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Stop Asking for a Life Jesus Never Promised
This week’s episode builds directly on Sunday’s sermon, “Emerging Refined,” where we stepped into Stage 3 of the refining process. In the sermon, we explored how God uses fire—not to destroy us, but to reveal, remove, and transform.
In this episode, Jonathan takes the message further by confronting one of the most destructive misunderstandings in modern Christianity:
We expect God to deliver a life He never promised.
Many believers unknowingly live under the “comfort gospel”—the belief that God’s primary job is to make our lives work smoothly. When suffering comes, it feels like betrayal, disappointment, or failure.
This episode reframes the fire through the lens of the cross gospel, helping listeners release false expectations and embrace the refining work of God with clarity, courage, and trust.
WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE
• A pastoral and honest opening that exposes the unspoken “deal” many believers make with God• A clear contrast between the comfort gospel and the cross gospel• Why so many Christians feel disappointed with God—and how to break that cycle• A biblical correction: what Jesus actually promised His followers• A redefinition of the fire as precision, not punishment• A powerful Stage 3 description of what it feels like to emerge refined• Three practical “reflex-shifting” prayers to carry into your week• Liturgical moments throughout the episode that guide listeners in repentance, trust, and surrender• A closing call-and-response that reinforces truth in a deeply personal way
KEY PHRASES FROM THE EPISODE
• “Some of us are angry at God for not giving us a life He never promised.”• “The comfort gospel told you the fire was punishment. The cross gospel tells you the fire is precision.”• “Emerging doesn’t mean finished. It means you’re beginning to see what God has been forming.”• “God is not breaking you; He is breaking what is breaking you.”• “I release what God never promised. I receive what He already gave.”
PRACTICAL NEXT STEPS
This week, challenge yourself to:
- Rewrite one false expectation you’ve placed on God
- Pray the Stage 3 prayer daily
- Tell someone: “God is doing something in me. I’m staying in the process.”
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
• 1 Peter 1:6–7• Zechariah 13:9• Philippians 1:6• Romans 8:29• Matthew 28:20• John 16:33
LISTEN TO THE SERMON
To hear the full Sunday sermon that this episode builds upon, listen to it HERE
View all episodes
By Jonathan SheppardThis week’s episode builds directly on Sunday’s sermon, “Emerging Refined,” where we stepped into Stage 3 of the refining process. In the sermon, we explored how God uses fire—not to destroy us, but to reveal, remove, and transform.
In this episode, Jonathan takes the message further by confronting one of the most destructive misunderstandings in modern Christianity:
We expect God to deliver a life He never promised.
Many believers unknowingly live under the “comfort gospel”—the belief that God’s primary job is to make our lives work smoothly. When suffering comes, it feels like betrayal, disappointment, or failure.
This episode reframes the fire through the lens of the cross gospel, helping listeners release false expectations and embrace the refining work of God with clarity, courage, and trust.
WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE
• A pastoral and honest opening that exposes the unspoken “deal” many believers make with God• A clear contrast between the comfort gospel and the cross gospel• Why so many Christians feel disappointed with God—and how to break that cycle• A biblical correction: what Jesus actually promised His followers• A redefinition of the fire as precision, not punishment• A powerful Stage 3 description of what it feels like to emerge refined• Three practical “reflex-shifting” prayers to carry into your week• Liturgical moments throughout the episode that guide listeners in repentance, trust, and surrender• A closing call-and-response that reinforces truth in a deeply personal way
KEY PHRASES FROM THE EPISODE
• “Some of us are angry at God for not giving us a life He never promised.”• “The comfort gospel told you the fire was punishment. The cross gospel tells you the fire is precision.”• “Emerging doesn’t mean finished. It means you’re beginning to see what God has been forming.”• “God is not breaking you; He is breaking what is breaking you.”• “I release what God never promised. I receive what He already gave.”
PRACTICAL NEXT STEPS
This week, challenge yourself to:
- Rewrite one false expectation you’ve placed on God
- Pray the Stage 3 prayer daily
- Tell someone: “God is doing something in me. I’m staying in the process.”
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
• 1 Peter 1:6–7• Zechariah 13:9• Philippians 1:6• Romans 8:29• Matthew 28:20• John 16:33
LISTEN TO THE SERMON
To hear the full Sunday sermon that this episode builds upon, listen to it HERE