Finding Strength and Victory in Gethsemane's Struggles

In today's sermon, we explored the profound journey from the veil of our struggles to the victory we find in Christ, particularly focusing on the poignant moments of Jesus' humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane. We delved into the narrative of Jesus' emotional turmoil before His crucifixion, as depicted in the Gospels, and extracted vital lessons that apply to our lives today.

We began by acknowledging the inevitability of tribulation in our lives, as Jesus Himself stated in John 16:33. We are assured of facing distress and suffering, but we are also reminded of the promise that Jesus has overcome the world. This acknowledgment sets the stage for understanding that our trials do not signify abandonment by God.

In the heart of our sermon, we examined the emotional intensity Jesus experienced in Gethsemane. Despite being overwhelmed with sorrow, Jesus was firmly within God's will. This teaches us that our emotional state is not an accurate indicator of our spiritual standing. We often mistake ease for alignment with God's will, but Jesus' example shows us that even in anguish, we can be in the center of God's purpose for our lives.

We also discussed the importance of bringing our full range of emotions to God. Culture may have conditioned us to present only our positive feelings to God, but He is our safe space for all emotions. By expressing our deepest fears and questions to God, we allow Him to provide the comfort and guidance we need.

Prayer was highlighted as our immediate response to life's challenges. It is not merely a means to change our circumstances but a way to align ourselves with God's will. Through prayer, we cast our cares upon Him and open ourselves to His voice, gaining the wisdom and perspective we need.

Finally, we were reminded that our personal Gethsemane moments are solitary experiences that cannot be walked through by others. While community is essential, there are times when only a direct encounter with God can provide the supernatural strength and insight we require.

Key Takeaways:

- Tribulation does not equate to God's absence. Jesus' own distress in the garden was part of God's redemptive plan, teaching us that our most challenging moments may be divinely orchestrated for growth and maturity. In these times, we must lean into our faith, trusting that God is working through our pain for a greater purpose. [58:03]

- Emotions are not the enemy of faith; they are a part of our human experience that God fully understands. By bringing our emotions to God, we allow Him to minister to us at the root of our pain, providing healing and wholeness that surpasses human counsel. [01:06:39]

- Prayer is our lifeline, not a last resort. It should be our first response, not an afterthought. In prayer, we cast our cares upon God, and we position ourselves to hear from Him. This divine dialogue is where we find the strength to endure and the wisdom to navigate our trials. [01:14:11]

- Surrender is not a sign of defeat but an act of trust. In Gethsemane, Jesus modeled the power of surrender to God's will. When we follow His example, we access the strength to face our battles, knowing that our surrender leads to God's victory in our lives. [01:23:28]

- We must walk through our personal Gethsemane with God alone. Community supports us, but there are moments when only a personal encounter with God will suffice. In these times, we find that God's grace is sufficient, and His strength is perfected in our weakness. [01:22:04]

In conclusion, the message from Gethsemane is one of hope and strength found in surrender. As we face our own gardens of struggle, may we remember that God is with us, His grace is sufficient, and victory is found in yielding to His will.

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **John 16:32-33**: "Take careful notice. An hour is coming and has arrived when you will all be scattered each to his own home, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have perfect peace. In the world, you have tribulation and distress and suffering. But be courageous, be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy. I have overcome the world."
2. **Mark 14:32-36**: "Then they went to a place called Gethsemane. And Jesus said to his disciples, 'Sit down here until I have prayed.' He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, 'My soul is deeply grieved and overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch.' After going a little farther, he fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He was saying, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But not what I will, but what you will.'"

#### Observation Questions
1. What did Jesus say about tribulation and peace in John 16:33?
2. How did Jesus express His emotions in the Garden of Gethsemane according to Mark 14:33-34?
3. What was Jesus' prayer in Mark 14:36, and what does it reveal about His relationship with the Father?
4. According to the sermon, what does Jesus' distress in Gethsemane teach us about being in God's will? [01:00:29]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does Jesus' statement in John 16:33 about overcoming the world provide comfort during times of tribulation?
2. What can we learn from Jesus' willingness to express His deep sorrow and distress in Mark 14:33-34 about how we should handle our own emotions?
3. In what ways does Jesus' prayer in Mark 14:36 model the balance between expressing our desires and submitting to God's will?
4. The sermon mentioned that our emotional state is not an accurate indicator of our spiritual standing. How does Jesus' experience in Gethsemane illustrate this point? [01:00:29]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent tribulation you faced. How did you respond, and how might Jesus' words in John 16:33 change your perspective on that situation?
2. Jesus brought His full range of emotions to God in prayer. Are there emotions or struggles you have been hesitant to bring to God? What steps can you take to be more open with Him? [01:04:46]
3. Prayer was highlighted as our immediate response to life's challenges. How can you make prayer your first response rather than an afterthought in your daily life? [01:08:50]
4. Jesus' surrender in Gethsemane was not a sign of defeat but an act of trust. Is there an area in your life where you need to surrender to God's will? What might that look like practically? [01:19:02]
5. The sermon emphasized that some moments in our lives require a direct encounter with God. Can you identify a "Gethsemane moment" in your life where you need to seek God's supernatural strength? [01:22:04]
6. How can you support others in your community who are going through their own Gethsemane moments, even though they must ultimately walk through them with God alone? [01:22:04]
7. Jesus found strength in surrendering to God's will in the garden. What practical steps can you take this week to practice surrender and find strength in your relationship with God? [01:23:28]

