An Epic Tug Of War - Pastor J.D. Howell 6-21-2026

May I direct your attention to the fourth chapter. We

will be reading verses number eighteen through twenty three as

our golden texts. Brother Nathaniel, our first co text will

be Acts, chapter number nine and verse number five. Brother Jesse,

our second co text will be Loop chapter number two

and verse number forty nine, again asking you are you

glad to be in the house of the Lord. Amen,

I appreciated the singing of the quartet and the youth

choir this morning. It was wonderful, anointed, beautiful.

Praise the Lord.

All right, Brother Nathaniel, Acts, chapter number nine, verse number five,

My brother, and he said, who art thou Lord? And

the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It

is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. So

Saul of Tarsus had been in a tug of war

with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesse Luke chapter

number two and verse number forty nine.

My brother, and he said, unto them, how is it

that ye have sought me? Wish ye not that I

must be about my father's business.

A man Joseph did not attempt to keep Jesus back

from doing his heavenly father's business. He surrendered to the

will of the heavenly Father. Speaking of Joseph, let's stand

for the reading of our golden texts. Matthew, Chapter number four,

Verses number eighteen through twenty three. The Bible says, in

Jesus walking by the sea of Galiles, saw two brethren,

Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net

into the sea, for they were fishers. And he saith

unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers

of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him.

And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James,

the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a

ship up with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets. And

he called them, and they immediately left the ship and

their father and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee,

teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom,

and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of

disease among the people. Reading our golden text again, verse

number twenty two, the Bible says, and they immediately left

the ship and their father and followed him. May we

pray Heavenly Father. We love and we praise you. We

thank you for this day that we celebrate our earthly fathers.

Most of all, we're happy to celebrate you, Father, our

heavenly Father. We pray that you would anoint this thy people,

Lord said it, guard at their ears and help them

to hear what the Spirit of God says unto the

church this morning, not of my words, but of your words.

May they hear, and may these sayings go below the shoulders.

May they saturate the spirit, the soul.

And the body. May we heed and not hear only God.

I pray that you would set a guard at my

mouth and help me to say the things you would

have me to say.

Nothing more or less.

We ask you to help us to depart this place

joyfully and not sorrowfully. In Jesus' name. In the church said, Amen,

look at your neighbor and say, hey, neighbor, are you

in a tug of war with God? Because if you are,

you will lose eventually? And the church said, Amen, Praise

the Lord. Our text is found in a New Testament

book of the Holy Bible. Saint Matthew's Gospel is a

very special book of the Bible. Because this particular gospel

the first of four bridges between the New and Old Testament.

I'm thankful that this tax collector turned apostle penned a

parchment and done such a thing. He gave us some

eyewitness accounts and reports concerning the life of Jesus Christ

and his wonderful earthly ministry. I'm sure most people present

today are most familiar with the author's call.

To follow Jesus as his disciple.

I'm positive the author was thankful for the day that

Jesus appeared across the rope of his life and gave

it a gentle tug. On Matthew's end of the rope

was a boss man named Herod, who would have required

Matthew the Galilean to charge his fellow Hebrews more than

what was required. There is no doubt that Herod, his kingdom,

and possibly Matthew, benefited immensely financially by overcharging the Jews

who were supposed to be the brothers and sisters of

Levi or Matthew. You see, Matthew was despised by his

people for such actions as these. They would have considered

him a thief, and a thief he was, and there's

no doubt that they felt like he was a trader

and despised him. But Jesus knew the heart of Matthew.

Jesus saw below the surface. Jesus saw the heart, and

Jesus began to tug gently on the heart of Matthew.

And there's no doubt the spirit of God was working

on both ends. The Bible said no man can come

into the Father unless the Spirit draw him in another place.

That said, draw nigh to God, and he will draw

downto you.

I believe Jesus made this appearance at the receipt of

custom because Matthew was sick and tired of this lifestyle

of treachery and betrayal. He wanted a new boss man.

He was tired of herod jerking on his chain. He

was tired of being subservant to the Roman Empire, Sir

Brother Nathaniel. When Jesus came not to pay his taxes,

but to collect his soul, this man who was sitting

at the receipt of custom vacated his place of business

and he walked out of there, and immediately he was comforted.

