If You Stand Before God Today — Keith Daniel

Transcript

Thank you. Thank you for the most lovely evening of singing. Bless you. For everyone that sang up here tonight and everyone that played, how we bless God for you. I think we ought to just bless God also for the dear director, the music director of this church.

I think I'm supposed to put this higher, is that right, brother? I hope that's better. And I think it's not supposed to be in my pocket. Sorry. I'll put it on. I'm learning with this one. There you are.

It's nearly there. Done. I hope that works better. We do thank God for the director also, the music. I think you need to have a ministry of encouragement, otherwise you don't have any worthwhile ministry at all on earth.

Encourage this dear man who pours himself out. And oh, what a blessing it is the way he brings out the best and prayerfully and anointed and carefully on hymns that don't just thrill us to listen to, but thrill our souls as we glorify Jesus in his presence.

So bless you, dear sir, for what you've managed to bring out of these gifted and lovely people. But under the guidance and anointing of God, we bless God for you too. I'd also like to just say one or two thank yous.

I was given a book by Mr. John Edmondson. John Edmondson, he's 75 years old. Well, he held me out a book that's a hundred years old and one that meant a lot to him. And I'm very grateful for that book.

So I've glanced and I know it's going to be a wonderful blessing to me. Thank you for that lovely gift. Then also for the lady D .D. Swint, is that her name? It's a very unusual name. Okay, D .D. Swint, we thank the Lord for her zeal and longing to just do some service to God.

And she was such a blessing, her spirit this morning, taking photographs of this poor old man. I don't know that's a ministry to do that. I believe to children and in the church and for all sorts of things she does it as God leads her.

And she just wanted my children and my family to have a photograph of me. So she took a lot and I hope that all of them she'll find one that I look human. I've never quite got used to photographs, but she really was good this morning and her kindness, I just thank her for.

And the lunch we had with Jack and Fran Sutton, we went to a wonderful restaurant and we had a lovely time with the assistant pastor, his whole family and them and myself. And we really were blessed. And thank you for that, dear brother and sister.

I was on the way back from there to Harry Shed's home and Lubbe, Lubbe, Lubbe, Lubbe, Libby. Oh, okay. And Libby, sorry Libby, forgive me. And they're good and lovely children. They sang, they played the pianos and I enjoyed very much the lovely song nearest and nearest that they wanted to sing in their home to me.

And I feel very unworthy that they went to that trouble. And I was sitting there just feeling so unworthy and so humbled by their longing just to do something that would bless my heart while I was in their home.

Thank you so much. God bless you as a family. And you will. And to Jesse P. Grubb, Norman Grubb, I hope he's not your father. Okay. Great heritage if you've come from the Grubbs. Anyway, Jesse, I think it was your sister that I signed her Bible last night, also Grubb.

And you left this lovely card and the words you said, thank you, young man. And I know the desire of your heart just by the way you wrote and the integrity of which you wrote those words. Thank you. I hope I'm saying thank you to everyone.

Thank you to the minister that's traveled so far, to the brother that was welcomed. And thank you for bringing your people along also with you all those many miles. I'm saying that because I don't want to keep you on Friday night and just say thank you for two hours.

That's how long I preach. I'm not supposed to say thank you for two hours. Oh, you are wonderful that you haven't thrown me out yet with my long sermons. But I do appreciate very much America. And well, God has been good to me.

Zeal for Hearing and Studying God's Word

For some reason, God helps the people of the Lord just to forget about the watches. And oh, I so long for that everywhere in the world, amongst God's people who sit in front of a television, many of them, and for three hours will scream with excitement as if you think it's the end of the world at a rugby match, a football match, and they won't move.

Excited, but one hour sitting under God's word. And they look at the watch. Oh, why don't you get excited about God for three hours, brother? You will be amazed what happens. Just open the Bible for three hours.

My daddy used to open it the whole day, many days, every single minute, right through Isaiah. I said, what are you reading? Oh, he's just finishing up Isaiah. He just started in his quiet time and he decides to read right through.

That was his day off, his Saturday. He read through it, by the way. If you love God's word, you'll end up weeping through it. Well, be careful. Sometimes the tears here aren't as meaningful as people who don't have tears here, but they're half filled with tears.