Day 1: Embracing Trials as Divine Orchestration
In the midst of life's inevitable tribulations, it is easy to feel forsaken. Yet, the journey through hardship is not a sign of God's absence but rather a testament to His intricate work within us. Jesus' own distress in the Garden of Gethsemane was not a departure from God's plan but a crucial part of it. This teaches that the most challenging moments in life may be divinely orchestrated for growth and maturity. It is in these times that faith becomes a beacon, guiding through the darkness and trusting that God is weaving our pain into a greater tapestry of redemption. The presence of trials in life is not a punishment but an invitation to lean into faith, allowing the struggles to shape and fortify the spirit. [58:03]

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 ESV

Reflection: Reflect on a recent hardship you faced. How can you view this struggle as a part of God's plan for your growth, and what might be one step you can take to trust Him more in the midst of it?

Day 2: Honoring Our Emotions Before God
Emotions are an integral part of the human experience and are not to be shunned in the context of faith. God fully understands our emotional spectrum, and by bringing our true feelings to Him, we open the door for His healing touch. The Garden of Gethsemane was a scene of raw human emotion, where Jesus Himself expressed deep anguish. This moment teaches that emotions are not the enemy of faith; rather, they are a bridge to a deeper relationship with God. When emotions are laid bare before the Creator, they become a canvas for His work, allowing for ministering at the root of our pain and providing a healing that is beyond human counsel. [01:06:39]

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:15 ESV

Reflection: What is an emotion you've been hesitant to bring before God? How can you courageously present this part of your heart to Him today?

Day 3: Prayer as Our First Response
Prayer is not a last-ditch effort to alter circumstances but a primary means of aligning with God's will. It is a divine dialogue that offers strength and wisdom to endure and navigate life's trials. When faced with challenges, the immediate response should be to cast cares upon God and to position oneself to hear from Him. This practice transforms prayer from a mere ritual into a lifeline, a conversation with the Divine that sustains and guides. The act of prayer is a declaration of dependence on God, acknowledging that human efforts are insufficient without His guidance and strength. [01:14:11]

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." - Colossians 4:2 ESV

Reflection: What current challenge can you commit to bringing before God in prayer first, rather than as an afterthought?

Day 4: The Power of Surrender to God's Will
Surrender to God is not an admission of defeat but a profound act of trust. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus exemplified the ultimate surrender, accepting God's will over His own human desires. This act of yielding is not a passive resignation but an active engagement with God's plan. It is through surrender that believers access the strength to face their battles, knowing that their submission is the pathway to God's victory in their lives. Surrendering to God means trusting that He knows best and that His plans are for good, even when they are beyond human understanding. [01:23:28]

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." - Psalm 37:5 ESV

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Day 5: Solitary Encounters with God in Our Struggles
There are moments in life's journey that must be walked through alone with God. While community is invaluable, it cannot replace the personal encounter with the Divine that provides supernatural strength and insight. These solitary experiences are where one finds that God's grace is truly sufficient and His strength is perfected in weakness. It is in the quiet solitude of a personal Gethsemane that the soul encounters the profound depths of God's love and the transformative power of His presence. [01:22:04]

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

Reflection: Can you identify a 'Gethsemane moment' in your life where you need to seek a solitary encounter with God? What steps can you take to create space for this encounter today?

We won't go, can't quit till we let y'all know it is love and peace. I found it never ends and it won't come down.

Hey, I had a great idea: a world with no hate and no fear, all grace, love, and all cheers, families, hugs, and no tears.

Hey, let me just bash for a minute. Brand new with no windows tinted, party in the street till the sun come get us and tell the whole crew they can all come with us.

And we ain't gotta lock the doors, and we don't need cops, of course. And we don't care about your skin; we just want to know anything is possible. If God be for us, we can overcome all obstacles. They say love covers a multitude of sins.

So I'm in a morning. Good morning, good morning, good morning. How's everyone doing this morning? Good, good, good, good, good.

Well, before service started, I just want to take a couple seconds and welcome each and every one of you. We're excited that you're here this morning. We know that this service is going to be amazing. We believe that God is going to do some amazing things. First service was on fire, and I know second service, you guys have some more rest, so I know that you guys are going to be excited as well.

So I want to take this opportunity, if this is your first time, to welcome you. Thank you for being here. We don't believe it's an accident you're here, but we believe God has called you here for a purpose.