You see, Jesus offered him a way out through these

words come and follow me. Jesus stood across the rope

from him and gave it a gentle tug, just like

I feel out. There's people in this building whom are

on the other end of the rope, and Jesus is

calling you. You see Matthew refuse to play tug of

war with the Lord pastor Jeremy, What do you mean

Jesus stood across the rope from Matthew. Well, the rope

represents the will of Matthew. Aren't you thankful for the

free will that God has given each and every one

of us?

Oh?

But may God help us not to abuse that free

will by en carrying an epic tug of war battle

with the Lord God Almighty.

You see, when.

Jesus pulled on the rope, Matthew did not pull back.

Matthew did not resist the pull. I'm glad this morning

that I see people of light, precious faith sitting in

these pews and occupying this building, people who got tired

of resisting the grace and of Jesus Christ. You see,

in the Book of Acts we find a record of

a moment when Jesus stood across from the rope of

soul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul, you know,

Christianity's greatest persecutor, who became her greatest promoter. In Acts,

chapter number nine and verse number five, we read and

he said, who art thou Lord? And the Lord said,

I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for

thee to kick against the pricks.

For all to.

See that, prior to the Apostle Paul's conversion, he was

a man determined to have it his own way, even

if it meant persecuting innocent, good, clean living Christians. He

was going to fight against the Lord. Even Gimmalio said

one time, we must be careful entering a tug of

war with Jesus Christ. And of course I'm paraphrasing there,

but he said, unless we be found fighting against the

will of God. You see, Jesus told the Apostle Paul,

you are inflicting great harm to yourself by this resistance.

And every time the Lord pulled gently and took some rope,

Apostle Paul snatched it back. Before his conversion, you see,

he resisted the drawling of the Holy Ghost. He resisted

thel of the Holy Ghost. I remember thirty two years

ago in my life, experiencing that gentle tug on the

other end of the rope of my soul in pre will,

and I realized that it was Jesus's right hand that

was firmly gripping the other end of the rope, and

it began to deal with my soul and began to

put it in my heart to stand for him in

these perilous times. And he put it in my heart

to stand for the word of God. I remember feeling

somewhere deep down inside that there was a greater purpose.

For my life rather than fitting in with this world.

You see, Apostle Paul figured out, and he told King Agrippa,

I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. That was

after playing tug of war for a what Apostle Paul

is telling a grip of was I finally got sick

and tired of.

Playing tug of war with Jesus.

If you're looking a golden text again in Matthew chapter

number four and Burs number twenty one, it says in

going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James,

the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a

ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets, and he.

Called them the reason.

The first part of that verse goes like this, and

he saw two other brethren as because Peter and Andrew

had already stopped playing tug of war with Jesus, and

they had surrendered to do what Jesus had commissioned them

to do. And so Jesus moves on to the next

group of earthly brethren and he commissions them. If you'll

look at the next verse, I'm telling you there are

people in this building today that fit right in the

these passages of scription. There's no doubt God has a

greater purpose for your life. Don't let the death take

your life and spend it frivolously and wastefully on so.

Many other things.

And I'm sure most people are thinking of the surrender

of change in John at the moment of their calling.

It's okay. I did too, until this very subscription was

brought before me this past weekend. When the Lord pointed

something and someone out to me, I understood immediately what

the Holy Girston was saying. He brought my attention to

James and John's father, Zebenty. The word of God does

not offer much information about his life as it does

the life of his sons James and John. All throughout

the New Testament you find just how imported it the

sons of Sebede.

Were to the early Church and beyond.

In fact, even right here this morning, James and John

are very important to the members of this congregation and

every Christian within Christendom. You see, the Word of God

does not shed a whole lot of light hold Zebede

and his wife Salomi. But if you study the Word

of God and look through these and for gospels, you

can find out enough to determine that Zebede and his

wife Salomi were not going to wilfully resist the goodness

and the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, according to

the Word of God, Sebede was a successful commercial fisherman.

He had fearing people in his life.

