You’re Not an Accident | Francis Chan

I'm just excited to open up the word of God to you today. I there's something so powerful about these words like like I I almost want to just read them and then I'll just stare at it. Um because it's it's it's life-changing. You you get all these opinions all week long and different people have their thoughts and different opinions arise from your own mind.

But then there's something that's just great to look at this book and see these words that people have been looking at for thousands of years that have changed their lives and there is just a power to it. And uh I I don't know if you ever get those times in life when you just feel like everything is coming at you and everyone has an opinion for you or criticism towards you just and all this stuff you got and you just want to get away from everyone and everything.

I mean, this is the way I was feeling like years ago where I just And just so you know, I mean, some of it was my own sin, like my own arrogance. Uh, sometimes people just bug me. Um, you you ever get to that point where you're like, "Everyone bugs me right now."

Um, and you don't see your own faults. In fact, I remember um when my wife and I were first married, like we were just a year into the marriage. We're 19 years now, but I think it was a year into it. She goes, "Honey, what what do you love most about me?"

And I said, "You know," without even thinking, I just go, "You know, of all the people on the earth, you bug me the least." And she's like, "A," you know, she it was actually touching to her. But, uh, but I was just in one of those modes where it's like, "Ah, there's so much going on and everything's bothering me.

I just want to get away. I want to get away from everyone except for God. I just want to be alone with him. I started thinking in my own mind how I would say things like, "Oh, I love God so much." And I was noticing some contradiction in my life because I'm thinking if I love him so much, why is it that I never just go on vacation with just him?

You know, I I love my wife and so I'll get alone and we'll go on vacation. I love my kids. I'll get alone with each one of them and go and take time with that. You know, if I love him so much, how come I I've never gone on vac?

At that point, I was 30 years old. And I just thought, I've never been on a vacation with just me and God. And so I go, I want to do this. And I started getting excited, you know, with all the pressure. And sometimes it's just hard because you feel like there are just too many things going on in my life right now.

I can't just leave. But sometimes that's the best time to do it, you know? And believe it or not, the world will keep spinning without you. And everything still just kind of works. and and there's just something beautiful about getting away with the one who created you and saying, "I just I just want to know you better.

I just want to talk to you. I just want to be alone with you." And so I decided I'm just going to go out to the woods um get some water and my Bible and just see how long I last. And uh so I called my friend Jeff um because I didn't know where the woods were.

I was a city boy, right? you know, and down Southern California. And I was like, "Hey, Jeff, I want to get alone with God in the woods, but I know you've been to the woods. Show me where it is." So, he uh he takes me up there and shows me where it is.

And but then he prayed for me and it was a weird prayer um because first he prayed and he says, "God, I'm so grateful that Francis gets this time alone with you because I know how he's wanted it." But then he says, "And God, I'm so happy for you because I know how you've wanted this time with Francis."

And when he prayed it, I didn't like it. Like, it felt weird to me. Like, don't say that. It's not like God in heaven's like, "Oo, I can't wait till Francis, you know, comes and hangs out with me." Like, it it honestly felt a little sacriiggious. And so as I'm driving, you know, you know, after he prayed for me and I took off to the woods by myself, I I just thought, gosh, that's weird.

And and when something doesn't sit right with me, I start examining the Bible and going, "Okay, that that didn't feel right when he prayed that." And I I looked at the scriptures and I thought about every scripture I knew and and then I thought, "Wait, I think he's right."

You know, I I think God does long for us. In fact, everything in the Bible shows me that he wants relationship with us. He uses imagery. Not that he's just some, you know, obscure being up there, but that he's a person and he loves us and not just puts up with us, but the Bible says he so loved us that he gave his son.

The Bible uses imagery of him saying he's like a husband, you see. And he goes, "Why? Why would you go anywhere else? Look at all that I provide for you. Why are you running to other things to fulfill you? Those things won't fulfill. What did I do wrong?