And so if this is your first time, do me a favor. You'll see that on the seat pocket in front of you, you'll see this little square thing called a QR code. If you would take your phone out, point it to the QR code, you'll see something there that pops up, and you'll have an opportunity to fill out our new registration card.

And we would love it if you would fill that out. I have a gift that I'd like to put in your hand and just have an opportunity to say thank you for being here this week.

Let's pray, and then let us stand and, oh, excuse me, let's pray, and then I have something for you on the screen.

Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for this day. This is the day that you have made. And so we make a decision, a conscious decision to rejoice and to be glad. Thank you for allowing us to be together in this place. We invite your presence to be here, to move up and down every aisle, to have your way here. We thank you, we honor you in Jesus' name, amen.

Here are our announcements.

Hey, Limitless family, it's Pastor Keenan with a very special announcement, and I need your attention. Focus in right here. Everybody, stop what you're doing. Focus right here. Got me?

Easter is coming. March 31st, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. is our services, but I need you to do me a favor. Please, most of you who've been here, you know that God has been multiplying our church. We want to make sure that we have a seat for you, a seat for your family members, your friends, even your neighbors.

So do me a favor and register for our Easter service. We have two options, 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. We want you to save your seat. So please, the QR code on the seat pocket in front of you or around you. Register, and we can't wait to see you for Easter at Limitless.

Hey, Limitless, it's our birthday. Yes, so excited that we will be celebrating three years as a church. April 7th, we have our 9 a.m. and our 11 a.m. service, and both services are dedicated to celebrating what the Lord has done over these past three years.

So I would encourage you to make sure that you are here April the 7th, whether it's 9 a.m. or the 11 a.m. service to come celebrate us, come share with us in all that God has done. Happy birthday, Limitless.

Come on. Come on, somebody. Miss Leona, thank you so much for that testimony. That was amazing. It's amazing what God can do when we just, I don't know, trust what he says. You know, just hear him and be willing to move. It's amazing.

Well, good morning, everybody. Good morning, good morning, good morning. Glad to be here this morning.

Two things before we start. The first thing is today after service at one o'clock, we have our Roots and Wings class. If you haven't registered, if you haven't signed up, there's still room and an opportunity for you to do so.

Roots and Wings, very quickly, is our Limitless membership class. And what is membership all about? As I say a lot, but really it's this opportunity to move forward in your commitment to Limitless Church. It's this idea of going from just being a visitor, someone who comes, to actually having an ownership in what we do.

You know, I give the example all the time. If I go to a restaurant and I see something on the floor, because I don't have ownership or I don't have a stake in what happens there, I'm not going to do anything about it. But when I have, when it's my house, you're not going to leave stuff on the floor in my house. I'm not going to let my house look any kind of way.

Why? Because I'm going to take pride in my house. Well, when we say we're being a member, we're saying, no, this is my house. Limitless is my house. And so when the house has a need, when the house needs a service, when the house needs a person, because this is my house, I'm going to jump in and participate in that.

So that is our Roots and Wings class. And it is today at one o'clock. We're going to meet over in the Limitless living room. And you can ask anybody where that is. We will have food there, and we're going to go over the vision for our church. We're going to go over our values. We're going to go over the mission for our church. What we believe, all the questions that you may have. We're going to be answering all of those things today.

And I will be teaching the class at one o'clock over in the Limitless living room.

My second thing, with a little bit of time I have left, Easter is next week. Amen. So what does that mean very quickly? I hope that you have registered by now. If not, we need you to register.

But here's another thing I need for you to do. Everybody ready? Go to the service that you registered for. Yeah, I need you to do that. So if you signed up for nine, it's kind of important that you go to the nine o'clock service. It's a little important.

As I said, we want to be prepared and we want to be ready for you. So if you signed up for nine, we want to see you at nine. If you signed up for eleven, we want to see you at eleven. If you haven't signed up, there's a QR code on the seat pocket in front of you. They're everywhere. I make sure of it. They're everywhere. Go to where it says Easter. Sign up for nine or sign up for eleven, and we'll make sure that we have a seat ready for you. Amen.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. God, we thank you for the opportunity to hear from you today. You have sent a word to this house, and we are here to receive it. God, we are at the filling station ready to fill up again. We are at the huddle before we go out onto the battle, and we need to hear from you. Would you speak, God? Your word is already anointed. So we ask that you would anoint our ears to hear what you're saying. We ask that you would anoint our hearts to receive what you're saying. Speak today, God. In your name we pray, amen.

Amen.

So we are in part two of our series, and this series is called From Veil to Victory. And we've been talking about, we've been walking through these different things that have been going on leading up to the Resurrection Sunday. Each week we've walked through different events leading up to Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and his triumphant victory over death.

This week I want to jump in our story on the night of Jesus's betrayal as we look at some takeaways from today's message: Tears in the garden.

Tears in the garden. I want to open up. Let's go to John chapter 16. John chapter 16, and we're going to start at verse 32.

John chapter 16, verse 32 says, "Take careful notice. An hour is coming and has arrived when you will all be scattered, each to his own home, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me."

