Shane Idleman emphasizes the importance of waiting on God, drawing from Isaiah 64, where the prophet pleads for God to rend the heavens and come down. He explains that waiting is not passive but involves worship, trust, and active seeking of God's presence. Idleman highlights that God acts for those who wait for Him, and this waiting is a condition for receiving His promises. He encourages the congregation to reflect on what they need God to act on in their lives, urging them to come forward in prayer and worship. The sermon calls for a deeper commitment to seeking God amidst the challenges of life.

Isn't this better than CNN and the media? It's more fulfilling. The topic of this whole week is rend the heavens. Oh God, would you rend the heavens? And I kind of adapted it from the booklet that I wrote that is free of charge. Make sure to grab one on your way out because it talks about a lot of the principles and the different things. Our foundational scripture is Isaiah 64, one through two. Here's what you need to know. This is a help verse. Isaiah is saying, help, God, help. Oh, that you would come down with, that you would rend the heavens. Basically break loose, that you would come down, that the mountains might shake at your presence. As fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence. And so not every sermon will be reflective of this. Many of those will, the ones I'm giving. But the concept is when God, the word is rip. In the literal translation of the Hebrew language, it's a ripping. Rip, when God, would you rip open heaven and come down? And as I'm hoping to talk about a little bit Wednesday, it's really not rain that's coming down, it's fire. It's God's fire, his manifest presence, and changing and boiling water, and consuming the forest and the fire of God. So where I found myself early this morning, 4.45, and I said I'm doing anger part two today, but it just wasn't resonating with me, and God just began pouring into my heart these different items. So I'm actually gonna cover that next Sunday, anger part two, and we're also gonna go into the judgment and getting ready for Noah's Ark and the flood and the depravity of man, and that's gonna be Sunday. But this evening I wanna just concentrate on this, that the title is he acts for those who wait for him. Did you know that? That's a promise. That is a promise. You can take this promise to the bank. Promises in the word of God, when he says something, many of the times it's conditional, by the way. If my people, if you seek me, if you wait on me, it's conditional. There is a responsibility on our part. So I found myself in Isaiah 62, 63, and then 64, and fortunately a lot of that, with Isaiah, Jeremiah, it's kinda hard because they're all over the place with the prophets. It's like they just woke up and journaled, and then they're 700 years in the future, and then they come back. But this really flowed from the first previous two chapters, and if you've been coming here a while, I like context. Now I might not get it right every time, and none of us preach a perfect sermon for 60 minutes. You come and try it. It's pretty difficult, because you say something like, why did I say that? Can't take it back, it's already out there. We can edit from the video, but I can't take it back here. And context is so important. And you see a lot of these guys on TV, sometimes the context is just, there's no context. Let me take this verse and run with it. And it really can do damage to God's word if you don't look at the context. What about that famous verse out there when God says, I know the plans I have for you? Plans of a hope and a future. But he gave that verse as they're going into captivity for 70 years. They're prisoners, but God is telling them what's gonna happen in the future. Now if God has that word just pop out, that scripture, and it's resonating with you about a situation, you can take that to the bank as well. I believe God uses his word, it comes alive, it's living and it's active. It's sharper than any double-edged sword, it can go and it can pierce our hearts. So the context leading up to Isaiah 64 is the good news of salvation. That's the context. And the famous verse, of course, that many of you are aware of when Jesus walked into the temple and said that the spirit of the Lord is upon me. Upon me. I'm gonna dig into that a little bit on Wednesday, even though I have throughout the church history here of West Side Christian Fellowship, Wednesday's gonna be real pointed on this issue because that is what many Christians are lacking. And I think that's why many of you are here and I think it can lead to this by the end of the week. This upon, and I don't wanna get a lot of detail, but the Holy Spirit comes alongside of you and it's a preposition, P-A-R-A, para. It's what paraclete gets its name from that. And then E-N, inside of you. It's another preposition showing how the Holy Spirit can work. And then this word for upon is epi, E-P-I. It's an overwhelming sense of the power of God. And it wasn't until people received that that they begin a powerful ministry. So we look at people, D.L. Moody's and the John Bunyan's, the Amy Carmichael's, and the list is endless. But it's those people who received that mighty filling of the Holy Spirit. And I believe Jesus, for 30 years, we don't hear of any miracles, and not until the Spirit came upon him. And so Isaiah even actually predicts, I think he's about 700 years before Jesus, preached and Jesus reads it. He opens Isaiah, the scroll of Isaiah, and he said, the Spirit of the Lord is now upon me. The literal translation is, has overwhelmed me, has come upon me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has called me to preach the gospel to the poor, for the blind to receive sight, for those who are bound, whether it's addiction or bond, whatever it is, to break those people free, to set the captives free. