Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve — Keith Daniel

The Valley of Decision and the Urgency of Seeking God

Joel 3 verse 14, multitudes, multitudes in the valley, in the valley of decision, multitudes, multitudes in the valley, in the valley of decision. Psalm 14 verse 12, the Lord looked down from heaven, the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God, the wicked through the pride of His countenance will not seek after God.

Psalm 10 verse 4, the wicked through the pride of His countenance will not seek after God. There is none among them, there is none among them that calleth unto me. Hosea 7 verse 7, there is none among them that calleth unto me, ye will not come to me that ye might have life.

John 5 verse 40, ye will not come to me that ye might have life. Acts 24 verse 24, Felix, Felix sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith of Christ, and as he reasoned, as he reasoned of righteousness, righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, Felix trembled and answered, go thy way, go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

Acts 26 verse 27, King Agrippa, believest thou, believest thou? Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost, almost, thou persuadest me to be a Christian, almost, almost, thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

Almost persuaded now to believe, almost persuaded Christ to receive. Seems some poor soul to say, go spirit, go thy way, some more convenient day on thee I'll call. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, multitudes, multitudes in the valley, the valley of decision.

Choosing Whom to Serve and Responding Today

How long hold ye, how long hold ye between two opinions? 1 Kings 18 21, choose you this day, choose you this day whom ye will serve. Joshua 24 verse 15, now, now is the accepted time, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6 verse 2, today, today if you will hear his voice, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews 3 verse 7, today, today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Isaiah 55 verse 6, seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Good and upright is the Lord, good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Psalm 25 verse 8, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. Psalm 32 verse 8, I will instruct thee, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. The wicked shall die without instruction, the wicked shall die without instruction.

Abish 5 verse 23, the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, but to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. Psalm 50 verse 23, to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.

Repentance, Conversion, and the Call to Salvation

God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17 verse 30, God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Who will have all men to be saved? Who will have all men to be saved? Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth?

1 Timothy 2 verse 4, God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Repent ye therefore, repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out. Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out.

Acts 3 verse 19, whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy. Proverbs 28 verse 13, whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

Be not deceived. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 9, know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth. Revelation 21 verse 26, there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.

Death, Judgment, and the Eternal Consequences of Sin

What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Psalm 89 verse 48, there is no man that hath power over the spirit in the day of death. There is no man that hath power over the spirit in the day of death.

Ecclesiastes 8 verse 8, for then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. For then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 12 verse 7, the issues of death, the issues of death. Psalm 68 verse 20, firstly the sting of death. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 56, the sting of death, firstly that is the fear of death. Hebrews 2 verse 15, the pains of death.

Acts 2 verse 24, the sorrows of death. Psalm 18 verse 4, the issues of death, the issues of death. Firstly, the sting of death. Secondly, the day of death. Ecclesiastes 8 verse 8, the day of death. Firstly, the death of the wicked.

Ezekiel 33 verse 11, the death of the wicked. When the wicked man dieth. Proverbs 11 verse 7, those that have not sought the Lord. Zephaniah 1 verse 6, it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment.

After this, the judgment. Hebrews 9 verse 27, I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged, every man, every man, 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, every man, according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life, whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

The Death of the Wicked and the Hope of the Righteous

As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But how dieth the wise man? Ecclesiastes 2 verse 16. How dieth the wise man? Precious, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Psalm 116 verse 15. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Revelation 14 verse 13. The righteous hath hope in his death. The righteous hath hope in his death.

Proverbs 14 verse 32. For we know, we know, we know that we have passed from death unto life. 1 John 3 verse 14. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. John 11 verse 27. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Absent from the body, present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 7. The wages of sin is death. But, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6 verse 23. We know, we know that we have passed from death unto life.

The Spirit itself, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Romans 8 verse 16.

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. 1 John 5 verse 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness, the witness in himself. Therefore, being justified, being justified by faith, we have peace with God.

We have peace, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5 verse 1. The peace of God which passeth all understanding. The peace of God which passeth all understanding. Philippians 4 verse 7.

My peace, my peace give I unto you. My peace give I unto you. John 14 verse 27. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley, in the valley of decision. In the valley of decision choose you, choose you this day whom you will serve.

A Young Man’s Final Rejection of the Gospel

Choose you this day, this day whom ye will serve. God commands in the sacred book, and don't play the fool with God's soul. Not tonight. Trust me now. Many years ago I stood with a young man who was so angered at my confrontation of his soul for he came from a godly home that had prayed for him but he was living in sin, terrible sin.