Verse 33 says, "I have told you these things so that in me you may have perfect peace. In the world, you have tribulation and distress and suffering. But be courageous, be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy. I have overcome the world. My conquest is accomplished. My victory is abiding."

Jesus says here in John, in this world you will have tribulations. You will have distress and suffering. This is a fact. As long as we are here, as long as we are flesh and blood here in this world, we will encounter trouble.

And some of those things that we encounter will absolutely rock us. There'll be things that we couldn't have imagined. There'll be things that we never saw coming. Maybe it's a diagnosis that wasn't good. Maybe it's the death of a close loved one, or maybe it's the sudden loss of a job in an already hard season.

In this world, you will have tribulations, distress, and suffering. First Corinthians says that he will never test us more than we can bear. But what do we do when the thing that we can bear seems unbearable?

What do we do when my greatest fear seems inevitable? In the moment where you're facing something and you feel lonely, faced with some unimaginable choices that you have to make, what do you do?

When God told me to love, but loving seems impossible. When he said to forgive, but how can I forgive the unimaginable? When I know that I heard him, I know what he told me to do, I know what he said, but doing that thing could literally cost me everything. What do I do?

And if that's you today, I want to remind you, as we did last week, that you are not alone. That you are not by yourself. And as always, our answer is in the word.

Mark chapter 14, starting in verse 32. It says, "Then they went to a place called Gethsemane. And Jesus said to his disciples, 'Sit down here until I have prayed.' He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled, extremely anguished at the prospect of what was to come. And he said to them, 'My soul is deeply grieved and overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch.'"

So we meet Jesus in this story where everything, his entire life, all of the things that he had done had led us up to this very moment. All of the healings, all of the prophecies, everything he had done had led him to this moment.

And in this moment, we see Jesus's humanity. He knew what was about to come. He was distressed. He was troubled. He was deeply grieved. He was overwhelmed with sorrow.

And as we look at lessons from tears in the garden, the first lesson that I see right here is that just because you may be overwhelmed or grieved or deeply distressed does not mean that you're not in the will of God.

Just because you may be stressed, just because you may be overwhelmed does not mean that you're not in the will of God. See, for us, we base everything on our emotions. If it's good, then I'm good. I know it's good because if it's good, then that means I'm in God's will.

If everything is going great, then I'm in God's will. If everything seems to be working easily, then I must be in the will of God. Jesus is here, and he is definitely in the will of God. And he said, "I am distressed and sorrowful until the point of death."

Oftentimes, being in the will of God requires some growing and it requires some maturing. The thing that we forget is that growth and maturity hurt. It don't feel good. When you have to mature as a believer, it don't feel good. It's not like roses or you get some roses in the mail. It's like, "Congratulations, you're mature."

Maturity and growth hurt. It does not feel well. Jesus was absolutely in the will of God. Yet, we see here that his feelings were raw and they were real in this pivotal moment in history.

But the thing was that in his emotions and in his circumstance, he did not question whether he was in the will because that's what we do. That's what we do. As soon as something goes wrong, we say, "God, did you say that? Did I hear you? Because I thought you told me to go, but ever since I left, nothing has been going right."

That's what we do. Immediately, we let our emotions and our circumstance dictate as to whether we're still in the will of God. Circumstances don't necessarily dictate our position. That's what we have to keep in mind.

Circumstances, it may look like a storm. It may look like, but you don't know what's on the other side. You don't see that. Your circumstances don't necessarily dictate your position.

The second lesson we see in these verses is that, you know what? God can handle our emotions. God can handle our emotions.

Somehow, culture has taught us that when it comes to our faith, God only wants to hear and can handle our good emotions. "Father, I thank you. Thank you for blessing me, Jesus. God, it's been a great week. Thank you for everything that you've done. Thank you for, God, God, you're so good. You're a good God. God, you know you're good."

But the other emotions, for some reason, we believe that God can't handle those emotions. So we don't tell him about those things. We don't tell him about those problems. We hide those things.

But emotions are okay. Having those moments of "God, why? God, how could you even allow? God, where were you?" Having those emotions are okay. But it's when you allow those emotions to have you, then that becomes a problem.

That is where the problem lies. But bring them. I'm going to tell you something that you may not know or you may not have heard, but this second service, y'all pretty intelligent, so y'all probably heard this before.

Listen, God is a safe space. We look to people as a safe space. We want to have a specific set of friends and a specific person we go to, we say, "This is my safe place." No, God is a safe space. Bring your emotions to God. Bring your hurts to God. Bring your frustrations to God. Bring your questions, your fears, your pain, your tip. Bring it to God.

Because he understands. God can handle it. Not only does he understand, but God is the only one who can wholly help you walk through those emotions.

Because if I go to a friend, they can help me a little bit. They can try to give me a little bit of advice if they're listening and if they're paying attention, if they have any emotional intelligence, they might be able to help me. They might be able to listen. And even they might be able to pray. If they're good friends, they might be.

