Holiness： God Is Watching You — Keith Daniel

Praying Through Scripture and Seeking Godly Character

Thy word appear to us tonight. For Christ's sake and in his sacred name, we ask these things, amen. My father, my godly father, wept his way through the Bible. He wept his way through the Bible. I would go in the room or anyone, and there was father weeping for joy or weeping in grief at the things that grieved God.

But he wept himself, he wept through the sacred book. I know no other man has ever said that to me. But his heart was so tender and right that he wept at God's word. I didn't. I prayed. I remember from the night I was saved, 53 years ago, as a young person, as I read verse upon verse, I would pray about what I just read again and again.

I would stop all the time and just talk to God about what he had just said to me. I prayed my way through the Bible, and it seems to have stayed that way to this day, which I am very grateful for, for no one told me to do that.

But I am grateful I did it. Some of the statements in this holy book that God particularly made of very godly men so struck me, so stopped me, that I remember earnestly crying out to God from my soul concerning those statements, especially those statements that he made of godly men.

David, a man after God's own heart, a man after God's own heart. Now, that struck me, and I staggered over it. Can a man attain to that being said of him by God? A man after my own heart. Daniel, oh, greatly beloved, a man greatly, greatly beloved.

I was so stunned by that. Not just loved, but greatly. There was a greatness in the love behind those words of this particular man. And then Enoch. Enoch walked with God. That shook me. I remember praying, if David could be a man after thine own heart, then I can.

Oh, let those words be said about me, God. Somehow, let that be said of my life before I die. No matter what you have to do to make that of me. Daniel, greatly beloved, oh, that God could say that of me because of my life and my heart toward him.

I prayed for that. I cried for that. Enoch, if he could walk with God, then why can't I? Why can't that be said of me? Oh, I cried out to God to make that so in my life. And then Abraham. He was called the friend of God.

Not just a child of God saved by grace through the blood. No, the friend of God. Abraham, my friend, my friend, walk before me. Walk before me and be thou perfect. Genesis 17, which one? Walk before me and be thou perfect.

A staggering statement for God to say to a man he loved. What did God mean? What did God mean when he said to Abraham, walk before me and be thou perfect? Well, I believe God was saying to this man, Abraham, whatever you do, do it knowing I'm watching.

Whatever you do, do because I'm watching. I am watching. Be holy. For I am holy. Be holy. For I am holy. Be holy in all manner of conversation, in all manner of living, all your life. Whatever you do, be holy.

For I am holy. I am holy. And I am watching. Do it because I'm watching. And because I'm holy, be ye holy. Staggering words. Staggering words that God said to this man. If I was to be asked what it means to be holy, I could give you many definitions of the great theologians throughout the generations whose statements were recorded for the church's history.

I could give you many definitions of the greatest of theologians. Be holy. Something God's asking you to do. Asking of you that must be attainable. We wouldn't ask that. He wouldn't be putting us into derision or confusion.

It must be possible for whatever he's holding out to us. Be holy in all manner of conversation. What does it mean, though? Well, with all the definitions that I could give you, over the years I've come to believe this.

Holiness When No One Else Is Watching

You are as holy as you are when no one else is watching. Full stop. You are as holy as you are when no one else is watching but God. That is a staggering thought. A very, very staggering thought. When no one else is watching.

Integrity in Ordinary Decisions

Years ago, 1973, I was a young worker, a young missionary in the African Evangelistic Band, and they sent me to a place called Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. Now, my district superintendent, his name was Yanni Skoltz, a very wonderful, godly man, Afrikaans-speaking man.

He had me now to train, to watch over me, to nurture as a young missionary. One day he came to me and he said very earnestly, Keith, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. We have to leave tomorrow for this convention, and we have to leave early to get there in time with all the things we have to take to set things up, and people will be arriving.

We can't leave late. We have to leave early in darkness, and there's something overlooked to pick up in the center of the city. Now, Keith, I want you to get there. I want you to get in the car and get to that before it closes, and you've got a little while.

It's a short moment before all the doors close at 5 o 'clock in the city. I want you to get there. It's all waiting for us. Just go. Keith, don't come back if you don't make it. I don't want to see you again because then we're really in trouble.

Well, I got in the car, and I remember praying as I drove not to break the speed limit because a Christian doesn't do that. So I prayed for mercy. I prayed as I got to the lights that it wouldn't turn red and stop me.