It's not so much the outward things. But thank you to all of you. And God wonderfully bless you for coming from near and far. Now let's have a little prayer, a short prayer before I just bring that which I believe God has laid on my heart.

Can we bow before the dear Lord, please? We just bow before the dear Lord. Father, have mercy on us. Keep us under the blood of Jesus the Christ. Cleanse the atmosphere of this building with the blood of Jesus Christ.

All the powers of darkness, rebuke thou thyself in a way. Oh God, wash me in the blood of Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit and anoint thy word to our hearts. Jesus Christ's name for his sake. In 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 9, we read these staggering words.

Judgment for Those Who Do Not Know God

He will return. He will return in flaming fire. In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God. In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God. And that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction.

Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction. The presence of the Lord and the glory of his power. The great white throne that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great. To those who thought they just lived as they wanted to and all there was to life was just to live as you want to. And you die, land up six feet under the ground in a little wooden box.

And that's all there was. That's the end. That's all there was. The whole sole purpose of your being given life was to land up in that box. Nothing further. What a shock when suddenly you find it wasn't the end.

There's something further. I'm still alive. I never die for all eternity. My soul lives. It never ceases. Never ever ceases. What a shock to the man who wakes up and he can feel though he's left his physical body behind.

He can see. He can see what he's missed. He can recognize who's there. He can shout and beg, O Father Abraham, send Lazarus just to dip the tip of his finger in water and touch my tongue. I am tormented in this flame.

And then he's told, no, there's no such a thing as changing your mind. There's no such a thing as pleading for mercy. There's no such a thing as mercy shown to you after death. All eternity, no matter how you scream and beg, the only mercy that will ever be shown to your soul is before you die.

I saw the dead, small children and great grown-ups stand before God. And the books were opened. The book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged every man according to his works. And hell were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, not a physical death, an eternal state of separation from God. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast. That for all eternity will bear the marks that he tasted death for every man.

It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God, though he died for you and tasted death for you and pled with you. Why will you die? Turn ye, turn ye from your evil way. Why will you die?

God pleads with man. Why? Oh, it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast. Oh, that's a terrible ending. There's a separation from the love of God there, that casting of the soul, not the physical body.

The soul that can feel with the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever. They have no peace. For the devil and all his demons, all the millions of angels who rebelled with him against God, who are now desperate demons, the lake that burned with fire and brimstone is filled with them.

And every soul whose name is not found written in the book of life casts into the lake of fire. God says there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth is suffering. It is torment and it is eternal. The smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever.

They have no peace. Hebrews nine, verse twenty seven. God says verse twenty seven, it is appointed. It is appointed unto men once to die. After this, the judgment, the judgment, God says nothing else after that, sir.

No changing your mind when you see you still live and you never will die. Never will you die. It is appointed unto men once to die a physical death. There's a moment God has never taken by surprise, no matter how you die, no matter how violently you die, no matter how shamefully you die, no matter how suddenly you die, no matter what shock the world has when you die in a snap.

God is not taken aback by any death. Every hair on your head is numbered. That word appointed is a staggering word. There's a moment. There's a moment appointed for you to be cut off, whether you're small, child or great or grown up.

You will stand before God after that. After hell, which is immediate until the great white throne and then for eternity in the smoke, the lake that is thrown, it is appointed unto men once to die. After this, God says the judgment, the judgment.

Preparing to Meet God in Sudden Death

I'd like for us tonight to consider this thought, to consider this thought. If you faced death, it is possible, you know, don't you think that's possible? Ten years ago, and while I was preaching, a heaviness came in my heart, passion and a grief and a burden that I began to cry out with such strain in my heart from the pulpit.

But I was halfway through my sermon and as I was standing there feeling this urgency, a man in the front row fell forward first to see him slumping. And I quickly ran down from the pulpit and he fell and sprawled on the floor.

For help, it is a doctor or a nurse. There was a nurse in the congregation. She came. She took his pulse. She looked up and a tear fell down her face and she said, Mr. Daniel, he's gone. This man has just died.

Oh, that shocked me. That shook me. I had not got to the end of my sermon. I had not made an appeal. Do you think you're going to even have time to reach an appeal where God will give you time to consider to get out here and get right with God?