I mean, these are the words that that God uses. And Jesus just going, "Oh, I just want to gather you together, you know, like a hen gathers her chicks, but you kept running off. You're not willing." And and and and I just start thinking about all these scriptures and going, "Wait, Jeff is right.

God wants this time with me." But but I think there's certain things for certain people depending on your background. There's certain parts of scripture that are harder for you to believe. And for me, that's one of them. I I I think it's just one of those things some of you may be able to relate when you have a dad where you feel like he doesn't even like you and and and you don't measure up and so you spend your whole life trying to earn that and get his love somehow, like you're an annoyance to him.

And then he dies and there was never any, you know, not one hug, not one I love you, not one conversation. And and it's hard not to then impose that on God and think, "Okay, so God's probably that way, too." And and I probably just bug him and and all my failures, I'm probably just not good enough.

And so I I want this time with him, but he doesn't want to be with me. And I realize, man, some of us just have baggage. And each of us, we struggle with different things. And for me, it was so hard to hear those words from Jeff. And then to look in scripture and go, you know what?

I think he's right. God actually loves me. Actually wants to be with me. And I've got five kids. And I thought about how I just love being with them. And I I hate I travel a lot and I hate just leaving them and I think about them and and how scripture says if you being just a human dad know how to give good things to your kids, how much more the perfect father in heaven?

And start going, God, you want this. And as I I got out into into the wilderness, I I thought about God as a creator and I thought, "Wow, if I made the world and all of these people in it, wouldn't I want to see those people kind of leave their little busy lives and look up to me and say, "God, I just I just want to thank you like you're the one that's been with me from the beginning.

You made me. I just want to know you. I love I mean wouldn't you want all of your creation to do that? And I just had an amazing like four days alone with God and and and I just encourage you if there's any way you can pull away and just be alone with him whatever period of time.

It was amazing. But when I was out there I I did one of those things where you know sometimes I'm on a reading plan. I try to get through the Bible in a year or two. You know, other times I just open the Bible and see where does it open to and kind of just did one of those, just flopped it open.

And it opened up to Jeremiah chapter 1. And I read a couple of verses that first day out in the woods. And I'm telling you, I just meditated on those verses for four days straight. I couldn't think of anything else because it blew me away. I I I had to reread it because I thought, "Wait a second, that's not true.

I've never seen that before." See, in Jeremiah chapter 1, when God's calling Jeremiah in in verse four, he says, "The word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." Think about that. This is what God says to Jeremiah. Look, before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you.

What does that mean? Wait, God, how can you have a relationship? Or how can you know me? Before you even make me, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. I just started thinking about that, going, is that true? Or is that is that just true of Jeremiah?

Is it true of me? Is it true of you that the creator knew you somehow? Like what does that even mean? He knew you before he made you. And he tells Jeremiah, he goes, "Look, before you were even born," he goes, "I consecrated you and I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

He look before you were even born, I already decided you were going to be a prophet to the nations. this is what I made you to do. And I just started dwelling on this over and over and over again going, okay, according to this verse, then God, somehow before you even made me in my mother's womb, you knew me.

And before I was even born, there were things that I was supposed to do, and you knew I was going to do those things. This is crazy. And I I said, "Well, is it unique to him?" But then I thought about the New Testament and Ephesians 2 verse 10 says, "We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Isn't this weird? Like like the whole thought is that somehow God had good works beforehand before he even made us and he created us to do those good works. In fact, that phrase that that word workmanship some some scholars translate that masterpiece like God thought through and he says look I want to make you as this masterpiece because there are things that I want you to do.

So, I'm going to make you specifically for that. It's kind of like this. Okay, you guys know what this is, right? A cheese grater. Is this an accident? No. Someone thought ahead of time, right? They said, "You know what? I hate using a knife. I hate the fork doesn't work.

Let me create something." In my head, the world needs shredded cheese. So in his mind, he goes, "There's a need. I gotta create something." He goes, "Wow, you know, I can make big holes, little holes, little slicer thing I've never used, but I want to make I'm going to craft."