In anger he ran and I ran after him with quite a few people in that service and he climbed on this motorbike and as he saw me running after him, tears coming down my face. I looked at him, tears were coming down his face and he just looked at me and revved up this motorbike louder and louder as I cried out to him.

You could die in moments on that thing. There's no protection on a motorbike. You are going to hell in spite of the prayers of your God-fearing parents and many others and you know you're going to hell.

Please, I'm begging you. I'm begging you. Don't go angrily. Come back. Come back. I'm begging you and pray with me. Before you go off on that thing. A little while after that he was involved in a terrible accident.

His body was cut in half and as they strapped him, he died. You know as I called out to that boy he looked back at me for at least a minute. Tears coming down his face, his little lips quivering. Come back.

Please, I'm begging you. In the valley of decision is a terrible place to be young man. No matter how hard your father prayed for you. When I was a young preacher, 50 something years ago now, there was a godly man called Mr. Haramsa.

Mr. Haramsa’s Plea for a Farmer to Seek God

He was my district superintendent when I was a young missionary in Africa. And after the service where he preached, godly, godly man, that great anointing, integrity as few have ever had, I was honored to know him.

As he stood at the door and people streamed out of the foyer, he was greeting them with us young workers. And there was a very big man, a farmer, not young, but he walked fast and took Mr. Haramsa's hand.

And as he was passing, Mr. Haramsa held on to his hand and said, Sir, Uncle, wouldn't you like, don't you think you should stay back and pray with me before you leave tonight? The man looked at him in shock.

He said, No, thank you very much. I do not feel I would like to pray with you at all, sir. He began to walk up the steps out of the door and Mr. Haramsa did something no one would have believed of him because he was an utter gentleman.

If you're a Christian, Keith, you're a gentleman. Or I doubt that you're a Christian, boy. Mr. Haramsa, one of the most refined, godly men I've ever known in my life, walked fast after the man and grabbed him by the arm.

With tears coming down his face, he cried, Uncle, forgive me. I don't know why, but I know I must urge you not to walk out of that door unless you come back now and seek God to save your soul from hell and judgment.

I'm begging you, don't go out that door. Mr. Haramsa said it with a loud voice. The um turned, the uncle turned, and he shouted in anger, Loss me eight, man. Leave me alone, man. And everybody in that foyer, there was crowds in that building.

Dead silence as this old man screamed at this godly man pleading with him to seek God. He turned in the dead silence of the foyer and began to walk out the door and then he turned and he looked at Mr. Haramsa with tears coming down that man's face.

Mr. Haramsa, he said in Afrikaans, the language of southern Africa. I will come to the meeting tomorrow night, to your next meeting, and perhaps then I will pray with you. What? You should not have embarrassed me like this in front of all these people, sir.

You had no right to do that. You were wrong. He turned and walked out the door. The next morning, walking down the street of this town, there on the pavement, we were all walking. We heard this horn, car hooter.

It was just sad in that town where that box is, 20 feet. Lay this old man dead, 20 feet from the man who tearfully begged him the night before, dead. And Haramsa wept again. You see, there was not going to be tomorrow night for that man.

There was not going to be the next meeting. Felix, you never hear him again, do you, in the Bible? And God would have put it, make no error. Paul would have made sure it was there. That man came to Christ.

It would be like your president coming. That was God's final call. Do you honestly think I pled with that boy? It wasn't because I pled with him that he died and got cut within 35 minutes. It was not Mr. Haramsa's pleading.

It was God who knew and God is compassionate. Beyond our comprehension, the ways of God, but this I know, he is just. He died for all men and he will do everything, even one final call to a Mr. Haramsa, to this man.

A Family’s Conversion Before a Fatal Attack

I stood in a church in Africa, in a town called Dundee, 40 something years ago. There was a lot of people in that meeting, from all the farming community in the town. And I said these words as they finished the final hymn.

Sir, you're in the back row, sir, with all those children and your wife. How can you be sure you'll get home alive? How do you know that this isn't God's final call? How can you be sure, sir, that you all won't be dead?

Sir, if you're not saved and your family's not saved, come and seek God now before you leave this building. If you seek them, sir, your children will also. You are the father. That man knelt before God weeping and gave his life to Christ and so did his family.

Before they got near front door, they were all mowed down by some maniac. Lift scattered like animal dead. Twenty years later was the first time I had the courage to preach what happened. I was standing in the pulpit of a Dutch reformed church in a place called Carolina.