I fear feel like he himself, and was a God

fearing man, brother Nathaniel. He had to God fearing sons,

and according to the Bible, he had some hired help

who no doubt was being positively influenced by Zebedee as

much as John and James had been. You see, whenever

this man saw that Galilean named Jesus come walking down

the beach. And when that man stopped him in front

of his boat and pointed a finger at James and John,

and without saying pretty please, and without bribing them, and

without great persuasion, with just a few words, he instructed

and commanded him to follow him. I'm telling you, Sebentes

and world had to rock and real as much as

the boat had done her during a storm. And I

feel like this mine probably begin to spin in the

formation of a cyclone. But somehow, in a moment he

collected his thoughts, and he released the rope and refused

to play tuger a war with God.

You see, Matthew said that.

James and John were in the ship and mending their nets,

which means their father was in the ship with them

beside them. The Bible said right here now you think

of how you would have handled one that situation, as

a father was passing the trade down to your sons,

as a father of a certain occupation, teaching your son

the same trade and occupation, a father that had a

vision for his family business, a father who had told.

His sons when I'm old.

I'm gonna give you guys every bit of this better Nathaniel.

There is no doubt most.

Men would have got a bulldog gripp on the other

end of the rope, a starting an epic tug.

Of war with Jesus Christ.

But nowhere in the Bible, what can you find where

seberde one or two get into a terriker of world

with Jesus.

You see the father who.

Was holding the other end of the roping that Jesus

was holding on to immediately turned loose.

For the rope. I want to tell you how you.

Can win an epic tug aware battle with Jesus. Every

time that's my immediately releasing your hand and the other

end of the rope. Come on, now, somebody in this

mill and this morning, he's in a moment of imported decisions.

I want you to know. Jesus is calling you.

He and I text, they said, and Jesus called them,

kat you here, her boy of Jesus, calling you today,

gat you here the words for the Master today, calling you,

calling you, I said, the blessed Savior. He's calling you.

Just turn, Lisa, and you're into the roper. I surrender

to the will of God. And he called them Jesus

is getting two disciples for one call. Jesus is killing

two birds with one stone. Sebadee is only hole known

to one rope. Now he has a rope in each hand.

He's not only losing one son named James, He's losing

a dynamic duo named James and John, men who would

be part of the inner circle of Jesus Christ. Two

thirds of the inner circle of Jesus Christ.

I'm telling you these were very special men.

And there's no doubt as special as a word of

the Lord they were special to. There's no doubt as

beneficial as a word to the work of God. They

were equally, if not more, beneficial to that place a

business for sebid I'm preaching to somebody here today. I

realize it's a Sunday morning and not a Sunday night.

I realize you're still yet to wake up. But if

I could ring your phone here today and tell you

that Jesus is on the other end of the line,

what your listen to the voice of sailing? Come now

and follow me.

Listen.

When Sebede heard Jesus carver his sons.

Sebedeed did not do back. Sebede did not hang up.

What are you gonna do here? Today.

There is no doubt God spoke to my heart to

tell you he loves you, he can use you.

There's a lot of opportunity in you.

God sees the potential as much as they saw the

partitial in Matthew, as much as they saw the partitially

James and Jonnah.

The Lord sees you and he wants to use you.

Now, a lot of people talk about James and John

in this car. I mean, they sing their praises on

all they pursue and all they left. But nobody ever

wants to focus on what Zebede lost. Nobody wants to

focus on how hard it was for that man to

sit there and to bite his lip. Somebody could say, well, no,

where in the Bible can you tell me, show me

where Zebede didn't fight back. I'll tell you this. In

this day and hour, the Hebrew women were in subjection

to their husbands, and they wouldn't dare go against the

wishes of the desires of their husband. And as I

began to read through the gospels and try to get

a little bit of family history on Zebide, I determined

that Salomi was his wife. And when you think of Salomi,

she was the one you know that went to Jesus

and said, I asked that one of my sons be

on your left and one of my sons be on

you're right. Now, keep in mind Saloni knew the potential

of these boys, because they did in fact find themselves

in the inner circle. And so Salomi got chastised a

little bit for that, did she not? But you will

find all through the gospels threaded through there Salami was

one the minister to Jesus. Salomi would be there where

Jesus was preaching. Salomi would be there where Jesus was teaching.