Oh, I clung to get through the traffic. Somehow God got me there just before 5 o 'clock. Just a few minutes to go before they closed all the doors of the shop. Well, I remember looking for money to put into the parking meter.

Those days we had parking meters that you had to pay if you stayed. Well, I didn't have the right change, so I saw a man standing at the end of the day in the shop next to the one I had to go, and I said to him, could you possibly give me the right change?

He said, don't worry. No one will fax you. The police don't come here. You'll be fine. Just go. I said, it doesn't matter whether the police come. I want to pay. He said, I'll watch for you. I'll put money in if somebody comes.

You won't get caught. Now you go get your business and don't worry about paying. So I went into the other shop. I got all the articles that were waiting for me and got out. And as I got out, put the things in the car.

I took the money that the other shop had given me of the right change and coins. So I put it into the parking meter now. And I got in the car. Suddenly, this old man that was standing in the door, he was a Greek man, he came and banged on my window, and he looked very angry.

He said to me, what is wrong with you, man? Why did you put money in there? You didn't have to do that. I was watching for you. You wouldn't have got caught. I watched out. No police came. What do you put money in for when you don't have to?

So he looked pretty angry at me. I got out the car. I got out the car and looked at him, and I said, it's because I'm a Christian, because I'm a born-again, saved Christian. He said, but I'm a Christian also.

I said, no, you're not, sir. What, he says? What are you saying? How dare you say that? I'm a Christian as much as you. I said, no, you're not. He says, I'm an elder in a church. I've been in church all my life, I believe.

Oh, you're not saved. You're not a Christian, sir. What are you saying? Why would you say that? I said, sir, the difference between you and me, the difference between your Christianity and mine is that you only do the right thing if you're going to get caught by someone, if someone's watching that could catch you out.

The difference now between you and me is I do the same thing. Whether no one's watching, whether there's a grandstand put up by the devil, of all people that know me and know that I'm a young preacher who are watching me now, knowing I possibly will fail, no, I'll do the same thing whether there's a crowd watching or whether no one's watching because God is watching.

God is watching. And, sir, there's a great difference between true Christianity and just the name Christianity without living the life. God is watching, sir. I do it because of that, whether no one is watching because God's watching.

You only do it if people are watching to retain your credibility as an elder or a churchgoer, otherwise you don't do the right thing. Well, he was staggered, of course. He was staggered. There was a man, when I was a young district superintendent in Natal, in a place called Pietermaritzburg, there was a man called Lex Buchanan.

He was a farmer in a place called Cato Ridge, which is just outside, about 20 kilometers outside of Pietermaritzburg, where the headquarters of the AAB was, and I was living there with my wife and children.

Lex Buchanan and Integrity Under Pressure

Well, this godly man, Lex Buchanan, would come at least once or twice a month from his farm, and I would speak to him, and he was a great blessing to me. He was a very, very God-fearing man, and I preached often of his life, and things he said made me seek God for sermons that, in the light of the Scriptures, were the vital things that we're missing today.

He was a godly man, and I asked him one day how he was saved, how he came to know the Lord. He was quiet for a while, and then he said, all right, let me share with you. I was a young man, Keith, when the Second World War broke out.

I was just over 18, and I enlisted with many, many people in South Africa to go to fight against the German Nazi regime, alongside of Britain as an ally in South Africa. I remember leaving home. I'd never, ever sworn a dirty word.

I wasn't raised to be like that because of my godly parents. I never drank alcohol. I lived all I could to honor my father and mother, but I went to war. Now, there's a lot of the young people that grew up with me who also were farmers, farmers' children, farmers' sons, and they went, and we were no sooner in the battle, and then when we went off for the camp, back to the camp, and there were days off, I was stunned how these men who I grew up with that had never drunk alcohol, never smoked cigarettes, never used dirty language, suddenly they're drinking heavily because others were.

Suddenly, they're smoking and swearing, and I was so grieved with my childhood friends that were raised up with me. I said, but why? You've never had to do this. What do you do now just because these other people are doing it?

Why throw away all your integrity just because your father and mother aren't? Why do that? Well, my heart broke, Keith, and the years went by as they would go in where there was womanizing and things in the towns for women who tried to keep themselves alive by doing these things.

No, I would beg them not to. Why defile yourself? You never did before. You never had to, I would tell them. Nonetheless, no one knew the war would go on six years, long years. Many did not go back to their father and mothers, but I did.

