The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

Expectations Series: Not All Suffering is Created Equal

Suffering can be a tool for spiritual growth, but not all suffering is part of God's plan—some are self-inflicted pitfalls driven by expectations, perfectionism, and misplaced desires. Peter's reaction to Jesus' prophecy of suffering reveals how deeply we can idolize our own visions of success, instead of loving God's will. Perfectionism and ambition can trap us in an endless pursuit of fulfillment, blinding us to the true peace found in God's love. Through grace, God shatters these idols, calling us to let go of rigid expectations and embrace Him fully.

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Scripture: Matthew 16: 13-23

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter,^[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[b] will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[d] loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Church Builder

Jesus’ ministry begins in the small seaport town of Nazareth in Galilee, where his claim to fulfill the gospel was met by a division of expectations and responses. The cultural context of Nazareth reveals a dissonance in the expectations surrounding the promised messianic mission. The Jewish people historically believed they had an exclusive claim to salvation, defined by adherence to cultural practices and values—a notion that prevailed until Jesus’ message entered the public sphere. The Messiah arrived, fulfilling the promises of scripture while defying expectations, extending love to those unlike ourselves, and making the saving grace of the gospel accessible to all.

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Luke 4:14-30 NRSVUE

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry

¹⁴ Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

¹⁶ When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to set free those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” ²³ He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” ²⁴ And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months and there was a severe famine over all the land, ²⁶ yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. ²⁷ There were also many with a skin disease in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

The One Minute Pause

John Eldredge begins this series "Get Your Life Back!" by reminding us of the importance of benevolent detachment. God did not intend for us to live such exhausting, burdened lives. He calls for us instead to cast our cares upon Him, because it is God who is meant to carry the weight of this world. For practicing benevolent detachment, Eldredge encourages us to incorporate the 1-minute pause into our day-to-day. The 1-minute pause means not getting carried away by thoughts, not even praying, but just letting everything go and allowing our souls to breathe. As Matthew 11 says, in Jesus we will find rest for our souls, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 

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Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Expectation Series: Exploring the Curvature of Resilience

Life can be hard, and for many of us, our natural inclination is to avoid taking risks and thereby avoid the suffering and potential failure that comes with challenging ourselves. However, the Book of James tells us not to withdraw from these trials, but to embrace them. In fact, it is during these difficult times, when our expectations are challenged, that we become humbled enough to listen to God. This allows God to build us up and give us confidence and hope. Indeed, every time we descend into difficulty, persevere in faith, and bounce back, we become stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to deal with whatever challenges God calls us to in the future.

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James 1: 1-8, 12-18

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

 

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Responding to the Unexpected Call

The hero's journey begins with a call to adventure, which often prompts fear and hesitation. However, heroism is proven when the call is embraced in spite of uncertainty. Mary exemplified this by responding to God’s unexpected call with faith, even as she faced doubts, fears, and questions about the unknown. Her story reminds us that while God’s plans may feel overwhelming, we are invited to trust in Him, knowing He walks with us in our struggles and doubt. Community, like Elizabeth's encouragement to Mary, helps us reframe our fears into faith, offering a godly perspective that reveals God's blessings amidst the challenges.

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Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

How Our Expectations Define, Break, and Shape Us.

Expectations, whether big or small, define our lives. To our dismay, our lives often don’t go according to our expectations. Time and time again, we wrestle with expectations that are placed on us and that we have of others, and we agonize over the delays, disappointments, and comparisons, even to the point of criticizing ourselves for struggling with our struggles. However, the gospel is good news because God understands that in our humanity we struggle with expectations. The process of faith can at times feel awful, but in our surrender to his sovereignty, we can take a deep breath knowing beauty and redemption await at the other end of his call, as they did from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection.

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Matthew 26: 36-46

Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Resilient: Don't Look Back

In this final segment of his series on resilience, John Eldredge reminds us of the world's darkness and how easily it can wear us down if we don't intentionally seek and grow in resilience. Too often, we become ensnared by the world and turn to insubstantial reliefs that don't provide the wholeness, beauty, and intimacy our hearts ultimately desire. In order to cultivate resilience and protect our hearts, we have to plan. The idea is not to try and fit God into our busy schedules, but rather to center on God and determine how to shape our lives around Him. For God's promise of Eden provides hope, and that hope is the source of resilience that enables us to endure life's trials. 

Resilient: Unconverted Places

This week, John Eldredge continues our series on resilience by exploring the unconverted areas of our lives. In difficult times, rather than being Christ-like, many of us react with fear, anxiety, anger, or rage—these are our unconverted places. To cultivate greater resilience, we must bring these emotions to Christ in the very moment they arise, asking Him to enter and unite with us in these areas. By giving Christ access to parts of us He has not yet touched, we open the door to gradual transformation, leading us toward greater wholeheartedness and a much deeper resilience than we could ever achieve on our own.

Advent: How the first Noel redeems the human story.

The first Noel reveals profound truths about human frailty and dependence, overturning the myth of self-made independence. Jesus, as a vulnerable infant, required the nurture of others, exposing the illusion that we can thrive on our own. His incarnation also affirms the transformative power of attachment—how community and mutual reliance are essential for strength and redemption. By entering the world as a helpless child, God demonstrates that tenderness, not power, is the path to conquering the world and restoring its beauty.

Advent: Finding your place in the Adventus

The Advent of Jesus is most often described as the arrival of Christ to the world, but implicit to an arrival is a story of departure. Christ’s departure from an eternal status quo to corporeal calling in the gospel of Mathew sets the scene for Nativity and the drama implied by His arrival. The significance of Christ’s arrival to the present invites us to take part in the story of redemption and create space for God’s movement in our own lives. The First Noel reflects an opportunity to pause from our norms, make space for the Father’s prompting in our lives, and find our place in the Advent story.