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to do all of the ministry. He's reading Isaiah, and then he says, this scripture is now fulfilled in your hearing. And of all the places in the Bible, I would like to be in a lot of places, trust me, David and Goliath for sure. But this sermon by Jesus, I mean, hearing the pin drop and the boldness, the assurance, the authority, saying this is fulfilled now in your hearing. Basically, I'm here. And so the context working up at this is the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. And then later we read about the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness. Does that verse ring a bell to some of you? Isaiah begins to talk about putting on the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness. And you felt it tonight, didn't you? When you were praising, most of you, when you were praising, when you were worshiping, that heaviness just left. That problem at work, that problem at home, the problem at the job or in your marriage or whatever you're struggling with, it lifted. That heaviness lifted because why? The garment of praise. Putting on, cloaking yourself with praise and worship and worshiping the God and the beauty of holiness. And if we don't worship, even the rocks are gonna cry out and the power of worship. And so Isaiah walks us through that, the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness. And so many people dealing with heaviness or wanting to change and they go to read the Bible and it's great, read the Bible, I do it, I encourage it. But you've gotta put on the garment of praise as well. It's the letter kills, it's the Spirit that gives life. And begin to just worship God, even no matter what you're going through. And then as Isaiah continues in chapter 64, he says, you shall rebuild the old ruins. We are to take up those responsibilities and build the old ruins. And he gives an everlasting covenant. We've talked about that before, that the old covenant and then the coming of the new covenant and Jesus Christ. And Isaiah prophesied about that, this everlasting covenant that is going to come. And then there's an assurance of Israel's salvation. God said, for Zion's sake, I will not hold my peace. And God goes on to say, you will no longer be called forsaken and desolate. Israel, what he meant by that was, or Israel was forsaken by God. They were laying desolate. They were overcome by their enemies. And this beautiful, and God even goes into detail about how he nursed Israel. And a child was born and still in the blood of the birth and how God cleaned the child and how he nursed the child. And see the motherly characteristics of God. He still reveals himself and the masculine, of course, but he's got all these characteristics. And he raises Israel, he cares for her and then he lets her go and she rebels against him. And she becomes desolate as a result. And it's interesting, in Jeremiah here, or I'm sorry, Isaiah, there's a word they use. You'll no longer be called forsaken or desolate, but you'll be called Beluah. Does that sound familiar to anyone here? You've been hearing a song that Brant sings now and then, Beluah Land. It's an old hymn written in the 1800s. And it references this precisely. It says, I'm kind of homesick for a country to which I've never been before. No sad goodbyes will be there and time won't matter anymore. Beluah Land, I'm longing for you and someday on thee I'll stand. There my home shall be eternal, Beluah Land, sweet Beluah Land. And we sing that hymn and it's a reminder of what God is going to build up. And then it gets pretty interesting as he's building up here to Isaiah 64. We're still going through Isaiah 62, 63. God says, I have set watchmen on your walls. God sets watchmen on the walls. And any time a watchman was mentioned throughout primarily the Old Testament, it was militarily, it was strategic in a military sense, but it was also prophetic. So the watchmen would stand guard. They would not go to sleep. They could be killed. They would stand guard watching. What were they looking for? The enemy coming way, way, way, way in the distance. And they would sound the alarm. They would watch the city. They would stand up on the walls, watchmen surrounding the city watching. And then God would actually call his prophets watchmen, watchmen on the wall. What did he mean by that? Watch what's going on. Discern the times and speak to the people prophetically and boldly and give them confidence and be a discerner of what I'm doing throughout the nation and throughout the world. And he said, I have set watchmen on your walls. And he told these watchmen, never hold your peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent. That's why I keep saying this is what America desperately needs. They need that voice, not only crying in the wilderness, they need that voice crying on top of the wall, watching and discerning and helping and encouraging and crying out and saying, God, we need you. I will not keep silent. It's no secret that they want to silence the watchmen. Have you noticed that? They don't try to silence just the turn the other cheek, be nice, nice, encouraging messages. Those guys on Oprah, pastors on Oprah, they don't try to silence them. They just promote their YouTube pages and everything. Why? Because they're not confronting that darkness. And this is actually watching in end times sense with end time scenario and where we're at, where we're living