The church was full. And for the first time I preached and recalled from a pulpit what had happened back there in Dundee 20 years before. And I said, sir, you with all those children, how do you know that you won't all be dead before you get to your front door?

They sought God with many others. When they arrived at their front door to the farmhouse, before they got out, they coughed, mowed down by a madman, insane like animal. It was in the newspaper of the town, the local part of our country, of that country.

Preacher warns and the whole family is dead before they reach the front door. Oh, by the by, it's the first time in his life he had ever come to an evangelical service and heard the true gospel. The first time.

God’s Final Call and the Responsibility of Preaching

Do you honestly think that just happens? Do you think you're here by your little choice? You young people, you older people, you preachers who are blind leaders of the blind and you know it, listen. Do you honestly believe God doesn't cry out to you when this book is preached?

When his word by his Holy Spirit is taken from weak base men and reaches your heart with no human voice? Do you honestly believe it isn't God orchestrating in love? Oh, you sit there in confidence, do you?

Oh, this won't happen to me, won't it? Won't it? I have learned to be very, very careful to make sure people know eternity awaits in one moment, sir, even in a place like this. I stood looking at a factory in Africa in one of the big cities where I had to go and speak to the owner.

He honored me to come and speak to him up in his offices and I was waiting for clearance to go up into the main buildings by the security. I looked down there in the factory and I saw a man on a little forklift tractor that he was picking up these big cartons and moving them around.

He looked at me and he smiled and I looked at him and my heart just broke. Suddenly I found myself weeping. He looked at me, he came and drew the tractor right up beneath me and he stood up in that tractor looking at me and with a heavy crushed heart I walked down those few steps and walked up to him and said, You need to seek God to save your soul desperately through Christ Jesus' death on the cross and he will before you do something terrible in this world.

And as I said those words I saw him begin to weep, his little lips going in shock and then the loudspeaker called to say I'm cleared, I could go through. I went up the lifts, the elevator. A few weeks later, front page of our newspaper of that particular city, there's his photograph.

Moral Choice, Demonic Influence, and Accountability for Sin

And then I wept again. That night, that night that I had spoken to him during the day. He and a friend took a woman, dragged her off the streets down by the beach, King's Beach, in the dark, took her into the field and did outrageous evil and then did terrifying things to her with knives that I don't want to go into the details.

They left her like a dog is dead, ripping her whole body apart and they walked away laughing. Somehow no one can to this day comprehend, even the doctors, how she stayed alive and crawled inch by inch.

I don't know how many hours until she reached that road, the main road. Of course, cars stopped, police came, the ambulances, she was taken to hospital. It was days and days trying to save her and she recovered.

A long, long time of therapy before she could do anything, but she recovered enough to talk. And of course, the description, they found that boy and his friend. The police said in the court case, which is in the front page of the newspaper for many, many weeks, that he heard them say as he picked them up and put them in the car, she can't be alive.

No one could live after that. She can't be alive. The police testified in the court case. Eventually, with all the different preachers and psychologists, because he claimed to be demonically possessed when he went, terrible background in his home of unhappiness and rejection, and he found some form of security with a little Satanist group in the school.

And he heard voices, became demonically possessed, it seems, and the voices told him he was going to do this, and his friend, and he obeyed the voices. Well, the psychologist said, you can't blame Satan.

We can't argue anymore of demon possession. No one can. Satanists, there's hardly a school left in the world that hasn't got a Satanist group, but you're not going to get away with this saying it was the devil that told you.

You had the choice, the preacher and the psychologist said, who didn't argue about it anymore, to say no to those voices, and you know that. When they pronounced the sentence, for lifetimes, he will never, ever be allowed out through any sort of good behavior, and he'll never be allowed out again into the streets, him and his friend.

He said these words, and then some other terrifying things, but he said, I knew what we were going to do that night, but God sent a man, and I knew it was God speaking to him, but I closed my heart to God, and now I will suffer the consequences.

Universal Grace, the Cross, and the Repentant Criminal

But he was in the valley of decision, with tears coming down his face when God allowed a weak man to confront him in his love for him, for Christ died for all men, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Who gave himself a ransom for all, he tasted death for every man, I believe that, even for that man, and the murderer that hung beside Christ, that entered heaven that day because he trusted in the limited knowledge he had.

Conversion, Separation from Sinful Companionship, and a Friend’s Choice

When I was first saved, the preacher that prayed with me said, you're all going to lose every friend you have in life, boy. Trust me, you won't have a friend left. Are you willing for that, Keith? A very good friend, a close, close friend of mine, phones me up and says, they say you've gone insane.