Salomi would be there where Jesus was churching. Salami was there.

This lets me know she was doing more. And keep

times on James and John. For Jesus, I'm telling you

here this morning she was following Jesus as much as

change in John was following Jesus. Why in the world

do we allow sayings to get in you? And why

do we end up following up things that will follow

and the people that will follow. Oh, how easily we are, Lord,

Oh easily we let Lucifer jerk our chain. But why,

oh why do we want to get hit a tug.

Of war battle with the Lord.

So Saloami, she doesn't just stop there by listening to

Jesus teaching and preaching. She goes to his crucifixion. I

know none of you do this up until now. She

went to his crucifixion, and she cried with the mother

of Jesus, and she lent a shoulder for oh my

God heard a cry home. Not only did Saloni go

to the crucifixion, Saloni went to the barrel after Jesus

has been buried. Salomie said, you know what, let's go

down there and put some moortment upon his body.

Let's go down there and check on our master.

What I'm trying to tell you is ebedeen mayors stayed

in the boat in pulling them.

Hearts herbs that he might have been going back and.

Forth along the Sea of Galilee, but he gave Salomi

the permission to follow Jesus, to follow her sons as

a labored in ministry with Jesus. I'm telling you sebide

did not try to put the brakes on his son's ministry. Yes,

Zebedee talked to him, Yes, Ebidee instructed him, but Zebede

also knew her I am not the lord I've only

been a steward. He offer to this point, the names

Ebideen means a gift from God, and there's no doubt

sebde knew these special men were given me by God.

And if God wants them back her, if God wants

the tug.

On the ropert, then I will let them go. Let

them go.

Into ministry, Let them go into the perfect will of God.

Turn them loose.

You don't find anywhere where Zibide was making phone calls

telling everybody not to preach his sons.

You don't find where zebide was.

Making phone calls telling everybody they abandoned me. You can't

find where Zebede's making phone calls and suddenly becomes a politician.

When he was content with the family business. He was

content running the family business. He was content making all

the money. But now it's a hair lipt and so bitter.

He's entered an epic tug of war with Christ. No,

you don't find that, but that could have been the

case with the gospel writers who disciples could have recorded

that sebenty split the rest of his life, mad of God,

mad that God chose him James and John and not him.

Oh come on, now, are you getting a hold of it.

I tell you here.

Today I'm taking a life thing that God would call you.

Not everybody in this world are feeling to be the

carder of God. What's a thankful the many your colder?

If you are choosing, what's a glad to be one

for the chosen for you? I know of a lot

of fathers who would not have reacted and responded the

way Zebede did. They would have fought this call of God.

But Sebede did not fight the call of God. There's

no spiritual or physical tug of war. There's no resistance,

there's no bitterness, nothing that I could find recorded in

the gospels. Sebide's silence is deafening because he surrendered to

God's will and open his mouth. You can't even find

where he tried to get James and John to come

back and work a couple of hours each day. You

can't find where he took them aside and said, hey,

it ain't all in that, it ain't exactly as you

supposed it to be. We're all familiar with the son

of the carpenter. We're all familiar with a Galilean. In fact,

he does not have anywhere to lay his head. He

doesn't even carry more than a code or two. He

doesn't carry more than a couple pairs of sandals. He's

just busy doing his father's business. And you know what

they could have said, but they didn't have to since

to how they could have said. But Joseph the carpenter

let him go, did he not? After eighteen years of

working for his father, his father, his earthly father, Joseph,

at the age of thirty, Joseph turns loose, so the least,

and Jesus's earthly ministry begins. You know what was echoing

in the mind of Joseph, those words of Jesus, those

words of a twelve year old Jesus, when Joseph and

Mary had found him in the temple, and Jesus looked

at him with a bewided expression and said, wish she

knocked that. I must be about my father's business. Joseph

knew right there that's not gonna be Joseph and Jesus incorporated.