nowadays. And there's so many of you that are Bible students. You listen to all the prophecy updates and things like that that are so important. And we can only rehash Ezekiel and Daniel so much and Revelation and everybody seems to have their opinions. But the bottom line when it comes to watching is it's good to be prepared up here, but it's really about being prepared here. Are you ready to meet your maker, O Israel? Are you ready to meet your God? Are you prepared in the heart? When he comes, are you ready? Jesus told the disciples, be ready, be watchful because you don't know when I'm returning. And that's one of the things that people, if there's any criticisms about this church, that's one of them. It's like, Pastor Gene, why are you talking about end times? End times like Jack Hibbs always does. I just heard that this week. I'm like, because he's doing it. Listen to him. He does a great job. Follow him. But then I'm preaching repentance. I'm preaching what God put in my heart. I'm preparing the church for those end times because you might not be out of here. You might be going through difficult seasons. You need to be grounded in your word. I'm concerned with what's gonna happen to your kids and our kids and our grandchildren. Preparing the bride, putting on the armor, getting our hearts ready to meet our Savior. See, it's one thing to know it. And I found a lot of people that know, well, Ezekiel says this and Daniel says this and it lines up like this and the prophetic and the premillennial and all-millennial and this. They have a lot of head knowledge but they're very fearful still because their heart's not really surrendered and seeking God. But again, we need to be prepared. I love end time scenarios. And on that, there are quite a few different views. When I say the word pre-wrath or premillennial or post-millennial, it's talking about the millennial kingdom is Jesus coming before that or after that or during that or during pre-wrath is the church being lifted up before God's wrath or post this and pre this and pre-tribulation, meaning you're gone, you're out of here before the tribulation. And post-tribulation means you're out of here after the tribulation and then you read Titus conquering Jerusalem in AD 70 and how some of those things were fulfilled and then there's just so much. It's not like you can put all the pieces together perfectly. Not everyone agrees on when it's going to happen or how it's going to happen. I mean, it was taught in the 80s, it was the reviving of the Roman Empire. I don't know, maybe. But Muslims look like they're rising up as well too. It's interesting how they don't have a disdain for women. They like to behead and that fits the mark of that person or that characteristic. And it was told by sheriff, a detective who had some friends who were doing some research back, I don't remember exactly how long ago it was, but when ISIS in Iraq and Iran, the whole area there with ISIS, they were printing up money where you couldn't buy or sell or trade without their insignia on their coins. And so you see there's so many different things going on that I don't know exactly how it's going to pan out, that's why I'm a pan-trib. But it is going to pan out as long as we're ready for him, no matter what comes. Jail, martyrdom, success, failure. Paul said, I know how to abound and I know how to base, I know how to be fulfilled in all things. And so when we get that news, hey, your bank account has been drained or that social security you're counting on and all these things we're counting on, when that begins to crumble, the job we thought, that really shows the security of our foundation and really what we're trusting in. And that's interesting, in Isaiah 56, if we went back earlier, he gives a contrast, a true watchman and a false watchman. I love God's word, it doesn't play around. False watchman, they are blind, they are ignorant, they are dumb dogs. They cannot bark, they're sleeping, they're lying down and they love to slumber. They're shepherds who cannot understand, they all look to their own way. So you can compare, you can compare those who are truly filled with God's fire. Are they saying what lines up with his word? Is there an urgency? Is there a call to action? Is there a call to repentance and holiness in the old paths that they used to encourage in the Old Testament? Or is this person, the Bible says blind, meaning they're blind spiritually. They don't know what's going on, they're saying peace, peace, when there is no peace. They're ignorant to what God's word really says, they're dumb dogs, meaning they cannot bark. That bark would be that voice of drawing the line in the sand and waking up the people and they can't even bark. In other words, they can't even warn their master of impending danger. And that's how you can tell and that's what's really happening now. Maybe I see a lot more than most people, but the churches that are being divided, there's a line being drawn in the sand, very clearly, between those who don't bark and those who do bark. Those who are silent and capitulate and those who are bold and wanting to lead the charge. Now, of course, in between there, there is a lot of varying opinions and gray area and not all churches are this way or that way, but there is a line that's gonna be drawn in the sand. And this group will usually start to embrace sin, start to embrace sinful lifestyles and they just begin to encourage people to sin. And then we also read, as we keep going, build up the highway. Isaiah said, build up the highway, take out the stones. In other words, do business till I return. You've heard me say that many times before. It comes from, I believe, Luke