But when I go to God, when I go to God, God is able to assess and see everything that's going on. He's able to say, "Hey, you know what? I understand those emotions that you're having. I know what it is to walk through what it is that you're walking through right now. And since I know you, you know what? I know you and I love you. So you know what? Let's go down and let's identify the root of these emotions."

See, your friend don't know that. That safe person don't know that. Let's identify the root of what's happening and let's deal with the root of what's going on. And let me walk you through this. Let me give you some wisdom. Let me give you something that you may not even know that was going on. Let me show it to you.

And he's the only one who can bring you back to wholeness in the midst of those emotions. Bring them to God.

Hebrews 4, verse 15 says, "We don't have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses and our temptation. But we have one who has been tempted, who knows exactly how it feels to be human in every respect as we are, yet without committing any sin."

See, he knows. He knows. He can handle our emotions because Jesus in this moment was fully God and fully man. He could handle your emotions. Bring them to him.

Let's continue our story. Mark chapter 14. I think we're in verse 35 now. Verse 35 says, "After going a little farther, he fell to the ground distressed by the weight of his spiritual burden and began to pray that if it were possible in the Father's will, the hour of suffering and death for the sins of mankind might pass from him. He was saying, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But not what I will, what you will. Not what I will, but what you will.'"

The third lesson I took away from the garden is that when we find ourselves in the middle of our garden moments, prayer must be our immediate response. Prayer must be our immediate response.

Before we start to process everything. Because when something happens to us, what do we do? We say, "Oh, you know what? Let me process what's going on." No. Before you begin to process everything, you need to pray.

Before you begin to analyze every way that this situation is going to play out and all of the outcomes that could possibly happen, you start going down that you need to pray beforehand. It has to be an immediate response.

Before you go to somebody else to tell them about the situation that you're going through to try to get wisdom and guidance, how about you pray first? Prayer has to be an immediate response.

Because prayer affords you some opportunities that need to be in hand and in place before you do any of those things that we talked about. Prayer affords you opportunities.

The first opportunity that prayer affords is the opportunity for us to cast our care. I am not a fisherman. You see me? No. I don't fish. I will observe. I am not a fisherman.

Now, my Uncle Memo, he's a fisherman. Mr. Gordon? Oh, he, yeah, we heard some stories. He's committed to fishing. Okay, committed to fishing, and the difference is I'm not a fisherman, so when I cast my cast, it's not great.

See, when I cast, it's like boom, right there. There it is. But that's some of us. We don't cast well. We don't cast well.

When I go to God and I make casting a habit like a fisherman who knows what he's doing, when the Ron's out there, when he goes, anxiety, fear, worry, depression, lack, prayer gives me an immediate opportunity to cast.

My care, cast my worry, cast my anxiety, and not like I would cast it like somebody who knows what they're doing. I'm throwing that thing as far as it can go.

Why? He says, "Cast your worries, your anxieties on me because I care for you." How do I do that? I gotta go to him in prayer first. I gotta go to him in prayer first.

It affords me the opportunity to cast. The second thing prayer does is it gives God an opportunity to speak to us.

Prayer, when we pray, we begin to open up and speak to God. But some of us, we say what we gotta say and then we out. McDonald's, we go, "Hey, this is what I got," and then I'm off.

When we pray, it gives God an opportunity to speak to us, to say, "Hey, let me thank you for bringing that to me. Let me show you how to work this out. Let me give you some wisdom, and I hear you on this. Let me better paint a picture for you of what's going on, and let me identify the real thing that's happening. Let me show you what's what I'm working out."

In this prayer, it gives you an opportunity to hear from God, the creator of heaven and earth, the creator of each one of us, the one who decides whether we take another breath or not. We get an opportunity to hear from him.

But pastor, how do I know? How do I know when I'm praying that I've heard from God? Well, God sounds like... This is what he sounds like.

How do I know I've heard from him? As you develop a relationship with him, you get to know what he sounds like. It gives you an opportunity to hear from God. It gives God an opportunity to speak to us.

And a good thing about God is there's tons of things that God knows that we don't. Tons of them. And you telling me that I get to get access to that wisdom and he gets to speak to me and tell it to me? Oh, I'll take every opportunity.

When we go to him first.

Last thing that going to him first gives us an opportunity to be reminded of who he is. To be reminded of who he is.

See, me, when I pray, you know, I try and make it a habit of when I go to prayer, I open up, enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise. "God, I thank you for today. God, I thank you for waking me up this morning. I thank you for putting breath in my lungs. I thank you for the blood running through my veins. I thank you for my kids. I thank you for my wife. God, I thank you for hot water. I thank you for the clothes on my back. God, I thank you for my cars in the driveway."

And by the time I get to my issue, because we rushing through that part so we can tell him what's happening, but if you do it right, by the time you get to the issue, you realize, "I feel like you could probably handle this, God."

I feel like... Because what happens is before I prayed, I spent so much time thinking about my situation and figuring out my situation and worried about my situation, thinking about how big my situation is.