And and I started thinking about design and how the idea is that the the person who created this, this wasn't an accident. He thought ahead of time, look, here's the need in the world, and so let me make something to fulfill that need. And that's what he's saying to Jeremiah here.

He says, look, Jeremiah, before you were even born, I decided what you're going to be. You were going to be I needed a prophet to the nations. So, I thought through how am I going to make this guy? What gifts am I going to give him? What shortcomings will I give him?

What what what things will I have him go through in life? because there's something I want him to do. See, the reason why this was life-changing to me because, you know, I've got insecurities like everyone else. You start thinking, man, what what was what's the point in my life?

And to read this verse and say, no, God had a design in mind when he made me. Do you believe that about yourself right now? that God thought through how he was going to make you, that you're not an accident. See, this was before he was even born.

And maybe this means more to me because my mom died while she was giving birth to me, okay? Right here in San Francisco, Chinatown Hospital. My mom died delivering me. And so I'm looking at this going, "Okay, so God, you knew that was going to happen and she was going to die, but you wanted me on the earth because you were making me to do something on this planet and you had it planned out at that time while I was in her womb."

And somehow even her death was going to affect me and get me thinking differently. And then when my stepmom died, same type of thing. You you had it that was all in your plan. When my dad died, it was all there. You were creating, you were shaping, you were molding it.

I'm I'm this somehow I'm here today with some message with everything in my background to talk to you. And I don't think this is accident. I don't think it's random. I believe I was made for this somehow. This was in the knowledge of God that he knew what he was making before he made me.

I love this verse. I love that passage. I start falling in love and just talking to God going, "Wow, this is crazy." So that means I'm not an axeman. That it doesn't mean it also means that it wasn't like I was born and then God looks down and goes, "Oh, wow.

Chinese baby 6 billion in two. What am I going to do with this one?" You know, but ahead of time, he's like, "No, I'm making this person for this reason, right?" and and and it's just like gosh that makes life completely different, doesn't it? That I have a task to do.

There are good works that he had turned beforehand and now I'm going to walk in those and he made me to do those things. And you would think that uh Jeremiah hearing that would would say, "Oh, that's great. I've been created by God. I'm going to do all these things."

But that wasn't his response when he heard those words from God. Instead, his response is, "Ah, Lord, I I don't know how to speak. I'm only a youth." His response isn't, "No way. So, I was created by God. I I I was made for a specific purpose. I was designed so intricately.

I'm like this masterpiece, and there's things that I can do that no one else can do." That wasn't his response. He He just says, "I can't do it. I'm just a kid." And God says, ' Don't say I'm just a youth. Says, stop that. Quit that. Why do we always go there, God?

You know, even if I tell you, even if you're convinced, some of you come here saying, "No, I know this is the word of God." And you say, "Okay, you know what? I believe that then I was created, if that's what God says, then I was created for good works."

But what's going to happen like an hour from now? You'll start doubting again, right? Go, wait a second. I can't do that. I can't do that. And it reminds me of remember when God create now when God called Moses the same thing. Remember God says look Moses I want you to go to my people and tell them who I am.

And what was Moses' response? He goes well why don't you send Aaron? Why don't you send this other He speaks better than I do. And and he it was almost the same thing that Jeremiah says. He goes my mouth it doesn't work that well. like I I stutter my speech.

This guy's so much more articulate. And do you remember what God said to Moses when he said, "I I can't speak that well." God says, "Who made your mouth?" It's a strong statement. Who made your mouth? Who makes man's mouth? Who makes his ears? See, God was saying something to Moses right there.

He goes, "Don't tell me your mouth doesn't work right. I made it." Sometimes we think in our humility, we need to belittle ourselves. Man, I went through that phase. Just walk around going, "Oh, yeah, I'm not very smart. Yeah, I don't speak very well. Yeah, I don't really have any gifts.

