In this sermon, the preacher shares a story about a man who was struggling in his marriage. The man felt like he and his wife were constantly pulling in different directions and even considered divorce. However, he came across an illustration of two donkeys tied together and realized that they could solve their problem by taking turns feeding. This story helped the man understand the importance of compromise and working together in a relationship. The preacher then relates this story to the importance of following God's commandments and living in fellowship with Him.

Let us now read from John 14, 21. He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me, and he who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will disclose or reveal myself to him. This one verse contains so much, and I want to just quickly touch on five points. The first point, he who has my commandments, second point, and keeps them, third point, he loves me. He will be loved by my Father, and I will love him. And the last point, I will reveal myself to him. So you can see how much is in this verse, and one could speak so much about each of these points. The first point, he who has my commandments, let me ask you friends, tell me, do you have the Lord's commandments? Jesus here is speaking about those who have his commandments. Are you one of those people? Now if we had to open that opportunity now, had a service just for that, each one of you, the bridegroom, the bride, and all of us had to have an opportunity to stand up and tell the rest of the congregation what God has commanded him or her. We don't have time for that now, but maybe in eternity we will have such an opportunity. And one could stand up and say, this is what the Lord Jesus has commanded me. These are his commandments by which I live. And you may find that there could be someone who won't be able to say what God has commanded him, who will say, well I'm not really sure what the Lord has told me, it's not so clear to me. And then it's obviously quite obvious that someone like that will live a lawless life. The Lord has not called us to lawlessness. Jesus commissioned his disciples, he said, go into all the world and teach the nations to keep all that I have taught you. And so is the one who is a disciple of the Lord, it is one who keeps his commandments. He who has my commandments, it's such a pity that there are so many Christians in the world today who don't seem to have any command from the Lord. They wander around aimlessly, seemingly not knowing what God expects from them. And then one isn't surprised when one sees in the world how lawless things have become. And without any order or command, where in the family, in the marriage people are fighting, eventually it ends up in divorce, young girls out of marriage, bringing children into this world. But the problem with the Church of Christ today is that there are so many people who call themselves Christians who claim to know the Lord's commandments, but they don't keep them. And that is the second group of people in the Church. The first group of so-called Christians, they don't even know what God has commanded them. But the second group, they will even tell you what the Ten Commandments are. They'll claim to know it, but they don't keep them. And that is the problem with the Church today. One woman in America went to the doctor. As she was waiting in the waiting room, the doctor said, she suddenly got the idea, the Ten Commandments. And she wondered, well, what are the Ten Commandments? And she looked around at all the literature that was available there in the waiting room, and suddenly she spotted a black book that looked like the Bible. And she fell into the first group that we spoke about. She never knew what the commandments of the Lord are, but she remembered someone having said something about the Ten Commandments, and therefore she took the Bible and she opened it. She opened it, and she opened right there at Exodus 20 where the Ten Commandments are written. She read there, do not kill. And she said, oh, Lord, is that what the commandments say, that it says you shall not kill? You shouldn't, you shall not kill. And that was the first thing she saw, do not kill. And she said, oh, Lord, what about me? I've killed so many children, I've aborted how many children already? And the tears started rolling down her cheeks. She started weeping. The receptionist got into the doctor quickly, and there she started opening her heart, and he was a Christian. She said, doctor, I'm guilty. I've aborted 16 of my own children, not other children, my own. She didn't know the commandments, but when she opened the Bible, there she found them. So to those who are confused in our midst, if you don't know the Lord's commandments, take the Bible, you'll find His commandments in the Bible. And to the bridegroom, if you don't know what a husband should be like, then take the Bible. Read what the Bible says concerning a husband, how he should live together with his wife. And to the bride as well, take the Bible. The Bible will teach you how to live together with your husband. And whatever category you fall into, maybe you're a widower or a widow, or maybe you're a teenager, a girl or a boy, whatever category you fall into, the Bible will teach you how to live, and then live accordingly. So to those who are confused in our midst, if you don't know the Lord's commandments, take the Bible, you'll find His commandments in the Bible. And to the bride, if you don't know what a husband should be like, take the Bible. The Bible will teach you how to live together with your husband. And to the bride, if you don't know what a husband should be like, take the Bible. The Bible will teach you how to live together with your husband. And this girl wept and told the doctor of her blood-stained hands. And then the doctor said to her, look, the Bible says if you deny your sin, you won't prosper. But if you confess and forsake it, then you will receive forgiveness. And even if your sins are scarlet, they'll be washed whiter than snow, and you can cry to the Lord. He will forgive you, and He will make you a brand new person. The Bible is quite clear as to how a person should live. And things would come right in your own life, and even in our country, South Africa, things would come right if we just take God's Word and live accordingly. Remember, it's not enough just to know the laws of God and His commandments. You need to keep them even when you're all on your own. Joseph was in Egypt, in the land of sin, but he had God's commandments. When Daniel was in Babylon, among the people of Babylon, he was a man of God. And he was a man of God, and he was a man of God. And he was a man of God. And he was a man of God. godless people but even while he was there he knew and he had God's commandments when he was offered of the food of those nations things that they did and they said well even the king does this it's of the king's food he said I'm of another royalty and this is not allowed for me daily to lead him into sin he refused even when she grabbed him he slipped out of her hands like a wet soap he said how can I sin against God I cannot do that see he had God's commandments so you if you don't have them make sure you get them and when you say you've got them make sure you keep them a gripper you've given us an amazing word today that teaches us that we should have God's commandments and if we have them we should keep them by their