It's not gonna be Ja and jes enterprisers. He knew

right the here, this more is gonna be more than

a carpenter. I want you to know, Jesus wants you

to be more if somebody that slips up every day,

Jesus wants you to be more than an habitual sinner.

Jesus wants you to be so much more. I want

you to know right here this morning, there is so

much more in life than being bound by seeing her.

There is so much more on a life than being

bound by a diction and vs. There is so much

more Jesus than being a carpenter. Somebody can save change

in John. There's so many better things than being of fisherman.

Jesus is calling you God, boys, God.

So Joseph, just like Zebede, did not fight the will

of God. But we will sit in the pew and

we will fight the teachings of Jesus. We will resist

the will of God. I remember when I sold out

as a young man. You know what, that long hair

that I was wearing, and all of them changing rings

that I was wearing. He wasn't gonna keep me in

the sinner of God's will, even if I was a

youth pastor of sorts. I remember Brother Jesse facing the music.

I remember reflecting upon the old saints of God in

the church that had more than a form, that had power,

and brother Nathaniel that night about thirty two years ago,

I got up off that back pew when the altar

came and I turned.

Loose of the rope.

For years, I had tried to make an excuse for

why my long hair wasn't a shame, even though Jesus

would give it a jerk and say it's a shame

for men to have long hair. And every time Jesus

would get the other end of that rope of jerk,

how I feel condemned. Come on, now, there's therefore now

no condemnation of them which are in Christ Jesus. That's

for those that have turned loose of the rope. And

you know, sometimes old saints of God, Mom and Dad,

they get the other end of the stick in our lives,

don't they. They get a beating sometimes verbally from us

because they're trying to do right and we're convicted. One

thing I never did do was beat the righteous. I

might have been a hypocrite myself, but I always spoke

up for the righteous.

And the holy.

There were times I pointed at my peers and my

family members and I said, listen, we all know what

the Word of God said. They are true blue purevanilla

grade a blue ribbon Pentecostal people, and they are keepers

of the book, and they.

Are followers of Jesus Christ.

While we are daily delling and dawdling and trying to

figure out what we're gonna do in this world. And

we know we're in an epic tuger wark battle with Jesus,

and we know we have it pulling surrender because we're

trying to serve two masters. I said, but you won't

come in my presence and then sult him and insult

the Word of God and insult the holiness standard and

insult the holiness Lostyle. I said, them make the people

in bondage. We know we are the people in bondage.

We're missible. You're having to use turn, you're having to

drink yourself to sleep at night.

You know you're having a cope with dorp. Your precious people.

They have ended her to the war battle, and they

surrendered to the perfect will of God.

And that night I got saved her. I ended her

that epic tongue of war battle.

And I got saved, and I've accepted the perfect will

of God. Listen, the Lord Jesus gave these two fine

young men to Zebu Di and Salomi. But the Lord

had the right to call them unto himself, because all

souls belonged to God. He has the right to call

you to himself. Zebede didn't fight the call of God. Salon,

we didn't fight against it. She followed Jesus, and Zebide

was okay with it. Salom, we supported Christ and her

two sons. In fact, she would try to push them

as close as she could get them to Jesus. This

tells me, sister, how Zebede didn't fight the will of God.

And I want to tell.

Somebody in this building here today, you need to get

on the right side of the rope. You need to

fight with the right side. You need to come on

over to the winding sight. If you look at the

next verse below what we read today, the Bible said

that when Jesus began to go forth, the spirit of

God was a moving and blessing and helping in a

very special way, and says to how he was teaching

in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Listen to this.

Those fishermen became fishers and men, and they became eyewitnesses

to wonderful things that were happening. Verse number twenty three said,

there was healing of sickness. All manner of disease among

the people was being cured. And they went from probably

being nameless people on the.

Sea of Galilee.

I'm sure their father had a name, but James and

John probably didn't. But the Bible said, and this man

they were traveling with, and the fame of Jesus went

throughout all Syria, and they brought into him all sick people,

and those that were taken with dibbs diseases and tormented,

and those that were possessed of the devils, and those

that were lunatic, and those that were sick with a palsy,

and he healed them, and he healed them. I wonder

what Salonami's words were that day she ran up to

the ship to see a Galilee and ask them hard

servants ask and somebody to look over the board rail

for a minute. And somebody looked over with a smile,

I suppose, and said, how are our boys solon me?