Everybody's saying in shock, you've gone and become a religious fanatic, you've gone off your head. Meet me in town, where we used to sit as boys, milkshakes, model dairy. I want to hear from you what you've done.

We sit, I talk and talk, stops after about 10, 15 minutes, tears. Stop now. It's enough. Gets up, runs out. I pay, run after him, there he's standing, just the traffic hour, all the people closing work in the middle of the city.

There he's standing by the lights, cars and thousands coming out. I walk up to him, he looks at me. I say, listen to me, you have been my friend for a long time, and you know I would die for you, but I will never see you again in my life.

I don't want to see you again in my life or any of them, in case you draw me back. And I won't let you do that. Come to Christ. We serve the devil together. Come and serve God with me. Please, come to Christ, and let's follow God together.

He looked at me, I'll never forget his face for eternity. He sooked like Felix. His whole face, his eyes, the tears, the lips, he stood there shaking. That I got worried, his whole body trembled. Four, five minutes, four minutes, and then he screamed so loud the crowds just stopped.

In shock, as if someone was putting him through torture, putting him under conviction. He screamed, no, no. Then he looked at me and he said with a loud voice, it costs too much to be a Christian kid.

He turned and ran across the lights. A car hit him. But they helped him up. Never saw him again. And I cannot bring myself to tell you how he died. Young, in the valley of decision. Go thy way. Another boy, David, phones me, says, what's going on?

Everybody's talking about you. You're not with us anymore. So I tried to talk, he said, just you wait, just where you are, I'm coming there now. Comes along, sits opposite me. And I told him everything that God had done for me.

That I would never leave for anything. I've gained eternal life, salvation. Not from hell as much as from a life wasted on sin and self. He said, well, if you are going to serve God for the rest of your life, I am too.

Gets on his knees, you help me to find this God of yours. He was mightily saved. Years later, in the streets of Johannesburg, one of the biggest cities in the world. I would say twice the size of Chicago.

With a great population, the borders, the outside urban areas. I was walking in the center of that city. This was years later. And this thug pushed me from the pavement into the alley. Where no one could see as they were walking past.

No one looks down the alleys. And he pushes me and pushes me. Throws me against the wall. And he looked so evil. I said, what do you want? I have no money to give you. Don't you know who I am, Keith? When he told me, I started shobbing, just shobbing.

He was the weakling. The innocent one of the little gang we had as we grew up. Always scared and run off. He said, Keith, when you got saved, everyone mocked you. Everyone laughed and joked and we joked and laughed daily.

You were just the joke of the century to us. When we heard you preaching, and some even heard you preaching. On the streets, we would stand there mocking you. Ah, we Keith Daniel preaching. You're going to hell and all.

Laughing at you. But Keith, there's no one laughing anymore. Not one. And then he told me what happened to one after the other of the ones that I... He says, you were right, Keith. We were wrong. Look at me.

Look at me, Keith. What sin did to me? I could have followed you to Christ. I could have. And even then, he couldn't. It was too late somehow. That's why God says, harden not your hearts. Today, if you will hear his voice.

Harden, seek ye the Lord while he may be found. There's a moment coming, you can't seek him. So, don't play the fool with God. Even a child sitting in this building. You have no idea how fast childhood is gone.

You have no idea how fast sin comes. That you will not believe is at your doorstep. And the protection of salvation, of God dwelling in you. And you're going through with God soaking yourself in the Bible for strength daily.

To be renewed in the inner man day by day. Will make you abhor evil. But if Christ isn't in you, let me tell you something. I don't care what godly parents you've got. If you played a fool with eternity.

Final Exhortation to Hear God’s Word and Respond

This isn't emotional pressure. That some crazy psychological thinking people. Who don't want a standard. Who blame any preacher. Who preaches anything of repentance or name sin. Who calls you earnestly and compassionately.

This is just God's word. So, be careful what you do with this message. Even if you're a child. Or if somehow you sit there with a Bible in your hand. Full of sin to this day. Be careful what you do with this message.

Whatever God said to you, saved or unsaved. Be careful how you preach to others. Who 20 minutes later could have their bodies chopped in half and die. Be careful to not fail God. When you stand with souls in this world.

Can we stand please? Brother Don, could you come and commit us to Christ please? There's no appeal. You want to know why? Because you've made up your mind. Haven't you? God sees that. Tell him he doesn't.

What's the good of an appeal now? Your mind has been made up young man, young girl. Old man with a Bible. You've made up your mind already, haven't you? Mr. Covell will commit us to Christ please.