trying that we love God to love God is something of utmost importance in the Bible many people claim to love God he called 1957 58 I remember 1957 58 when I which got converted here in the New Hanover area what a yes you gotta know and she said well I'm going to forsake all my old life the occult a life that I've lived one Jonah Napa no say we need guano Bob and then she moved there to the women area and I said I wanted to visit her because there are such people they get converted they put their hand to the plow but after after a while they look back there are such that are like lots wife that even when they've left Sodom and Gomorrah have escaped on their way out they look back so when I got to this area where she lived I went to the local police station and I inquired about this woman explained who she was they said oh yes we know where she is but do you really want to go and see her today and still make it back you you probably will never make it it's too far away it's in those mountains over there Oh what figure um patty stay she what my let's we'll offer your horse you can go on horseback I said well that's not something that I grew up with rather a bicycle than a horse but all the younger people there they started walking already and eventually the horse arrived it was a huge horse almost looked like an elephant I'm not even continental who is in my legs number nine number nine number nine it whoa baby to my auntie and then I got on to the horse and off we went but unfortunately this elephant of a horse was a very slow one and I thought oh my they're not really helping me with such a slow horse and then I remembered what my father had said long before that if you want to get a horse going just get him give it a jab with your heel and I thought well let me give it a try well when I did it it took off like lightning I was almost thrown off I hung on for dear life I said well tell me how is it going and she said I love the Lord I really love him I love him dearly but then I asked some of the other people around there I said well just tell me how is it really going with her they said well you just don't know because she's fully back in her old occult ways and she's even advising other people the Bible says that someone claims to love God but does not keep his commandments he's a liar and then it goes on to say that if you claim to love God and don't love the brother whom you can see then you're also a liar for how can you love God whom you don't see if you don't even love the one you can see the Lord also asked Simon Peter said Simon son of Jonah do you love me he asked him three times and then he said then feed my sheep so if we really love God we will keep his commandments if we say we love God but we don't keep his commandments the Bible says such a person is a liar and the love of God is so great the Bible even says love is greater than death and then if you keep his commandments and thereby showing that you love him then the father will love you and he will love you and they will come and they will fellowship with you and abide with you. Blessed is the one who has the love of God in here that you love God to the point that you will keep all his commandments no matter where you are even when you're all on your own out there in the city among evil people and other and all the wickedness of the world but because of the love of God in your heart you keep his commandments and then Jesus says you should also then love even your enemies he speaks evil of you speak well of him he who curses you you should bless him that is God's love but if you go around spreading stories writing evil things about other people and speaking evil things about them the Bible says the love of God is not in you it's no secret that there are people who claim to be Christians but all they can do is going around speaking evil of other people they don't realize that one can see through them fulfilling the words of the Lord where he says they are dressed like sheep but inside they're ravenous wolves and so you also should love each other with the love of God and God's Word teaches you how to live out that love and that you should honor each other in 1960 I was preaching there in Ladysmith the neighbor there was someone that was quite high up in the railway a strong Afrikaner and now this big man had a small English wife but despite her size you could see that they were like two bulls in a ring this man came to me he said well you have no idea of the problems that I have I pull in one direction my wife pulls in the other direction he said eventually I've I've even considered divorce and then he said but I was helped when I once saw a certain sketch an illustration of two donkeys two donkeys that were tied together with a rope these two donkeys were tied together with a rope and then they had two feeding points one on the one side the other on the other side one for each of these donkeys and then the battle started because this donkey wanted to get to its food that one wanted to get it to its food on that side but the rope was not long enough so it was a battle day and night none got to its food because they were pulling in both pulling and the rope didn't snap and eventually they were both exhausted and they stopped for a moment just to think about it and then eventually the one came up with a bright idea and said listen sister let's rather go and we have go to your place of to feed first when we finished there then we can go together to my side and we'll enjoy that together as well and that solved the problem and this man said this illustration helped me he said now things are working out so well because we get along well in together it's like carrying a basket the one carries the one side and I carry the other side but there is a danger here if this only works when it's good wholesome food that you both can enjoy but if there's poison in the other man's food well then you shouldn't agree and go along then rather a fight and even if the rope had to snap now to the bride here I referred to her as a daughter because she is like my daughter her father was one of my best friends I honored that man I loved him why because I remember even when he was in my home on his deathbed and where I helped nurse him I remember when he told me said I've taken everything out of my heart there's nothing else left but the love of God there's another man who I also appreciated and loved dearly and that was mr. Bixie Sakunene these are people who really loved the Lord and one can only appreciate such people it's also people like mr. Duber who was a drunkard before who really got nowhere in life but when he got converted everything changed I even said that his chickens and his cattle everything his fields got converted because suddenly everything multiplied and many people can't understand why I loved such people but that's because of their love for the Lord and there will be those that mock but also know where they end up and Jesus says he has my commandments and keeps them my father will love him I will love him we will have fellowship and I will reveal myself to them I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love him I will love I don't know. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no thank you for the life you have chosen may you continue in that way and don't become blunt in the things of the lord when you get married but that you bring life to other people and that you'll be an example to them to everyone