chapter 19 or so. I probably should've looked up, so don't, Judgmental Jerries, don't look it up and call me on it. But it's somewhere in Luke 19, maybe, that Jesus said, here's your talents, here's your things. Go and do business with what I've given you, what I've called you to do, your ability. Go and do business until I return. And so many people think, well, Shane's the pastor or Pastor Abraham can do this. No, you're called to do what? You're called to do in your workplace, in your home, in your neighborhood. God gives you the talents individually. And said, then go and do business until I return. And same thing here. Build up the highway, take out the stones. What was the reason? Because if there was a king coming, they would remove the stones, they would get the highway ready for the soon coming king. And so I believe we should be doing business until he returns as well. Because you know what the big talk is right now? A lot of articles and things. Why should we do anything if the end is coming? I mean, if you think about it, good point, right? We can't stop God's time clock. We can't do anything. We can't make a difference. I had somebody ask me, and they're genuinely seeking. If we already know how things are gonna end, if it looks like it's going that way, why would we try to stop that? Or why would we try to deter that? And there's a couple different reasons. Obviously, number one is, Jesus wants us to keep seeking him, keep promoting holiness, keep living righteously, keep leading people to the kingdom of God, keep calling the nation to repentance and showing sinners the way home, and to keep doing that until the second he returns. Never are you called to sit back and become lazy. And the reason is, I believe we're in the position we are in because many people decided to stay out of politics, decided to stay out of Hollywood, decided to stay out of all these areas of influence where the church could have made a major influence, public schools, you name it. That voice has been quenched and quieted. And then a very interesting phrase, lift up a banner, lift up a banner to the Lord. They want us, Isaiah is talking to the people, lift up a banner. Now, most of us have no clue what he's talking about, but it comes from, when you hear the names of God, Jehovah, Jireh, Jehovah, Nisi, Nisi, Nisi, my, oh, there's different pronunciations. See, you all pronounce it different too. Jehovah Nisi, my banner. And a lot of it goes back to where Moses was being tired and they lifted up his arms, Aaron her, I believe it was, and lifted up his arms so that they would have victory down in the valley. And that's why Moses said, the Lord is my banner. The banner was actually a place to unite. Do you remember in high school, you put up your banner or wherever you were, or sometimes you'll see banners, we know where to go. They would lift up the banner and say, we are God's people, we are united here. And they would actually raise up a standard. And also, what did that mean? Here comes the banner. That means here comes God to fight. We are calling God, we are calling heaven on our side. Who can defeat you when God is on your side? So he says, raise up a banner, raise up a standard, raise up by identity, show the people who you are, and God will hear the cries of his people. And then it's shift gears in Isaiah. There's an expectation, I believe it's Isaiah 63, there's an expectation. He's expecting, because God's talking about, through Isaiah, I'm bringing salvation. I'm gonna lead my people home. I'm gonna shine the bright light there for them. I'm gonna lead them out of darkness. And so Isaiah is writing this expectation, salvation is coming, but it's not there. What do you do when what you're expecting is not there yet? Isn't that where many of us are right now? We're expecting God to move. We're expecting God to awaken us and bring a spiritual awakening. But as the days drag on, the weeks, the months, and so you can have that expectation and know something, but still be living in the, that's the now, or no, we're living in the now, but that's the future, the here and now and the difference there. We're waiting for that, but I'm living here. Don't you hate when people tell you that sometimes, like, oh, I know, but later on in life, you'll be fine, fine, and I know, but I can't make my house payment now. I'm living in the now and the expectation. You need to know that the prophets went through that as well. God's people went through that as well, waiting on that time and that expectation. That's why the Bible talks often about endurance, when you have endured the test, when you have need of endurance and those who endure until the end in this desperate need for endurance. And so there's expectation, and then Isaiah laments. He said, look down from heaven, God, and see us. Lord, this sounds familiar. Look down, Lord, see us. Look down, look at what's happening. Your name is being ridiculed. Little children are being aborted. The sex trafficking and the agendas that are ungodly and perverted in our schools. Oh God, can you hear us? This is a crime against humanity. This is child abuse at the highest level. Lord, we don't know what else to do. We're crying out to you. And Isaiah says, Lord, where is your zeal? Where is your strength? Where is your yearning of your heart and your mercies towards your people? That's heartfelt, that's honest. Have you ever wrestled with God like that or just me? What is going on? God, would you not rend the heavens? And then now that's the context of Isaiah 64. Isaiah 64 that I read earlier, that's a prayer that you would rend the heavens. It's not only a prayer, it's a plea. It's an appeal, it's