Sermon Study Guide | Series: I Am | Sermon: With You in the Garden
Scripture: Luke 22:39-44 | Date: March 29, 2026

We’ve developed a daily devotional reading plan for this series on YouVersion

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CONNECT - “A Personal Reflection”

This section is designed to help you relate personally to the theme of the sermon. It encourages you to reflect on your own life experiences and how they connect to the message.

Think about a season when life felt heavier than you wanted to admit. Maybe everything looked “fine” on the outside, but underneath the pressure was building.

What did that season reveal about you? Did you tend to power through, hide your weakness, distract yourself, or reach out for help? As you look back, where did you most need to know that Jesus was not far off from your pain, but with you in it? Share with your group

ENGAGE - “Exploring the Scripture”

This section invites you to dive into the biblical passage, discuss its meaning, and apply it to your life through thoughtful questions.

Read Luke 22:39–44 together, and consider Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7 as supporting passages.

• Jesus goes to the garden “as usual,” fully aware of what is coming. What stands out to you about the fact that Jesus does not run from suffering, but willingly entrusts himself to the Father?
  
  
• The sermon highlights that Jesus was honest about His anguish. What does the portrait of a Savior who was “overwhelmed with sorrow” rather than emotionally untouched mean to you?
  
  
• Where do you most relate to the image of Atlas or the “pressure behind a dam”? What burdens in your life have been building slowly over time?
  
  
• The sermon pushes back on the idea that strength alone can save us. Where are you most tempted to believe, “I can carry this on my own”?
  
  
• Jesus asks His friends to pray, yet they fall asleep. What does this reveal about the limits of even the best human support?
  
  
• One of the sermon’s most powerful ideas is that Jesus is the “true Atlas,” the One strong enough, present enough, and loving enough to carry what crushes us. How does the cross deepen your trust that He really can bear what you cannot?
  
  
• The sermon asks whether we will fall to our knees in defeat or in surrender. What do you think the difference is?
  
  
• The closing image of a child straining to carry something while the father is already bearing the real weight is so vivid. Where in your life might that be true right now?

APPLY - “Putting the Scriptures into Action”

This section challenges us to take what we’ve learned and implement it in practical ways in our daily lives.

• Name one burden you have been carrying in silence. What would it look like to surrender that specifically to God this week instead of just managing it?
  
  
• Set aside five quiet minutes each day this week to pray honestly, using Jesus’ words: “Not my will, but yours be done.”
  
  
• Share one real struggle with a trusted Christian friend, spouse, pastor, or group member instead of pretending everything is fine.
  
  
• When anxiety rises this week, practice a simple prayer: “Jesus, this is too heavy for me, but not for you.”
  
  
• Reflect on whether you are looking to distraction, performance, or control to carry what only God can carry. What is one step of repentance and trust you need to take?
  
  
• Write down one burden you want to release to God, and pair it with either Psalm 55:22 or 1 Peter 5:7 as a reminder of His care.

PRAY - “Seeking God’s Guidance”

This section offers a short prayer to help us center our hearts and invite God to work in our lives through his scripture.

Jesus, thank you that you do not stand far off from our pain; that in the garden you entered anguish, sorrow, and surrender, so we would know that there is no burden we carry that you do not understand.

Teach us to be honest about what is heavy, to stop pretending we are strong enough on our own, and to cast our anxieties onto you because You care for us. Give us courage to open our hands, trust your heart, and say with sincerity, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Remind us this week that what threatens to crush us is not beyond your strength, your presence, or your love. Amen.
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If you have feedback on this guide or ideas that would help your group engage more deeply, we’d love to hear from you. Your insight helps us continue growing as a church that wrestles honestly and walks faithfully together. Contact msummers@menlo.church

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