Because someone's preaching. It's a congregation. And I said, this man has died. And I said to them, please, the ambulance will have to be coming. And I would like us all to go home now. I could never preach after that.

No one would want me to. I was shaken and everyone was shaken. And I said, would you all rise and go and come back tomorrow night and pray. And as they rose up and that was a great thronging crowd of people in that big auditorium, in silence, they rose and began to turn and suddenly my heart sank again.

And I looked out at them with such compassion and urgency, and I cried out with a loud, loud voice. If you face death right now. If you face death right now, would you be prepared to meet with God? If you face death right now, would you face it having prepared to meet with God?

Peace Through Salvation in the Face of Violence

A number of years ago, I was preaching in a town. And it's my custom every day is much of the day to be alone with God through the years, with the sermons, praying through what to preach. And when I get guidance to take hold of my notes and to soak myself in prayer and to go over the sermon so that I have it in my mind fresh and have liberty, I go over and pray and soak myself in the whole town and prayer.

And I was seeking God in this one town the one afternoon of the week of meetings. And I saw the sun was shining in the winter. It was shining through. So I decided to go out in the moment and have some fresh air.

And I walked down to the beach front, which was about 100 yards from the church. And I got away from the little group. It wasn't a Saturday. It wasn't a holiday. There was no crowds on the beach swimming, though it was a holiday resort area.

And I got away from where the parking was and the lifeguards and the built up little area of that beach. And I began to walk and just walk. And I walked getting exercise and fresh air and was praying what I should have been doing in church.

I was now doing just walking and going over my sermon. No one was there, just walked away and way further and further until I was out of sight and no one could see me just walking along that lonely beach.

It didn't occur to me as I was praying, communing with God as I was going over the sermon. It didn't occur to me I was in any danger getting out of sight in such a lonely place there in Africa. Suddenly, two men just out of nowhere appeared over the dunes coming toward me running.

And I looked at them. Within seconds, they were close to me. And I realized I was in terrible trouble. As I looked at their faces, I realized these are bad men. And I turned and I realized no one could see me.

I was so far from anyone. I'd walked so long away from the crowd, from where there were people. Pulled out these blades, long blades, and they came at me, swooshing them. One behind me, one in front of me, screaming like animals, swearing and cursing as the blades dismissed me by a fraction of an inch dismissing as I was trying to avoid them.

They swooshing. Suddenly, the man behind me grabbed me and pulled me down and held me. And the other one got on and put his knee on me, on my body. And he stood there with his blade, staring at me. One holding me down from behind shouted, kill him.

And suddenly, I saw blood as they just no pain. But I just saw blood just flowing everywhere. Then suddenly, my thoughts began to think these thoughts, oh God, I'm going to die. My time is finished. I'm going right now to be with Jesus.

I'm going home, never to be tempted again by the devil. To fail my God, my journey's ended. I'm going to be with Jesus. And as I thought these thoughts, suddenly, the most amazing thing happened. It was like a wave of divine love just flowing through me.

And my whole being lifted up into worship. And I began to worship God. I just began to praise God loud and worship him for salvation. And suddenly, as I was worshiping God, I began to hear this man shouting.

I began to focus consciousness on him again and my eyes on him. And tears were coming to put his knife down. And he leaned forward over me. How can you have no fear when you know I'm going to kill you?

How can anyone die like this? You die like this. And I looked at him. And I said, it's because I'm saved. I'm washed in Jesus Christ's blood. He saved my soul because I prepared to meet with God. I've obeyed God's gospel.

I'm ready to meet with God. And there's a verse in the Bible, you see, that says, fear not, fear not them which are able to kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Father, which is both able to destroy the body and the soul in hell.

Suddenly, this man broke down, sobbing. He stood up, sobbing. His friend pushed himself from behind me and got up and began to hit him and swear. How can you weep? What's wrong with you? He hits him, swearing at him.

We hate these people. In our land, we had terrible racial, political problems. So as I looked at this one man, how is it possible a man can hate me with such hate and who knows nothing about me? And then this man said, let's just kill him.