But when I come over here, I spend time realizing how big my God is, realizing how faithful he's been, realizing how gracious he's been, realizing his favor over my life, realizing how he's been taking care of me this entire... realizing his track record.

So when I go to him in prayer first, I get an opportunity to be reminded of who he is.

When we pray, we have to understand, listen, prayer is not about God bringing us out of the garden. Sometimes, because we're human, because we're flesh and blood, we like Jesus, just take me out the garden. I don't even like gardening, Jesus. Why am I even in here? I'm allergic to plants, Lord. Why get me out of here?

That's what we want. We want God to take us out of the garden. But prayer isn't so that God can remove the situation or take us out of the garden. That's not what it's for.

In Second Corinthians, Paul is walking through a similar situation in chapter 12. He says, "Three times in verse 8, I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me." He said, "I came back a couple of times. I thought he didn't hear me. That's why I went first. I went twice. I went three times."

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." He didn't say, "All right, Paul, you came three times, I guess I'll go ahead and get you out of there."

He said, "My grace is sufficient." There may be times, and we thank God for the times that healing comes. We thank God for the times that breakthrough happens. We thank God for the times that restoration happens and miracles happen and our situations change.

But prayer is not to get God to change our circumstance. Prayer is to assist us through the garden and to get us to a place of surrender, where we say, "Not my will, but yours. Not my will, God, but yours."

We must surrender. We must surrender our preconceived endings because we already thought about how we wanted it to happen in there, and we already stuck on it. When we go to him in prayer, we have to surrender our preconceived outcomes to him.

We have to surrender our desires. We have to surrender our plans. And you know how much you love your plans.

Let me tell you something. After COVID, everybody plans everything down to the minute. We plan when we're not going to do something. We plan everything. And any thought that the plan is not going to go the way that we planned it immediately sends us off the rails.

We have to surrender our plans to him. We have to surrender these things. And listen, surrender doesn't mean give up. It means give to God. I give you my desires, God. I give you my outcomes, God. I give you my plans. I'm surrendering it to you.

Mark chapter 14, let's finish this. Verse 40 says, "And again he came back and found them sleeping because their eyes were very heavy." Come on, somebody. Their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know how to answer him.

Verse 41, "He came back and said to them, 'Are you sleeping and resting?'" That's what sometimes I'll be up here, and I'll be wanting to just ask y'all that. I just want to put that out there because I may not have another opportunity to fit the moment. I just want to tell y'all. I just really... I'm just pouring my life out of y'all. Just okay. Amen. Hallelujah.

Maybe it was a rough night. I don't know your story. Hallelujah, but you're here. Bless God.

All right, I gotta get back. I gotta get back. He came back a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough of that! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! Look, my betrayer is near."

That's the number four we see through these verses is that no one can go through the garden for you. Jesus had many followers. We know of 12 disciples. And even here in this moment, he brought his closest three with him.

But when it got down to the moment of molding, when it got down to the moment that mattered the most, it was just him and the Father. It was just him and the Father.

Now listen, community is an integral part of being a believer. It is an integral part of being a believer. But what we see here is when Jesus called on those closest to him in this moment of need, they were unable to be there.

It wasn't because they didn't want to be there. We see that they were trying. It was because they were natural men. And in the moments of our Gethsemane, the help we need is supernatural.

The answers we need are supernatural. The wisdom, the guidance, the discernment we need, it's supernatural. So sometimes the thing that the help we need just to lift our spirits in those moments when we're grieving and when we're at this place, the help we need is supernatural.

We can have other people pray for us, and they can pray with us. But in the moment that breakthrough happens, you will find that it is just you and the Father. Just you and the Father.

And the last lesson we see in this message from the garden is that surrendering to his will in the garden gives you the strength to walk it out on the battlefield.

Surrendering to his will in the garden gives you the strength to walk it out on the battlefield. Jesus gave everything he had to God in those moments. He gave everything he had. He brought his fears, he brought his uncertainty, his emotions, and all of his humanity to the Father.

And when he was done, he arose. He arose with the strength and the power to face whatever was to come. He said, "Get up, let's go."

When we surrender, we are acknowledging who we are. We're acknowledging who we are and who God is. We're acknowledging our insufficiency and his full sufficiency.

We're reminded of his faithfulness time and time again. We're reminded of his providence over our life. We're reminded of his sovereignty in our life. And we're encouraged that he is God, that he is God, that we are his kids, and that he loves us and that he cares enough to hear us when we pray.

That is who we are. We're his kids.

And as we close today, I want to remind you of something profoundly simple yet infinitely powerful.

So remember that in the quietness of Gethsemane, the solitude of the moment of ultimate surrender, Jesus found the strength to face the cross.

Jesus found the strength to face the cross. He showed us that in our deepest anguish, in our darkest moments of despair, when we feel utterly alone, there is strength to be found when we surrender to God's will.

