The following sermon was delivered by the Reverend John W. Howe at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia on January 18, 1981. The title of this sermon is Rendezvous with Destiny, and the scripture reference is John 1, verses 29 to 41. 

For the past 16 and a half years, a certain former movie actor has been telling the American people that we have a rendezvous with destiny. And day after tomorrow, at noon, we'll begin to discover just exactly what sort of a rendezvous that really is. I know that you would join me, whatever your political persuasions might be, in wishing for President Reagan and the members of his cabinet, members of the Congress and the judiciary, God's real anointing and blessing as they seek to know and to do His will in leading this nation.

I'd remind all of us that Scripture says that it's one of the very top priorities for us as Christians to be praying for those that God has placed in authority over us. Paul said to Timothy, as a matter of the very first importance, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, especially kings and those in high positions, that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life. I think it's appropriate that we just pause and remember that at the beginning of a new presidency.

What Paul is saying, what all Scripture bears witness to, is that as God blesses those who govern, He blesses those who are governed. So we take such a word with a great deal of self-interest, that we would want for our leaders to be seeking God's best, seeking to follow His direction. As God blesses the government, so God blesses the governed.

That's not the real point this morning, but I wanted to give reference to it and take that phrase that Ronald Reagan has used these many years, a rendezvous with destiny. It seems to me that in quite another sense, all of our scriptures this morning are bearing witness to the fact that each one of us has a rendezvous with destiny. And I'd like to suggest to you this morning that the key to that rendezvous, the key to fulfilling the destiny that God has for each one of us, is moving into the power of His Spirit.

Could I put it to you this way? That God's man, God's woman, will never fulfill God's destiny apart from God's Spirit. In the Old Testament lesson, which we did not read, but the one that's appointed for today, it speaks about Messiah.

Isaiah 49 says this, The Lord called me from the womb. From the body of my mother he named my name. He said, You are my servant in whom I will be glorified.

And it goes on to talk about Messiah becoming not only the one through whom Israel is blessed, but the light to the Gentiles and so on. He came with a calling from God. From his mother's womb, he had a destiny that was appointed for him.

From long before that, John the baptizer greets Jesus and hails him as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He came with an agenda that God had appointed for him from before the beginning of time as we know it. And praise God that the Lord Jesus kept his rendezvous.

He didn't come seeking his own will, seeking his own goals, seeking his own agenda. He came prepared to do what God had for him. But I'm sure it struck you that for 30 years, he was the best carpenter in Nazareth.

And it was when he entered into those waters of baptism and the Holy Spirit came down upon him and anointed him that he never went back to the carpenter's bench. Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit, very God of very God from before all creation, did not move into the arena of His destiny until He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. That ought to give us pause.

do you possibly think that you and I can do the will of God out of our own strength our own resources our own best efforts if Jesus Christ himself needed to have that empowerment of the spirit before he could begin his ministry how much more you and me Paul wrote to the Corinthians I give thanks to God for the grace that was given to you in Christ that in every way you are enriched in Him. You are not lacking in any spiritual gift. And so the implication is you're able to fulfill the destiny, the will, the purpose of God that He's appointed for you if and as you rely upon His resources rather than your own.

I wonder how many of us really believe those words. Do you really believe this morning that God has given you every spiritual gift? That you are not lacking in anything?

That you have the resources at your disposal. It's already been given. Everything that you need to be and to do what God would have you be and do.

That's what we just read. You're not lacking in anything. Now there is a catch there.

The you is plural. He's not saying you as one solitary individual have it all. But you corporately, you as the body of Christ, as we begin to function together to complement each other, to use my gifts to supplement yours and vice versa, as we enter into a blood and guts commitment to each other, as we pray for each other, as we support each other, as we correct each other, as we really become what we claim we are, the body of Christ under the headship of the Lord Jesus Himself, then we have absolutely everything we need to make a success of our walk in Christ.

Do you really believe that this morning? Where's the slippage? I'd like to suggest to you that the slippage comes when we think that we can follow Him out of our own strength.

our own wisdom, my own best insight, my gut reaction, see, my best efforts, whatever they might be. And I say again to you that God's man, God's woman, will never fulfill God's destiny apart from God's Spirit. You say, but I've got the Holy Spirit.

Praise God. Does He have you? Does He have you?

Isn't it interesting that in John's Gospel, the very first words that John records out of the mouth of Jesus are a question. What do you seek? What do you seek?

I suspect that if Jesus could walk down this aisle physically this morning and look deeply into your eyes, deeply into your soul, that might be a question he'd ask you this morning. What is it you seek? You don't have to tell anybody else.

But be honest with yourself and be honest with him. What do you seek? What are you after?

What are you pursuing this morning? What is your life about? Most of us, if the truth be known, have a little list.

Sort of a five-year plan, you know. I know where I want to be. I know what I want to be in charge of.

I know what attainments I need to make by such and such a time to get there. I've got goals for my job. I've got goals for my friendships.

I've got goals for my bank account. I've got goals for my kids. You know, some of them are more articulate than others.