The man said, no. Tears streaming down his face. He looked at me and said, sir, I have made a very, very big mistake here today. I'm so wrong what I've done here today. I'm so sorry. And I began to cry out to them both about God.

I shut up and began to talk to them with my whole heart, weeping, just crying out to them about God, able to save their souls. This one man said to the other, let's just get away, because he started crying and he pulled his friend and let's just get away, please.

And he pulling, let's get away from him. And they began to run. And then at some point they turned around as their conscience was smiting me, looking at me lying there in all my blood. And I shouted at them and said, I want to see you in heaven one day.

You'll be sure you get to heaven, that you seek God to save your soul. Don't let me have gone through this for nothing. Be sure you get saved and forgiven of your sin. I want to see you in heaven. They just looked at me weeping and then they ran.

As they were just running. I got up and somehow got back to where people found me and they took me to hospital. They got my wife. She stood beside me, holding my hand in silence as they stitched me my body up where I'd been cut.

And there was silence as they were stitching me and my wife just standing looking. And only then I began to reason with God about what happened. And I began to say to the Lord in my heart, God, why? Why did thou allow this to happen to me?

Why, God? I was not out there involved in sin that I need to be rebuked and chastened by God. I was not involved with sin. I was in prayer. I was preparing myself to preach to serve God. Why would thou allow such a thing to happen to me, God?

I reasoned in my heart. And you know, as I sat there, God, my heart, no one will ever tell me for all eternity it was not God. For I shall never forget for all eternity what God whispered in my heart, in my innermost being, as I reasoned suddenly.

God whispered, I allowed this to happen to you, Keith, so that you could know how every man could die with peace that passes all understanding. No matter how they have to die, if they've only prepared to meet with me as thou hast, Keith, as you have.

If you face death, would you face it having prepared to meet with God? Will every single person in this building answer God right now, please? If you face death right now, would you face it having prepared to meet with God?

Would you face it having God's peace? Answer God, please answer God. If you face death right now, would you face it with men's blood on your hands? Would you face it having men's blood on your hands? Would you answer God, please, right now?

The Warning to Keep Others from Perishing

If you're not here for God, what are you doing here, sir, lady? If you face death right now, would you face it having men's blood on your hands? Shortly after I was saved, I went to theological ceremony, and I was far from my home, from my father and mother.

And on weekends, I befriended a family whose father and husband had been one of the most loved preachers in the history of South Africa. And he had led thousands and thousands to Christ. He was revered throughout the land, but he was gone.

And I was privileged to befriend that home as they took me under their wing, as they had a lot to do with all the students in this in this seminary. And on weekends and long weekends off, I would go to them, and it became like my little home as they loved me and embraced me as one of the family.

Oh, I got to love them. One of their daughters, the eldest daughter, her name was Anne. She was 20 years old, and I really liked this girl. She had character, and I really enjoyed her. There was a grief in my heart about Anne because she was backslidden.

She had known Jesus as a little girl and read through the Bible many times and led souls to Christ in her childhood. She'd been brought up in one of the most God-fearing homes in the whole of our land.

The privilege she had, she knew the gospel, she knew the depth of the things of God from doctrines, having heard some of the greatest preachers that ever lived. And that girl backslid, I don't understand that, you know.

It's something that I cannot grasp. How you could ever want to taste anything the devil offered you once you've tasted the love of Jesus Christ, I cannot comprehend how you could be satisfied again with anything the devil held up.

How could you turn away from tasting the presence of Jesus Christ, of his peace? Though she had tasted the love of God. There she was going out into the world now, 20 years old, breaking her mother's heart.

And there when I was there some nights, her heart tugging to go off to the world, she just walked out. And I saw her mother's eyes filled with tears, hoping she would have stayed. But off she went with her friends into the world.

And one night I said to her, Anne, how could you, how could you go back to the world? Do you know what you're doing to Jesus' heart? How could you enjoy anything of the world? She said to me, Keith, I don't enjoy anything of the world.

The Bible says the backslider, even in laughter, the heart is sorrowful. Even when you're laughing, your heart's sorrowful. Don't tell me to explain why or how it's possible. But that's a backslider. You go even though you know you're going to be unhappy being there.

She said, look at my mother, Keith. Do you think I don't know she doesn't get on her knees and not get off her knees, praying, calling unto God until she hears me come home? Never. What a hard time it is I got up.