a petition, it's intercession, whatever you want to call it. That verse is so powerful because he is, I guarantee he didn't speak it quietly. Oh God, would you rend the heavens this week or today? I mean, that's when they would tear the clothes, the outer garment, they would rend their garments, showing their utter disgust. And that's why God says, rend your hearts, not your garments later on, because they would just get in this posture of just, oh, and showing that they're humble, but they really weren't. So Isaiah is pleading this prayer, this plea, this appeal. God, rend the heavens that you would come down, that the mountains might shake at your presence. Could you imagine when God Almighty decides to come down again and shake the very foundation on which we're living? And when God says earthquake and says mountain move, those things can happen. It's a powerful God we serve. And then the title of the message, who acts for the one who waits for him. Oh, he finally got there. But isn't the context important? You see how it's building up in Isaiah's writing. You know, you don't know exactly, they didn't have chapter and verses when he wrote this. That would be difficult with some of these people, because they're all over the place. Oh, we did it 500 years ago, or I think we didn't do it, but they did 500 years ago to kind of give us a place and a reference, but it just flows. And who acts, God acts for the one who waits for him. Some of you need to hear this tonight. This is, I believe, why you came. This is why you're here. And I believe this is why this whole message changed. And I've been working on a sermon for seven hours today, because of you. He acts, he will act when you wait for him. Stop playing games, wait on him. Now that could mean a lot of things. I know primarily it means don't go out ahead. Don't go in your own strength. Don't lash out. Don't try to fix it on your own. Wait on him. And throughout the Bible, there's conditions. I talked about earlier, there's conditions to anything. And we can go, oh, who acts for the one who waits for him? Yes, I love that, that makes sense. And then nothing happens. Because head knowledge is not heart knowledge. So I wanna help you real quick here before we go back into worship, because I can't wait for worship. I've never been more excited to go to church on a Monday than all my life today, so. Amen. Amen. Amen. You too, okay, I can tell. Amen. Amen. And then we've got Brant, Blessing, Madeline, Marlo's again, Starner, more vocals. It's just gonna be, all the Marlos that were up here, it's just gonna be a week of just worship and seeking God. I guarantee you'll come out of this week much stronger than when this week got here, before it got here. So here's some conditions. Waiting, waiting. He acts for the one who waits for him. Now this word waiting isn't just sitting on a chair. Wouldn't that be easy? Just go home, stop by Krispy Kreme, put on Netflix. You'd actually be going in reverse, not forward if that's what happened. This waiting is worshipping. Waiting is worshipping. Waiting is following God and seeking him and trusting him. So you're still moving, you're still doing things, but you're living according to his word, according to his principles, Lord. As I wait on you to see me through, I'm going to follow the scriptural course for my life. So waiting is living. Waiting is moving ahead in God's will and according to his principles. Also, waiting is holding the line. Waiting is holding the line. Scripture talks about waiting on the Lord. It says, wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he will strengthen your heart. So if any of you need courage tonight, it starts right here. Lord, I'm just going to wait on you. I'm not going to worry about my job. I'm not going to worry about the jab. I'm not going to worry about junk. I'm just going to worry about all the J's. I'm not going to worry about anything. God, I'm just going to wait on you. And it says, be of good courage and then God will strengthen your heart. So waiting can be just a form of holding the line. I'm just going to hold the line. I'm not going to move ahead. I'm not going to move back. I'm waiting on you, God. I'm trusting that you will move. Waiting is also renewal, revival, and restoration. But they that wait upon the Lord, probably the most famous verse on waiting, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Isn't that so counter-cultural? Waiting strengthens me. But the world says the opposite to what Scripture teaches. And then also waiting is watching and discerning. I will stand and watch from the tower, one of the prophets wrote. I will stand and watch from the tower. I will wait to see what God will say. So waiting on God is watching and discerning. So I will stand and I will watch from the tower. Interesting, when they would watch from the tower, here's the key, not much was happening. There were some bunny rabbits maybe. They probably don't call them bunny rabbits. What do they call them? Something running across, maybe throwing spears or arrows. Nothing is going on in the tower. But God says, see, that's okay, just watch. See, it's in the watching, even though you're not doing anything, it's watching for the enemy. It's watching for the onslaught of what's going to try to come against your family or your marriage. Something might not be happening now, but it's that time of watching and waiting. So he said, I will stand, I will stand and watch from the tower. I will wait to see what God will say to me. Could it be that God is not speaking because he wants you to wait? Could it be that he's not answering your prayer because he wants you to keep waiting and