Yeah, I'm not this. I'm not that." And we think that that's being humble. No, that's offensive to God. God says, "Wait, are you saying I messed up when I made your mouth? Are you saying that when I designed your mind that I didn't do it just right, Moses?

Who made your mouth?" I could see if you made your mouth and you, you know, you glued it together, you know, whatever. And you say, "Oh, this stinks." You know, I could get that, but I made it. That's not being humble. That's offensive to God. And here Jeremiah is going, "Well, I can't do this."

And God says, "Don't say that." Just like he told Moses, "Man, don't say that. I made you." But but we all go through this. I mean, aren't there times when you look in the mirror, I mean, honestly, and you look at yourself and you just go, "I'm so weird, you know, like no one thinks the way I do, no one acts the way I do.

No one gets me, you know. And we have these little pity parties and say, "Oh, I I'm not like him. I'm not like him." And no one get You guys, you know what's weird? This is weird. Okay. Have you ever seen one of these? This is my favorite thing, though.

For those who don't know what it does, it's it's a it's a Apple thing. Um they call it. And you just you just boom. Wow. You know, it's just slices these apples like one second. Why? Because someone thought ahead of time. This is what we need on the earth.

And but here's what we do. Here's what I see it all the time. We we start going, "Yeah, but I can't grate cheese." Right? That's totally what we do. And I'm going, "Man, look what you just did to that apple. that is amazing. And we we go and we compare, oh, I'm not this, I'm not that.

And and and you guys, instead of celebrating our uniqueness and going, man, there's just things that God made me to do that no one else can do like me, man. And I mean, because at the end of the day, I mean, is this more important than this? Actually, this is greater.

Thank you. Thank you. Um, but it's this is I know stupid, huh? Um, but it's that whole mindset. Look, I've been through this, man. I've had these pity parties where, man, I try to talk with biblical scholars and try to be in their world and they can just tell, man, you don't know what you're talking about.

And and you just you you can you can get this this sense of insecurity where you're going, I'll never be as smart as that guy. It's like, great. good. And I finally got to a point where I thought, you know what? Yes, that guy's smarter than me. That guy's more, you know, a better leader.

He's more handsome, but I'm funnier, man. You know, I just go, you know, God made me in this zone. And and I started realizing, okay, there's things I do, though. You know, it's it's you break it down simply. You you make it simple so people get it. And and sometimes I was embarrassed of that.

Like, well, I don't want to state the obvious. That's not a real, you know, cool thing to be, the guy that states the obvious. But, you know, over time you just realize, you know what? I just fit. I don't need a bunch of cheese grers in my kitchen.

Just one, you know, and so for you today to go, well, you know, that's great for you. You go up there and speak. We don't need another speaker. You know, we you know, you're like, "Well, I see everything that Terry Brisbane does and the world only needs one Terry Brisbane."

I don't mean that in a bad way. You know, just there's only you just we only need one of those. Good. Good. Now, what is it about you? I mean, to believe I mean, right now, do you really believe that that God gives us all gifts? The Bible says this.

The Bible says, you know, in 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 14, he explains that everyone who's given his life to Jesus Christ, given her life to Christ, that God puts his spirit inside of you, and then he gives you some sort of supernatural ability, and you are supposed to use that ability to build other people up.

He says that gift is not for you to flaunt or anything else. You're supposed to use it to encourage the body. Says everyone has been given a gift for the common good. And so if mine is breaking down a passage, making it simple, encouraging you or exhorting you, then I should do that with all of my heart.

And if I don't do that, I'm wasting my life. But for me in my head to finally accept, you know what, God, I've been given a gift. And it is wrong for me to say that I'm worthless. That's not being humble. It's being dishonest. It's being degrading toward God.

It's belittling what he's created. I mean, not only did God say that that he made you, but he also says that he he he touches Jeremiah's mouth and and he says to him, he goes, "I have put my words in your mouth. I have set you this day over nations, over kingdoms."