My mother gets off her knees then. Do you think anyone in their right mind could enjoy their sin with their mother like that? No, Keith, a backslider has no happiness at all. But don't ask me to explain it.

But I'm going. And I'm going out tonight again. And as she turned to walk out the door, I stood up and I found tears coming down my eyes. And I said, and what is God going to have to do to you to make you stop going back to the world?

What is God going to have to do to you to make you stop seeking pleasure in the world? You're his child. She just looked at me as I said those words and she trembled because I was weeping as she walked out and said, go where the devil wanted her.

Two weeks later, they found she was riddled with cancer. Twenty years old. They just closed her body and left her to die, giving her a matter of days. She was so far. She sought God in such desperation when she was told she's going to die in days.

She sought God in such desperation for mercy and cleansing and forgiveness for breaking his heart and wounding him and trampling under the flesh, the blood of Christ kept her way through to peace with God and found peace.

Oh, she was flooded with peace that she knew. Now everything was confessed. Everything was begged for mercy. Everything had been covered with the blood and she sat back. But she didn't sit back and say, let me die now, having made my peace totally with God afresh.

She took the world and as soon as she made peace with God, as she lay dying, she begged every single friend she had on earth to come to her deathbed. And they came, they stood and rose and one after the other would go beside her.

And in frailty and in sickness and agony, she spoke to them and begged their forgiveness for having in any way joined in with sin. And for not having warned them, though she knew they were going to hell and damnation for all eternity, and it occurred to her again and again, but she never warned them to flee from the wrath, to come to prepare to meet with God.

She knew their damnation. She knew the judgment coming on them. She begged for forgiveness and she warned them, begging them to repent, turn to God, turn from your sin, seek God, don't go to hell. I beg you.

And they walked out one after the other came beside her and walked out sobbing one after the other as she begged and begged. And then there were those that wouldn't come, that refused to come, though she was dying, though she begged her friends to come.

She said to the nurse, telephone number down, take this name, go and phone him, say to him, you didn't come, though I begged you to come. But I beg you for forgiveness that I never warned you. You are going to hell.

You are going to damnation. Quote the verse, she said, the nurse said to write the verse, quote what God says, tell him to repent, tell him I beg him, repent and not to go to hell. But he's going to hell.

The nurse comes back and says, did you warn him? Yes, the nurse said, did you tell him he's going to hell? Did you quote the verses? Yes. Now take this number, phone this one, go and warn him. The nurse, weeping and trembling, would go back to the phone and phone the next one until moments before she died, she sat back and said these words.

No man, no man's blood is on my hands. She didn't want to face God with men's blood on her hands. If you face death right now, would you face it having men's blood on your hands? You never warned them because you were backslidden.

The reason you didn't warn every soul God will require of you for having responsibility. The only reason you never warned them is because you're backslidden or you would have warned them. There's no such a thing as not warning a man who God expected you to warn if you're right with God.

You never warned them because you were backslidden. If you face death right now, would you face it having men's blood on your hands? Would every single person in this building answer God right now? I beg you, answer God, say yes or no to him.

If you are a blind leader of the blind and one of the blind you are leading face death right now, what would you say to him? What would you say to him? I was once preaching in a town many, many years ago now and traveling by car across my country.

A Blind Leader Repents and Finds the Gospel

And I had miscalculated the time to get to that town. And I suddenly realized I'm late. The meeting is starting and I've got a long way to go. And I was praying. When I finally got into the town, it was dark.

I got to the house where I was to be with the hostess and the host. And the lady said to me, you're so late. They're singing, they're prolonging the sing, they're waiting. Just put your bags down, get your jacket on, get your tie on, go down.

So I quickly got myself as I walked out ready in my suit and my Bible in my hands. She said, we have another problem. There's one of the preachers of the town who's been here three times today wanting to see you.

He says he has to see you. He's suddenly come back here. You have to speak to the Anglican minister, the Church of England. He wants to see you. So I looked at this man standing in the lounge and I said, sir, I'm late.

That meeting is being prolonged. He said, I know you're late, but I want to pray with you before you preach. So I said, pray. And suddenly this Anglican minister began to groan and weep for the loss of that town.

