests. We need revival. You read of what happened next. These men brought it back. David poured it out to God, started revival. 2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 17. You read the Philistines, they come, they invade the land. David inquires of the Lord, shall I go up? The Lord delivers them from these three men of them, rout them. They come back again, and this time when you hear the sound of the mulberry trees, God gave them a greater victory. And again, the Philistines came. And if you remember and you recall, David, he thinks he's still the young man and he can handle it, but Ish-bib-ba-nab nearly took David down. But what happened, brother Stephen, one of his young men that he had trained, this young man, young man, young man. We need these young men. We've got to have them. We can't do what we once did, but we cannot rely on our memories of how it used to be either and tell them about how it used to be. They want to do something. I believe Brother Stephen wants to do something. These young men want to accomplish something. They want to know truth. I like that. God can use them to do greater things than we've ever done. We cannot go back to our childhood. Brother Johnny, we can't go back to our youth, our young days, when we were strong and we could handle things. We'll never go back there again, but we can go back to the well again. That well is still good. The water's still good. The bread is still good from the oven, and we can go forward. We cannot go back. and David could only come out of that cave. Why? Because three young men stirred his soul. They were rewarded with a, well done. I want us to be able to hear from the Lord, well done. I don't want this to be all there is. Maybe if we live long enough, to experience a deathbed, to experience, as David, we can recall back this time some young men who spake with the enemy in the gate and accomplished what we did not with our generation. Lord, help us. Heavenly Father, thank you for these good examples. Help us, O God. Give us a sign. Lord, give me a sign. Revive my soul. Lord, revive my church. Give us revival. Lord, I don't know that I have enough faith to ask you for my state right now, but I ask you for me. I ask you for my church. I ask you for some young men. Lord, this generation could enjoy as I have enjoyed. a drink from the well, and fresh bread from the oven. I pray that again. I pray, oh God, America, we do need revival, but Lord, would you begin with a sign, even this small Wednesday morning group of the IFFB. Lord, would you give us a sign? Would you give us revival? Send us forth from this place. with the desire that all may drink of that well that is by the gate in Bethlehem. In Jesus' name, amen.