He he says, "Look, Jeremiah, don't be afraid. I made you for this. And not only that, but I'm going to empower you. I'm going to give you this gift where when you speak, the words that come out of your mouth will actually be my words." So, he's saying, "You can't fail."

I want so badly. Like I know some of us we get so much criticism and there's baggage from all through our lives where people just would tell us we don't match up. Man, I felt that. And and you can just sink into this depression. And that's why the word of God is so powerful.

It reminds us, no, those are all lies. I want you all to understand there's something you can do for us that builds us up and we need that. Like God designed you for that and he's going to empower you to do that. And and the greatest times in life is when that that that gift is alive in you and you're giving to other people and you're actually encouraging them in their faith somehow with what God's given you.

I mean, it's a rush there. There are times there are times when I'm done speaking that I'll walk off the stage or get in my car and drive home and there's just like this rush. I'll get the chills sometimes where I go, "God, that was awesome. I I I I sensed you right there at that moment.

It was like you were just speaking through me. It's like you just took over." And and there have been times I've just prayed to God afterwards going, "Wow, I think that's the whole reason I I'm even on the earth right now was for what I just did." And it's just this connection with God.

But it starts with this confidence in what he says in the word going, "No, you are not a mistake. You are not an accident. God made you with a purpose." And then he fills you with his spirit to do whatever it is that you do. And at the end of it, somehow it builds up all of us.

Or those you come into contact with, somehow they leave encouraged. They leave closer to God. And I believe that about all of us. And the church would be so strong if we all believe that and live with that type of confidence. But Satan's going to throw words in there and get you to think, "No, you already made too many mistakes.

You already blew it. You failed. You're useless. You can't do this. you can't do that and you've got to trust the word of God. And then if that still doesn't work, um I love how he ends the passage in verse 17. It's not in your outlines, but um in in verse 17, listen to what he says to Jeremiah.

He goes, "Get yourself ready. Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them or I will terrify you before them. Okay, so God says, "Okay, I gave you the whole pitch about how I made you perfectly. I told you how, you know, I'm going to speak through you, but if you're still scared, I'll give you something to be scared about."

Okay? Said, "Just go and do what you need to do." I mean, that's an intense statement. He goes, "Don't be afraid of them. all your critics, all the people that are going to belittle you, don't be afraid of them. He goes, or else I'll give you something to be afraid of.

I'll terrify you before them. There's a sense which, okay, I guess I have no choice. You know, I was made for this. I'm empowered to do this. And God says, you know what? You better just go do what you were made to do. And uh but then he says, "Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land.

They will fight against you, but will not overcome you. For I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord." Okay, when I read this part, this one, this hit me, too. I'm telling you, that whole first chapter was like bam, bam, bam. Then he ends with this.

He says, "Look," he goes, "I made you like this city that no one can break through. I made you like an iron pillar. You can't be broken." He says, "They're going to fight against you." This is the whole land, okay? Everyone's going to be against you. He goes, "But you're not going to fall because I'm with you."

And and when I when I read that passage, I mean, he was explaining Jeremiah. He's told Jeremiah, "Look, everyone's going to be against you when you go to this city." And I put myself in his shoes. I thought, "Okay, what if I went to a city where everyone, literally everyone was going to be against me?

How would I handle that?" Like everyone. I mean, I I like being liked. You guys like me? Okay. See, I like that. You know, like I like when people like me, don't you? Don't you just love it when it's like, "Oh, man. I like you. Yeah, let's hang out."

We all love that. But what if you're placed in a city and you're told ahead of time, "No one's going to like you." In fact, some scholars say that Jeremiah preached for over 30 years without any converts. And so they they call him the weeping prophet. It was just like, "Oh, you guys don't want to turn to, you know, and I thought, God, could I do that?

