The Holy Spirit - Part 7 — Keith Daniel

To hell. You will go straight to hell. Put it out quickly. So the man threw it down and put it out and said sorry. And he looks at Roy. And I of course was trying everything to stop him and he said now don't you ever smoke again or you'll go straight to hell.

He was very small. Well no one laughed. Everyone choked and gasped and looked and trying to hide their faces. And this poor man was dying looking didn't know where to look. And I grabbed Roy. You know I died a bit that day.

And then he did the same a few weeks later and he did worse. I won't tell you what the woman did that he I can't tell anybody what happened in that home. It was unbelievable what that woman did when he screamed.

So I said listen Roy come. You've got to deal with. We've got to sort this out. Boy you can't do that. You can't go screaming at people. He must have been listening to Christians and conventions and conferences and everywhere just picked up little things here and there.

Salvation Must Precede External Reform

That smoking was sent. Well I said Roy if he gives up smoking he's still going to hell. That's not going to save his soul. You don't tell a man to stop smoking if he's not saved. You don't put the cart before the horse boy.

He has to have an encounter with Jesus. You can make him stop smoking. You can make him stop drinking stop swearing. You can change his clothes make him stop going here and there and go to church. He's still going to hell.

That won't save him. He's still going to hell. It doesn't matter. It's not what he does. It's what Christ did that saves him. And when he gets through to Christ's salvation these things Christ throws out of his life.

These things just throw out of his life. But you don't make a man change and change everything before he thinks he can be. Nothing will do that salvation apart from faith in the blood of Christ and the risen power of Christ.

And Christ will set him free to what he ought to be. So don't you ever speak like this again. Well Roy finally the message got through. You know the message got through. And he never did that to us by the by just before I leave Roy just to be just Roy did get mature and he's become one of the most gentle caring wise discerning godly upright people I've ever met in my life.

Person that I've ever met in my life. I cannot tell you in words befitting befitting what my son has become in the hands of God. In case you're all sitting there worrying about my life with my son you can have comfort.

He's changed. He's become godly and a great blessing. Of course it's different if someone is under conviction then it's different. If the holy ghost is convicting a person it's different. And he comes to you for advice as to what's right in a Christian's life and he looks to you.

Rebuke, Conviction, and Spiritual Counsel

Then you've got to be honest and true and straight without compromise. Mr. Macfarlane was preaching in a prayer meeting one day. The oldest prayer meeting I think in our land's history. Oh men in their 90s coming every week to pray through for Africa.

To pray through to the world. And the blood bath that the world thought would happen in southern Africa. One of the reasons it didn't happen was that prayer meeting. The godliest saint Mr. Mac preached one night there.

He's preached many nights. Many of those people came to Christ when he was a young man through his ministry. But he gave this word to God. I was in the meeting and after the meeting they had tea and refreshments cakes and everybody after the meeting was standing around before they travel from all over the city.

They had fellowship before they left the prayer meeting. After Mr. Mac had preached and prayed through. Now we're all having fellowship. But a man stood there and he was in the prayer meeting. He heard Mr. Mac preaching and he suddenly lit a cigarette up.

He starts smoking the cigarette. You know I saw Mr. Mac looking at him. I mean to stand there in that hall after that service and light a cigarette. Eventually he said to Mr. Macfarlane there's nothing wrong with smoking.

Is there Mr. Macfarlane. I mean spurge in smoke he said. And he looked at Mr. Mac. He said people tell me that it's wrong for a Christian to smoke. I can't see what's wrong. It's not a moral sin. It's not morally decadent.

I'm faithful to my wife. It's something to do with the health they say. But I can take you to people who smoke till the day they die that are more healthy with people that haven't smoked. I can take you to people who drink coffee that does more damage.

They haven't got a right to tell me to stop smoking. They drink so much coffee they're doing more damage to themselves. Where do you draw the line. There's nothing wrong in smoking Mr. Mac. What do you think.

It's not wrong. Do you for a Christian to smoke is it. Mr. Mac shook the whole hall. I mean Mr. Mac doesn't shout. He just doesn't shout this godly man he shouted and no one could believe it. He looked at this man and he said you know it's wrong.

Why do you ask me what you know is wrong. He walked away. Well that was the end of the socializing. Do you know that man that night put his cigarettes down never smoked again. You know that man that night through that rebuke met with God in such a way that he left his work and became a soul winner a preacher.

And he became a great preacher. He became a soul winner in our land. He needed a rebuke to stop playing the fool with God. And he got it from one of the godliest men this time that there is a Nathan needed to the David who thought his sin was it.

David's Repentance and the Need for Godly Confrontation

Oh have you noticed though when I spoke to Mr. Mac about this incident Mr. Mac said Keith if a Christian comes to you and asks you if something's wrong for a Christian to do it's because he knows it's wrong.

He's under conviction. And if the Holy Spirit is in him he knows. When Nathan came to David and confronted David about his sin. Did you know what David said when he got on his knees smashed by that confrontation about his sin he said my sin is ever before me.

My sin is ever before me. They know. And sometimes it's needed sometimes it's needed for a Nathan. But be sure it's God leading you. When you confront a man all you'll do is damage. Be sure that it's God leading you before you confront someone about their sin brother.

But when they're under conviction that's different. How does God the Holy Spirit convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. How does God the Holy Spirit convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.

How the Holy Spirit Uses the Word and a Prayerful Life

Two things. He anoints the word of God and he anoints a life. Those two things only does God the Holy Spirit use. He anoints the word of God to the degree to which you soak your message in prayer preacher.

And to that degree only. And he anoints a life to the degree that you soak your life in prayer. He anoints the word. He honors his word above all things. God says Hebrews 4 verse 12. The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing.

Don't bypass using the word in the pulpit. This is what God uses to convince the world of sin. But oh God showed me how he honors this word above all things and how he anoints it to the degree that you pray and soak your life.

And the people you to preach to. And the word especially to that degree God give us another Jonathan Edwards that started the first revival in America's history. A revival that went on sweeping across your land over 120 30 years until millions and millions of your forefathers were saved by the revival started through a man called Jonathan Edwards taken on by George Whitfield and even further by Charles Finney.

Revival History and the Power of Prayer

And even further in the prayer revival where millions came to God. And even further by Moody but just kept on back like wave. But it started through a man that prayed for three days. He did not eat three nights.

He did not sleep. He groaned before God give me new England weeping give me new England. And as he was groaning for God God gave him a message. God led him to scripture upon scripture as the tears poured down as he turned the pages.

He wrote a sermon that is the most famous sermon in earth history apart from the sermon in the to God.