But I have a deep-seated awareness of what I'm seeking. Jesus challenges people in the opening chapter of John's Gospel. He says, come and follow me.

and every single one of them that responded to that call to that challenge found they had to abandon virtually all of their own agenda it was no easy task they had to leave behind family they had to leave behind occupation most of them entered into an extremely arduous career that ended in martyrdom what do you seek? Jim Elliot the great missionary who was slain by the Uca Indians a generation ago put it this way he said he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose that's what they saw in this Jesus yes it's going to be costly yes it's going to be difficult yes there are no guarantees for my personal creaturely comforts, but I see in Him something that is so infinitely more valuable. I'll give up those things, which I can't keep anyway, for that which He offers, which is eternal and endures.

But I'm interested even in seeing all of that with the fact that the hard lesson of the Gospel account is that as much as they wanted to respond and follow this Jesus, they made a pretty bad botch of it so long as they tried to do so out of their own strength. Peter in particular. Peter in particular.

We remember Andrew in this morning's story because he went and immediately he responded to Jesus. He found his brother and brought him as well. That's a pretty good role model, isn't it?

He saw something in Jesus that struck a responsive chord in him and his immediate response to it is go out and get his brother to share it. And Simon Peter comes, I'm sure, more out of curiosity than conviction. And Jesus looks at him and he says, So, you are called Simon.

Well, you shall be called Cephas or Peter. Most of you are aware of the fact that Jewish names mean something. They're not just arbitrary labels.

They mean something and almost invariably they touch upon a person's character. Simon means sandy. Stop and think about it.

Peter means what? Rock. Sandy and rock.

If you were trying to build something, those would be pretty nearly opposites. You try to build on the sand and it will collapse every time. you get too much sand in the mortar it will never stick together Jesus is saying I know who you are you're a sandy shifty, unstable unreliable guy but I've got a destiny for you you're going to become a rock like unto the rock, Jesus himself you're going to be a chip off the old block before I get done with you that sounds pretty good to Simon and he starts to follow Jesus and for the next three years he blows it every time I mean you want to talk about a case of foot in mouth disease if it's possible to get it wrong Peter gets it wrong Caesarea Philippi comes out with this magnificent confession you are the Christ the Son of the living God and Jesus says, Blessed are you, for my Father in heaven has shown that to you.

And now that you understand who I am, let me explain to you why I've come. I'm going to die for you. And Peter says, God forbid.

Terrific, Peter. God forbid, Lord. That's what he really said.

Can you imagine a better self-contradiction? God forbid, Lord. And Jesus says, Get behind me, you devil.

In less than 15 seconds, He's gone from, Blessed are you, Simon Johnson, to get behind me, you devil. Mount of Transfiguration. Peter, James, and John have an experience nobody else ever shared of seeing Jesus in His glory.

Dazzling, blinding glory. And Moses and Elijah there to do Him homage. And Peter gets it all wrong.

He thinks Jesus is somehow attained under their status. He says, isn't it terrific? We're here, Lord.

We can build three temples, one for each of You. And the thunder rolls and God Himself says, Peter, you blew it again. This is My beloved Son.

listen to him. The night of the Last Supper. There's Peter.

Lord, if all the rest of them fall away, I'll go with you to the death. And Jesus says, you're not going to make it till morning. And he doesn't. Shifty.

Sandy. Unstable. Try as he will, he can't do it in his own strength.

His best insight misses the point every single time. I don't know if it's ever struck you, it seems to me that those seemingly harsh words out of the mouth of Jesus, you're not going to make it till the cock crows, may possibly have been the most loving thing that Jesus ever said to Peter. Because Peter is about to be shocked at his own infidelity.

But he doesn't shock Jesus. Jesus knew what He was made of. I know you're not going to make it till morning.

You don't know that. You think you're ready to go with Me to the death, but I know what you're made of. But He says, I've prayed for you already.

And when you're converted again, you're going to strengthen your brethren. And Peter defaults. He goes out in anguish and remorse.

Weeps bitterly. And then after the resurrection, Jesus breathes the mighty power of the Holy Spirit upon this shifty, sandy, unstable Simon. And He begins to be the rock.

He begins to look more and more like His Lord. He begins to become the mighty apostle who opens the door for the church to be built. Do you see what I'm saying?

Peter's own best efforts are a total disaster until he's empowered by the Holy Spirit and he begins to enter into the destiny that God has for him. If you try to follow the Lord Jesus, Without opening your life to the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no way that you're going to make anything but a botch of it. That's not to deny your salvation.

We're not talking about salvation. We're talking about discipleship. Are we going to keep our rendezvous with destiny?

The only way we're going to do it is by letting God's Spirit have His way in and through us. I'm not really supposed to do this, but I'm going to urge you, if you haven't come to life in the Spirit, that you need to be there tonight. And whether or not you get to that, you really need to open your life to the power of God's Spirit.

And if you don't know what that means, you might seek one of us out and chat about it. We'd love to introduce you to a new dimension of living. And keep that rendezvous.

to the glory of God. Let's bow our heads together. Father, we're the ones who confess that we have been given every resource to be successful in our discipleship.

and Lord we want to lay hold of that resource and we want you to lay hold of us so fill us with your Holy Spirit that we'll never be the same again to the praise of your name and the glory of Christ Amen