Like what if what if God says, "Okay, Francis, I want you in Oakland for the rest of your life, and no one everyone's going to be against you for the rest of your life, but don't worry about it. I'm with you." Like I I started thinking, could I handle that?

Could I hand Do I have enough of this? Okay, God, you and me, as long as you're with me, and God's telling Jeremiah, "Look, everyone's going to fight against you." He goes, "But don't. You got to trust me. They're not going to take you down because I'm with you.

Okay? You can trust me. I'm gonna have you stand amidst all of them. They won't take you down. Don't be afraid. I made you for this. So, go and say whatever you need to say. Even if they don't like it, just say cuz I'm with you. And I just thought, God, I don't know, man.

I don't know if I can do what he did. I have this side of me that just wants to please people and everything else. Could I really stand just you and I? And the more I thought about it, the more I just go, you know what? What choice do I have?

I mean, what am I going to do? You know, if you had the decision to make and let's say you could have every human being on the earth on your side and you were fighting against God, you ready for that? You want that? Or would you rather have You know what?

You and me, God, I just want you. I just want you. I just want to be right in your eyes. I just want to know that you're with me. and if you're with me, I can do anything. See, this is the type of person that God wants us to be.

Where you have so much of an understanding of who he is that you go, you know what? I just need his approval. I just need to know I'm saying what he wants me to say. I'm doing what he wants me to do. You know what? I'll take on the world with him.

Because look, if you spend your life just wanting the approval of all these different people, you're going to be a miserable person. You just are because you're not going to please everyone. But there are those of us in this room that have found such a peace about just being right with God and just enjoying him.

And this is what what I want for all of you is to just understand that peace of God, you and me against the world. You made me for this. I'll say what you need me to say. I know you'll give me the words to say when it's not there.

I know that your spirit is in me. And most of all, I just know you're here with me right now. And that's all I need. And I just think some of us in this room, we're tired. We're tired of trying to please everyone and failing. We're tired of people criticizing and feeling like we're not amounting to much.

We're tired of failing and we're scared. And God's message to us today is, "Don't be afraid. I'm with you. I specifically made you for a task. I made you just the way I want you to be. And I'll put my spirit in you. Okay? The spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead, he'll be in you.

How can you fail with that type of power? And ultimately, God almighty is with us and we stand with him. He even means standing against the whole world. And there's a real peace and power in that. And I want to pray that for you. I want to pray that God would just wipe the insecurities out of this room.

That he would erase or cleanse us from some of the abusive statements that have made been made toward us, the way people have made us feel and get back to a security because God didn't give you that spirit of fear. is look, I made you to be courageous, to be powerful, to have an impact during that short time on that earth.

And don't let the enemy tell you otherwise. So, I'm going to pray something over you. And I believe that this is powerful and effective what I'm about to do. So, would you bow your heads as I speak to him right now? God, I pray that your words would sink in, that all the other voices would be cast out.

May all the other voices go in one ear and out the other. And may your words penetrate into our souls, God, so that we know that you love us, that we can have forgiveness through Jesus, that our failures can be forgiven. God, I pray that you would burn your words into everyone's minds right now.

Father, help them to know that you are all that matters. Lord, give them a security in you, an enjoyment of you. That mindset that Jeremiah had that he could do anything, say anything because you are with him and you created him for this purpose. I pray we leave here with a new boldness and excitement to serve you.

An excitement to discover the gift you've given us to use to bless this church body. God, I thank you for Pastor Terry. I thank you that he's a man that gets out in the wilderness alone with you so he knows what to say to these people. I thank you that he has a heart for you and a love for you.

And I pray that you never let anyone rob him of that. Pray he never gets too busy. He doesn't spend that time alone with you. I thank you, Lord, that he loves you and that he's a man of God and he's leading well. And now I pray for this church body that they would come alongside of him with their different gifts that everything would function like you want it to.

But today, Lord, help us to take back what the enemy has tried to take away from us. Give us our confidence again, our courage again, our excitement over being your children and your servants. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.