I don't know what Gethsemane that you might be walking through today. Maybe your garden is filled with shadows of sickness. Maybe it's the whisper of loss happening in your life. Maybe it's an echo of heartbreak.

But I do know that there is no sorrow too deep. There is no night too dark for God to meet you right where you are. He is not hiding from you. He's not afraid of your emotions. He's not worried about how long you've been gone. He's just excited that you are back.

In your Gethsemane, God is there whispering, "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness."

He's saying, "I'm here. Let's try to be like Jesus, not bypassing our gardens, not trying to avoid them, but walking through them hand in hand with the Father. Because it's in our garden, it's in our places of struggle and surrender that we're prepared for the battles that are ahead."

It's there, it's in our Gethsemane that we find the strength to say, "Not my will, but yours be done."

It's in those moments, in the middle, in the terror, in the situation, in all of it, is where we find the strength to say, "Not my will, but yours be done."

So I pray that we leave today reminded of the lessons of Gethsemane, that we remember that our prayers are heard not in the absence of struggle but right in the heart of it. He hears us right in the middle of it.

That we would find comfort knowing that Jesus walked the same path before us, feeling every pain, every betrayal, every fear, yet he emerged victorious through it all. And we are here today because of that victory.

Your moments of despair, I pray that you will find the courage to kneel, to cast, to surrender, and to trust the same God who strengthened Jesus in the garden is here with you, ready to strengthen you.

Whatever it is that lies ahead, because in surrender there is victory. In death, there is life. And in the garden, there is a plan and a path to resurrection.

This is what he has in store for us if we would walk with him through it. We would see he's right there, right next to us, right with us, saying, "I got you. I know. I know, but I got you. I understand. I know, but I'm here. I hear you. I feel you. I don't want it for you, but I'm here. And I will never let you go. I will never let you go."

No, no, no, it looks like I'm not there, but I'm here. I ain't went nowhere. I'm right here waiting for you, ready for you.

No matter how far you've been, no matter how long it's been, no matter how bad it is, I'm right here. Come to me.

This has come to me, all who are heavy burdened and labor. He says, "I'll give you rest. I will give you rest."

Find the courage to go through the garden and know that there's strength there, there's help there to help you walk through whatever it is.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for being God. I thank you today for every person watching online and those that are sitting here right now that may be facing a garden right now.

I thank you, God, that you are there, right there with them. I thank you that they will be reminded to come to you first, that they will be reminded that we do not serve a God who is unfamiliar with what we're going through.

I pray that we would surrender to you and quickly get to the place where we say, "Not our will, but yours be done." In spite of it all, not our will, but yours be done.

I thank you for victory in the lives of each and every person under the sound of my voice. Victory through the garden. I declare that victory over their lives right now. I thank you that it is theirs and it is so.

In Jesus' name, I'm gonna call our ushers to come forward at this time as we transition to a time of giving. I'm reminded of just and inspired by Miss Leona's testimony where she trusted God in the midst of something that didn't seem like it was possible.

But in the midst of it, she did it, and the Lord showed up like he always does and honored her like he always does.

Today we have an opportunity to show into vision, things that God has called us to do. Today we get an opportunity to say, "God, I trust you. I trust you even in the midst of it. I trust you with my resources. I trust you with my finances. I trust you with my job."

I trust you even though in this moment, God, we just want to hear from you. God, we pray that you would speak to us on what it is that we should give.

God, we don't want to give out of compulsion. We don't want to give out of a hardened heart, God. We want to give joyfully, and you've told us to be generous, God.

So in these next few seconds, we ask that you would speak to us on what it is that you would have us to give. We want to be obedient, and we want to be generous. So God, what is it that you would have us to give today?

God, I thank you that we've heard from you today, and we take this opportunity to walk in faith and be obedient to what you have said. We give with joyful hearts, thanking you for an opportunity to show into vision.

We praise you and we honor you. We have our three ways to give on the screen. If this is your first time or you haven't been here, our QR code, the envelopes on the seat pocket in front of you.

If you're online, you can text the word "give" to 833-879-0161. And if the buckets go by and you're not prepared, on your way out, you'll see at our exits that we have offering baskets there on the wall, and you can feel free to give there.

As they pass the buckets, would you do me a favor and go ahead and stand once that bucket is passed? And we're gonna have one more song, and I'll come back up and dismiss you.

Hallelujah, Limitless, would you stretch your hands towards your giving?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to sow into vision. God, we believe the Limitless Church is good ground, and so we sow our seed on good ground, and we command it to go and grow and multiply.

God, I thank you for those that gave today. God, I even thank you for those that had a desire to give but could not. God, I pray for pressed down, shaken together, and running over into their lap, God.

I thank you for their obedience in hearing you today and their heart to hear you. Bless them, God. We thank you for this, and may it go forth and do what you've said it to do in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you're here today, very quickly, nobody moving, nobody walking. If you're here today, you've never made Jesus Christ Lord of your life. This is the most important thing that matters.

The only way that you get out of the garden is with him. You can't get out of the garden without him. Otherwise, you just walk into this continual cycle of walking in gardens.