And he agonized for a few minutes, just crying out to God to annoy me, crying out to God to save their souls from hell. And I opened my eyes as he was weeping, crying out to God for these souls to be saved, that I was the priesthood tonight.

And then he took me in his car straight down to the church and I preached. And as I was preaching, I looked, he was sitting in the front row and there he was weeping, the tears pouring down his eyes. And he was in prayer, praying, seeking God while I was preaching.

He was praying and he was an agonizing prayer for souls. After the services, the people left. Eventually, I found myself standing with him in the front of the church and I looked at him and I said, you know, sir, it's not always the Anglican ministers of the town that are the first to come and pray and weep for souls for me, for this town when I'm going to preach.

I'm so blessed with the way you have such a passion for souls and such a burden for souls. Tears welled his eyes again and he said, oh, Keith, boy, there was a preacher in the Anglican pulpit for over 20 years, a blind leader of the blind and all who were following me were going to fall into the ditch.

I was lost. I was so sincere. I spent two hours with God trying to seek God, praying the prayers of the prayer book of the Anglican hymn book, the Anglican prayer book, trying to have some form of communing with God.

I spent so much time preparing sermons that I thought somehow would bring people into a right relationship with God. I was so earnest for 20 years. I stood preaching. Then God took me one day when in this town, Keith, we haven't got a hospital that's big enough to cope with real bad accidents.

And so we have an ambulance service with two men in the town every hour of the day. Two men of the town have to be on duty for a certain time of the day and have to be close to a phone that are able to bring an ambulance down.

If there's any really serious accident or hurt to take the people down to the next town where there's a bigger hospital that can cope with serious cases. And he said the telephone rang and I was on duty and they said get down fast.

There'd been some terrible, terrible action just outside of the town. So I rushed out of my car and when I got there, there were cars all over the place. And I ran over to this body that was ripped apart, ripped apart.

And I knelt beside this body and it was still alive. He was still alive. And my heart sank when I realized it's one of the boys of my congregation who grew up from a little boy in front of me as I preached all through the years.

He was a young man now. Here he lay, his body ripped apart, the blood just flowing. And I gripped hold of him and said, oh no. And he looked and he recognized me as his moments left in life. He saw it was his preacher.

He said, father, that's what they call the angry preacher. Father, thank God I'm dying, I'm so full of sin. I'm so full of sin. I'm so wicked. I can't face God. I dare not face God. Help me. I cannot face God.

Help me to know what to do. Help me. They had a little stretcher. They pushed what was left of his body somehow onto the stretcher and they pulled him into the back of the ambulance. And they pushed me in and said, he needs you.

And they sped off. And I was there holding him. And he began to gropple. He was going. And I knew he had seconds left to live. And he said, father, help me. Please help me. I can't die. I can't face God like this in my sin.

He said, I tried to feel for my prayer book and I hadn't brought my prayer book. And I'm the kind of minister that can't pray without his prayer book. Help him. And suddenly that desperation, that fear in his eyes changed to condemnation as he realized that the man he had sat through his life listening to couldn't help him to face God when it came to death.

He died in my arms, Keith, with condemnation in his eyes. Oh, I couldn't recover from that. I just fell apart. I couldn't preach. I wouldn't preach that Sunday. I wouldn't get an exile. I wouldn't get up in the pulpit.

I said, no, I will never get up there again. As I began to reason who in my whole congregation, my whole ministry could face God in truth when it came to forgiveness of sins and truth. I couldn't eat.

I couldn't sleep. I began to just fall apart mentally. I began to break down, weeping through the day, condemning my heart. And one day, Keith, a married couple in this town who know you, they came to me and said, you're coming with us.

You're coming to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I said, no. My family even forced me to go with them. And they took me down to the next town, King Williamstown. And there was a big outreach going, a big crusade and a young man preaching.

He reminds me of you, Keith, the way you preach. He's young like you. He was preaching and I looked into that big hall full of people and I knew many and they knew who I was. And I said, I can't go in there like this.

Look at me, man. They know me. Don't make me go in looking like this. I stand at the door. I listen to him. But don't you make me go inside there. So I stood at the door listening as this young man presented the gospel.