By God's grace and by prayer, I stayed alive. I remember going home, the train, up to the ship and back to the farm, walking from the station down the roads where I grew up, up into the farm and up to the house.

They didn't know I was coming at that moment, and they all came out to greet me, all the workers, the nanny, putting their arms around me, weeping for joy that I'd return safely after all those years.

Well, eventually father and mother ran out, put their arms around me, weeping and thanking God I came home safely after all those years at war. Well, I said to my father and mother, Father, Mother, I need to get along with you immediately.

I need to speak to you alone. We got alone in the lounge. Father said, What is it, Dex? He looked at me very earnestly. I said, Father, Mother, the other children that grew up with me, most of them, they defiled themselves, they threw their integrity and decency away and everything that they were raised to believe and be, they threw it away just because others did it.

And so they just threw everything away. But I want you to look at me, Father. I want to look at you. I have lived for this moment for years now. I want to look at my father and say these words. I never did one thing.

I never did one thing just because you weren't watching, just because you weren't watching over me or aware of what I was doing. I did never one thing which would disgrace you or break your heart or disappoint you, not once, no matter what the others did.

I never did a thing that would shame you, Father. And I want to say that to you before anything else. My father looked at me and said, Lex, I thank you, my son, but I expected nothing less from you. I expected nothing less from you, my son, nothing less than that.

I expected. A staggering statement. The godliest man I ever knew, Will McFarland, second male worker in the history of our mission many, many years ago. He's dead now. But his life was greatly responsible for my family turning to God, very much responsible, and for our standard that we sought to attain in life after our salvation.

His life. Oh, he was a godly man. And I was greatly privileged to have the honor of knowing him and being nurtured in many ways by him. When I was the district superintendent, he would live down the road in a little cottage that he and his wife had until she died, but he stayed on there.

There's a cottage behind the bookroom of Christian Bookroom Manors' home that they gave to him to stay. Well, when I would go to preach, which was often, I would go for 10 days at a time. Our young workers would go out and do all the preparation, the advertising, and then I would go up there and preach.

In any church that God opened the doors for us, well, before I left, we would wait for Mr. McFarland to arrive. He came with a little suitcase and a little hat, and he arrived before I left, and he wanted to be there to look after Jenny, my wife, and the children.

He loved my wife very dearly. He has a daughter. Nonetheless, when he came, before I would drive off to go away now and leave them to go and preach, Will McFarland would pray, let us pray before you leave.

There at the car, he would take his hat, bow his head, and we all would, and he would pray as I've never heard another man in my life pray, never, with such gravity, such earnestness, such faith, and such words I don't know if I've ever heard before anyone praying.

Oh, he cried out, God, here goes a man to the battlefield, to the front line of the battle. Satan is watching. Rebuke the devil away in the name of Jesus Christ, for Satan would do anything to hurt him, to stop him, to stop people from going to hear him preach.

Move by the Holy Ghost in that town that people would be seeking thee in their hearts and don't even know why they're seeking thee. And we'll go to the meetings. Oh, God, do it before the meetings even begin.

Prepare. And so he would pray and I would go. Oh, I missed his prayers because when I went to those towns, people were seeking God before even the meeting. People would arrive at the place I was to stay wanting to pray for God's salvation, and I knew why when he died.

The gap of his prayers that took hundreds of people praying for me with our newsletters that we have for prayer before I sensed the presence of God, the power of God's Holy Ghost working in a town as it was when that one man prayed for me when he was alive.

Oh, he would look after the family. When I got back from preaching, I would say, Mr. Mack, don't go. Hang on for a while. Don't go. I need fellowship with you also. Don't go home. Just stay on for a few days and I'd like to have fellowship with you.

You don't have to go back to your little cottage now. And so he would very willingly unpack his little bags and be part of the family, and I so enjoyed his fellowship. One day I walked through the house from the bedroom and looked for everyone.

There was no one to be found. And so it was a very long passage, a very large house. It was the headquarters of the AB. And I went down to the lounge and I heard voices in there, so I stood at the archway and I looked through and they didn't know I was looking.

Daniel’s Resolve Not to Defile Himself

And there sat Mr. MacFarlane with my two sons. In those days they were little boys, young boys. They were at schoolgoing age. But there they were now. One was sitting on that side of him, the other...