The only way to get out is with him. And so if you've never made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, today is the day of salvation.

Yeah, today is the day you say, "You know what? Maybe I've made him my friend. Maybe I've made him somebody I go to in case of emergency. Maybe I made him Lord over some of my life."

But the Bible says that that is not enough. He says if you believe in your heart and confess him as Lord. See, you making him Lord of other parts of your life doesn't make him Lord.

Maybe God or maybe consider it, but he says those who confess him as Lord shall be saved. So I want to offer you an opportunity today to make him Lord of your life.

It's this idea that says, "Hey, I recognize that I cannot do it by myself any longer. I've tried to do it on my own, and it doesn't work. I need a Savior."

God sent his son to die because he loved you that much, the very story we're talking about today. It all had to do with you.

God looked down at the corridors of time 2000 years later and said you were worth dying for. He said, "I want to be in a relationship with you despite everything you are, despite everything you may do, despite everything you might become. I want to be in a relationship with you."

He says, "All I ask is that you believe that I sent my son for you. All I ask is that you would turn to me away from the life that you once lived and make me Lord of your life."

And so I'm gonna ask my altar team to come forward. They'll be standing over here to the left right now. If that's you, grab your stuff. Do not let this day pass. Tomorrow is not promised. Next week is not promised. Today is the day of salvation.

Grab your stuff, get down here, and get what God has for you. The time for games is done. Time is short.

So if you're here today and you've never made him Lord of your life, I want to offer you that opportunity. Or if you're here today, you said, "Pastor, I just need somebody to partner with me in prayer. I'm believing God for something. There's something that I believe in. I believe in him for, and I just want somebody to stand with me."

Then we want to offer you that opportunity. This is what matters. The whole thing is a setup for this moment because this is about eternity.

This is about eternity. So if that's you today, I'm gonna dismiss our altar team. They're gonna be standing over here to the left at this black wall. Please go. Don't leave here without getting what you came for.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for these people. I thank you for those that are watching online. I pray that you would cover them, that you would keep them, that they would be reminded of this word as you hide it in their hearts, that they would be encouraged and lifted to know that you are there.

I thank you for the victory in every area of their life in Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless you. For those of you who are coming to our Roots and Wings, I'll see you very shortly. God bless you. Don't forget, live limitless. Bless you.

"Just because you may be overwhelmed or grieved or deeply distressed does not mean that you're not in the will of God. Just because you may be stressed, just because you may be overwhelmed does not mean that you're not in the will of God. See, for us, we base everything on our emotions. If it's good, then I'm good. I know it's good because if it's good, then that means I'm in God's will." [01:01:14](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Circumstances don't necessarily dictate our position. That's what we have to keep in mind. Circumstances, it may look like a storm. It may look like, but you don't know what's on the other side. You don't see that. Your circumstances don't necessarily dictate your position. The second lesson we see in these verses is that, you know what? God can handle our emotions." [01:02:37](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"God is a safe space. Bring your emotions to God. Bring your hurts to God. Somehow, culture has taught us that when it comes to our faith, God only wants to hear and can handle our good emotions. But the other emotions, for some reason, we believe that God can't handle those emotions. So we don't tell him about those things." [01:05:38](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Prayer must be our immediate response. Before you begin to process everything, you need to pray. Before you begin to analyze every way that this situation is going to play out and all of the outcomes that could possibly happen, you start going down that you need to pray beforehand. It has to be an immediate response." [01:08:50](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Prayer affords you opportunities. The first opportunity that prayer affords is the opportunity for us to cast our care. Prayer gives me an immediate opportunity to cast my care cast my worry cast my anxiety and not like I would cast it like somebody who know what they're doing. I'm throwing that thing far as it can go." [01:10:19](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"But prayer isn't so that god can remove the situation or take us out of the garden. That's not what it's for. Prayer is to assist us through the garden and to get us to a place of surrender what we say not my will but yours. Not my will god but yours we must surrender." [01:19:32](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Is when jesus called on those closest to him in this moment of need they were unable to be there. It wasn't because they didn't want to be there. We see that they were trying. It was because they were natural men. And in the moments of our gethsemane the help we need is supernatural." [01:22:04](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"He's saying i'm here. Let's try to be like Jesus not bypassing our gardens. Not trying to avoid them but walking through them hand in hand with the father. Because it's in our garden it's in our places of struggle and surrender that we're prepared for the battles that are ahead." [01:26:59](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"I pray that we leave today reminded of the lessons of Gethsemane that we remember. That our prayers are heard not in the absence of struggle but right in the heart of it. He hears us right in the middle of it. That we would find comfort knowing that Jesus walked the same path before us." [01:28:28](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"I know but I got you. I understand. I know I but but i'm here. I hear you. I feel you. I don't I don't want it for you. But i'm here. And I will never let you go. I will never let you go. No, no, no, it looks like i'm not there but i'm here I ain't went nowhere i'm right here." [01:30:17](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)