And she said, listen, I've been keeping tabs on Jesus,

not her boys. But I want you to know her

boys are faring pretty good. Our boys are keeping good company.

They ain't cussing like sailors. Come on, they are out

there in ministry with Jesus and the sick her being healed.

The lame or receiving streaking their legs hinder the eyes,

her being opened, different ears, her being open, and people

are hearing. I'm telling you, God's got a better plan

for your life, and you to have a wine closet.

God's got a better plan for your life, and you

to hide chores from your kids. God's got a better

plan for your life, and you to high prescription drugs.

God's got a better plan for your life. And you're

laying better, not miserable. Oh, the blessings are laying in

bed at Nada, using the word of God, playing in

the Holy Ghost.

Hey, thank God for the call of God on our lives.

Thank God. I guess it was thirteen years.

I was miserable because I was running from the call

of God all my life. For thirteen years. I was

in an epic tug of war battle for thirteen years.

I was miserable for thirteen years. Brother Philip, I'm telling

you what I'm telling you.

I give that rope a pool.

Jesus ad gently tug and I'd give a snatch some

old sister say, boy, you know what the word of

God said about that hair. I went smart off at her.

I'd say, yeah, I know, I say, but you know what,

I just think living it pray for me. I wasn't

get in her face and say the Spirit tells me

it's okay.

But I was not surrendering my will. Huh.

My attitude, my behavior for the most part, my manners

were okay, but my attitude, my behavior concerning the things

of God. Brother Jesse, I just did not want to

align to the word of God. And that's what's happening

around here. Brother Nathaniel has been pulling in such a

wonderful way. Some of our young people's, sister, Howe, have

had a gold and opportunity to surrender their will to

the will of the Master. But for some reason they

don't want to turn loose, and the Lord pulls Sister,

I was wooting, and they, on the other m pull back.

And you know what, you can do that until eventually

the Lord pulls you across the point of no return.

You have to surrender your will.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that

he is lord, and some of it will be because

when he gives with that final snatch and pull, they're

going to come gliding in the.

Throne room on their knees and.

Glide up to the throne and say I lost the battle,

didn't I.

You will never win a tug of war battle with

a lord.

You will never be victorious. You will never get at

your way, You will never have your will. It will

never be according to your plans.

Or your thoughts or your way. It will be his way.

That's the only way. We will never win a tug

of war battle with a lord. So what will it be?

Will it be turning loose of the rope today and saying, Jesus,

I surrender to your will. Use me, please, don't refuse me,

for surely there's a work that I can do. I'll

tell you the greatest work that I had to do

was to see my wife get saved and to see

my children get saved. Because had I continued that tug

of war battle with the Lord, they none of them

be saved today. So Joseph, when he realized Jesus had

heavenly business to tend to, Joseph turned Jesus loose When

Zebedee realized James and John had heavenly business and matters

to tend to, zebe Ede released them to the work.

Apostle Paul said, finally, I was obedient to the heavenly vision.

Whatever it is that in tells whatever that involves. Later on,

Apostle Paul would find out what that entails and what

that involves. And you know what, he had no problem

with the outcome of a full surrender to Jesus. I'll

be honest with you. The best thing I ever did

do was turned loose of that rope. But sister, how

for two days now I have felt the internal struggle,

in the internal spiritual warfare between some and God, some

miserable state of affairs. Zebidee turned it loose. Joseph turned

it loose. I don't know what it is you're holding

on to. I don't know what it is that keeps

you in your father's boat. Without being too plain as

to who's your father, because if Jesus is not your

father and you're not keeping your father's business, then you

have a different father. So an earthly father surrendered his

sons to the heavenly Father. I'll tell you what had happened.

If Zebide and Salomi had a fault the will of

the Father, that boat would have sunk, and those two

lives would have been lost. Because I want to close

with what the Holy Ghost spoke to me early this

morning when he woke me up. Those that seek to

keep their life shall lose it.

Mm hmm