And he opened the Bible. And he was reading to them as they were listening to him, looking up intensely, as he, with a great gravity and an amazing anointing that few preachers I've ever heard of had, he read from the Book of Daniel.

He read from Daniel chapter 1, and he read slowly how Daniel, as a young boy, was taken away by Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered all the lands of the earth, most of them of the known lands, and he took captives of young men to train them, the cream, the royalty, the best thereof, of all the children of these people who were now enslaved, and he would take them back.

He would take them back to Babylon, and he would have them set aside and prepared to run the kingdom in many spheres, because they showed more brightness, more wisdom than others. Well, Daniel found the young boy, he was alone, he was away from home.

He doesn't tell us what happened to his mother and father, but they weren't there. He was young, he was a child, suddenly taken from his home, his land, his parents, his home, and thrust into ungodly people's hands and influences and demands.

Well, Daniel was told to do things to obey the king, to obey those that were set over these young men, to teach them, to nurture them. He was told to do things that God forbade, that God said, no, thou shalt not, in the sacred book, and Daniel knew that.

Well, Daniel purposed in his heart, Daniel purposed in his heart, Mr. McRow had read from the front page there of Daniel, that he would not defile himself, he would not defile himself in the sight of God, breaking God's commandments and laws, which he knew were against the will of God.

The commandments of God, and would grieve God. He made a decision. It was a decisive moment in his life, a dedication, as a young man, a dedication to be holy, no matter what the consequences, and there's always consequences, there's no such a thing of not facing the consequences for the rest of your life.

But, oh, rather that than face the consequences of wasting your life with compromise. Oh, he was expected to be as they were, all the other children, obey, you know, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

No, Daniel said, no. He purposed, he made up his mind, once for all, forever, as a young boy, a decisive moment in his life that he would not defile himself, no matter what the consequences, no matter what happened to him.

Well, God was watching, God was watching. He had a dedication, right then, of life as a young boy, and that's possible. Now, Mr. Macfarlane said as he turned to know this young boy, now, and Roy, the other side, looking at him intensely, gripped by what he was reading, Daniel would not compromise.

No, Roy, any moment now, you're going to find yourself in the same situation. Any moment now, don't doubt this. You will find yourself where mother and father are not watching, and where it's your decision.

When other things are being done that you know will grieve God, that you wouldn't do if your father and mother were watching. You have to do the same. You have to make a decision in life. You have to seek God for his smile, for grace, to not do wrong, to not break the commandments, the known will of God, the things of standard you were brought up with.

No, when no one's watching, you're going to find... Don't blame peer pressure if you're given. Don't blame lack of censorship if you watch filth. If you are wicked, it's your decision. Don't listen to other people.

You are as holy as you want to be. No. Don't blame circumstances. You are as holy as you want to be, Roy. Don't let anyone lie to you. If you're saved, you're as holy as you want to by the grace of God.

But it takes a dedication that is going to affect the rest of your life, a decision to be holy, no matter what the cost, and to seek God with your heart, that he gives you that grace. You have to be holy.

Guarding Holiness in a Corrupt Culture

A godly woman once said to me, Keith, years ago when this land was protected by the government, we were safe in many avenues, but now there's no protection. Censorship is gone. Indecency is just norm.

Filth, depravity, blasphemy, moral decadence in the media, the films, the television, the screens, the books, the magazines. Oh, years ago, we were protected when our government was strict in censorship.

Now we have that no more. But that gives us no excuse, Keith. That gives us no excuse. Now we have to protect ourselves. By the grace of God, we can. It's our personal choice, step-by-step, what we watch when no one else is watching on their television, now that we've got this in our country.

And it's going down, down, down, morally, as the years go by. But we look at it in magazines that we pass. If we get a loaf of bread, you're going to pass things that years ago would be looked upon and termed as pornography, and now it's the front pages.

Their standards have all changed. Someone's rewritten the rule book. Someone's redrawn the line of what decency is. And the law protects them. Oh, no one's watching. It doesn't matter. My children aren't watching.

My church is not watching. And so you pick that magazine up. You look. You don't switch that box off. You read things. But God is watching. But God doesn't matter. If people were watching, oh, you wouldn't pick that up.

You wouldn't watch. You'd put that box off. But God's watching. But He's only God. Doesn't matter. Is that your religion? You say you're saved. You say you're saved. You are as holy as you want to be.

You are as holy as you are when no one is watching. Full stop. And God's grace is there. He could never ask us to be holy. To walk before Him. Because He's watching. And because He's holy, to be holy.