keep seeking? Maybe the timing isn't right? Also, waiting is trusting, it's relying on God, and it's depending on God. Our soul waits for you, you are our help and our shield. And here's the irony, waiting is seeking. So those who are truly waiting on God are actually moving in a forward direction, they're seeking him. Those who seek him will find him. So I want to leave you with this question tonight, and that's why we're going to go into worship. What do you need him to act on? What do you need God to act on in your life? Kids, spouse, family, finances, fear, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, confusion, anger, spiritual barrenness, addiction, strongholds. What do you need God to act on? Because I also came with the spirit of expectation. I believe that there comes a time where God will begin to answer the prayers of his people as they're crying out and as they're earnest. If you keep knocking, keep asking, and I guarantee you this is like prayer on steroids. A week of rending the heavens and coming and crying out to God. What do you need God to act on? I'll tell you, there's one child of ours in my prayers, in my wife's prayers, bring tears to our eyes sometimes. Lord, get that person to the altar. God, get them broken and humble. God, I'll give up a meal, I'll not eat all day or all week. God, show me what needs to happen. And he just says, wait, just wait on me. But Lord, I want it to happen now. It needs to happen now. We're in dire times. It's getting darker, not lighter. Time is running out. The world is getting evil. But he says, wait on me. And just God, oh God, would you rend the heavens? He said, just wait on me and I will begin to answer and hear the cries of my people. What about finances? Fear, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, confusion, anger. Did you know that the best one, I didn't talk about this Sunday. I'm going to talk about it next Sunday. But one of the best cures for anger is waiting on God. There's not much to get angry about. Things aren't happening on time. It's his problem. If it's his will, it's his bill. We're God's guides, he provides. I sound like one of those TV preachers now. Don't get me started. So what do you need him to act on? And that's why we're going to open the altar again. There's something special that takes place about coming forward, bowing down, putting our agenda, getting low, and saying, God, take over. God, take over. And then obviously, I don't know everyone here tonight or those listening later, but is he waiting on you to come to the knowledge of your sin? Is God waiting on you? Because a lot of people think, well, I'm waiting on God to do something. I'm waiting on God to show me. No, often he's waiting on you, especially when it comes to those who don't know him. You do not want to live your life with a question mark here. Do you truly know him? You've got to answer that question. You've got to cry out to him. And I've noticed over the years that God is waiting on us a lot more than we're waiting on him. Could it be that God is waiting on us? Could it be that God is having us turn off the Internet, turn off the media, and just come for a week? Just come for a week and lay down our schedule and make him the priority? He acts for those who wait upon him. Here's the key. Everything we're doing this week, everything we're doing is focused on that. We're trying to help this congregation wait on God. And this is exactly what it looks like. We just had a person not too long ago tell us that they don't come here because it's too much worship. And you guys don't know this, but I get to hear from the ushers. Sometimes people leave, like, after my message, right after, you know, right when worship begins, like, this is not my cup of tea. I bet it's not because your cup of tea is lukewarm. Sorry. But isn't that true? When God moves, you either get to this altar or you will leave. When something's really convicting, your heart is either jumping for joy because it's being ministered to, it's being fed, or you want to leave because it irritates the darkness you enjoy. So what most of you know, of course, communion is for believers, and we come and we remember what Jesus did. We remember the cross, and the bread represents the body that was bruised, the body that was broken. We remember the juice as the blood that was shed. It's remembering. Do you ever, the power of remembrance, I wish I could talk about that for a while. And do you remember husbands and wives? Do you remember if you're fighting? Do you remember when you first met? And you remember, so you start to remember, ah, remember the first love. Remember that. And you go back to, remember what Jesus did for me. How many of us would change our evening if we remember, remember what Jesus brought you through? I don't know about you, but I should have been dead about six times over. I've had guns pulled on me. I've rolled vehicles. I've rolled vehicles. I've had 357s pointed right on me. But still, God, God is faithful. What has he brought you through? What predicament? What situation? What fear? What depression? If it wasn't for the grace of God, none of us would be here. Let me tell you that up front. If it wasn't for the grace of God. And so remembering that, thank you, Jesus. Thank you for what you did on that cross. Thank you for Calvary, Golgotha, the place of the skull, the place of death, the place of sacrifice. Something powerful happens when kids experience the power of God. We have to remember, he loves them just as much as he loves us. Jesus said, don't cast away the little ones. God's heart is for the little ones. And we need to be praying for them this evening as well.