We have to be very careful here. Christianity can go along. And you can find yourself doing anything. Even though God's watching. Because no one else is watching. But oh, you do the right thing. Preachers, when those who know you're a preacher are watching.

You do the right thing professing father, Christian father, mother, children. You do the right thing when they're watching. But what when no one else is watching? When they're not there. When you won't be caught.

Even if God's watching. Oh, it's only God, you say. Oh, you may not say you say that, but that's what you are saying. And God really doesn't matter, does He? In your Christianity. Careful now. Does that offend you?

Well, it must. Well, there's something radically wrong with you if this is your life. We read in Romans 12 verse 1, I beseech you, therefore brethren, I beg you literally, I beg you, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your body a living sacrifice.

There's something here of a total surrender, a total dedication as Daniel did. There's a total dedication to holiness. That ye present your bodies a living sacrifice. Not some dead animal. You put it on the altar.

Everything on the altar. No matter what the cost. No matter who comes upon you as a result. You present your bodies a living sacrifice. The next word says holy. Holy. Acceptable unto God. Which is your reasonable service.

That's expected of you. I expected nothing less of you, Lex. I expected nothing less from you. Oh, but now God's saying it. The next verse says, be not conformed to this world. Don't be influenced by the world when you're away from father and mother, young man.

And do the things they do in one moment to not get into trouble, to not be ostracized. Be like Daniel, no matter what. You purpose in your heart that you will not compromise. And you find there is a cost to holiness of life.

All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Not all who say they're saved. Most will never suffer persecution because they're just the same in their lives as others. But all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Don't doubt that now. Be not conformed to this world. Don't let this world influence you to compromise or to the standard that isn't God. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Sanctification, Blamelessness, and the Call to Persevere

That's staggering. The last little passage I'd read is from 1 Thessalonians 5. Abstain from all appearance of evil. Anything that's questionable. Anything that is a question mark. Don't. That's the Holy Ghost in you.

And common sense and integrity and sensitivity and transparency. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 22. Abstain. Don't go near. Don't compromise. Don't be conformed. Because you're just there with Oldfield. From all appearance of evil.

That's something. And the very God of peace. The next verse is sanctify you wholly. As he cries as you. He sees your cries a young man Daniel. A young boy. And makes your life stagger the powers of hell as very few have in history.

Throughout your life. Because of what you made up your mind to be as a young boy. Christian do you need to do this? Do you need to come to a place where you make a decision where God will do this work.

The very God of peace sanctify you wholly. Don't unstop there. And I pray God your whole spirit. That's something to think of. And soul. And body. That's something to think of. Be preserved. Blameless.

Be kept blameless. Not faultless. That happens when you go to heaven. But blameless in the light you've been given. Blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the next verse is staggering.

Faithful as he that calleth you. That calleth you to this. Who also will do it. You may be saved. You may be God's child. Young Daniel. You may be saved for a long time. But have you ever come to a place where such a desperate cry to God.

Such a desperate stand in your heart. To purpose in your heart in such a way that it was the turning point of your life forever that kept you. That kept you to death. May God give you grace. What little moment left of life is there for you.

As a Christian. To seek God. To make up your mind and to purpose in your heart. In this compromising age where the church is so like the world. The world doesn't know the difference most of the time. It's become a laughing stock to the unsaved.

Because you're just like them. Why should they seek what you are? Because they are what you are. In truth. No matter what the cost. Daniel. Purpose in your heart. Seek God. I beg you. Present your bodies.

A living sacrifice to be holy. To be sanctified holy. Kept. Blameless. Your whole body, soul, spirit. Blameless. To be preserved. To be kept blameless. Until the coming of Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you to this.

That asketh of you Abraham. Who also will do it? Enoch. Daniel. David. Abraham. And you. If you let him. And seek him now. Father bless this word to everyone. Don't let them forget. That lives will be transformed through this message.

To glorify God. In Jesus Christ name. Amen. I will be preaching one more sermon. Last night in our country 7pm. Tonight was 7pm in our country. I don't know of your country. But all that is on the internet.

And tomorrow, two hours earlier than this time that we started tonight. 5 o 'clock our time. I'll be preaching the last sermon. I desperately long for people everywhere to hear this last sermon. I long for the church worldwide to hear it.

I long for you to listen in. Please. Amen.