Summary:

Step into the courtroom of grace as Jeremy walks us through Colossians 2:13-15, revealing who we were and who we are in Christ. Once dead in sin, enslaved to its cruel demands, and enemies of God, we now stand alive, forgiven, and adopted as children of God. Through the story of Mephibosheth and the powerful image of Jesus nailing our record of debt to the cross, this message reminds us that grace cannot be earned, only received. When Satan accuses us of our past, we can boldly remind him of his future defeat.

Question:

When Satan tries to drag you back into shame by reminding you of your past sins, how can remembering that Jesus nailed your record of debt to the cross change the way you approach God as Father rather than as Judge?

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⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
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To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Continuing our Fruit of the Spirit series, this message explores goodness through Ephesians 5:8-14. Paul reminds believers that they were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord. True goodness isn't something we manufacture through self-improvement or checklists—it flows from a transformed identity in Christ. Only God is truly good, and any goodness in us reflects Him, like the moon reflecting the sun. Rather than white-knuckling our way to morality, we abide in Christ and let His light expose darkness and produce fruit. Our identity in Christ always comes before the commands—being shapes doing, not the other way around.

Question:

Consider this: are you trying to become good through your own effort and checklist, or are you allowing the light of Christ to shine into every corner of your life and produce goodness as fruit? What areas might you be white-knuckling in your own strength that God is inviting you to surrender so His character can spill over into your daily life?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Continuing the series on the fruit of the Spirit, this message focuses on kindness through Paul's letter to Titus, a young pastor left on the rough island of Crete. Paul reminds believers to submit to authorities, speak evil of no one, and show courtesy to all people, drawing a sharp contrast with the surrounding culture. Why? Because we were once just like them, foolish and enslaved to sin, until God's mercy saved us, not by our works but by His grace. This kindness becomes our most powerful witness, showing the world a transformed life shaped by the gospel.

Question:

As you consider your daily interactions, especially online and in political conversations, ask yourself this: does your life show more passion for winning arguments or for pointing people to Christ, and how might remembering who you were before God's mercy reshape the way you treat those who disagree with you?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Living in a microwave culture has made us spiritually fragile, quick to snap when life makes us wait. In James 5, we discover that true patience isn't gritting our teeth through delays, but a supernatural fruit of the Spirit that grows as we trust God's timing. Like a farmer who plants seeds and waits for early and late rains, we depend on God for what only He can produce. Real patience shows up in two ways: bearing with difficult people without grumbling, and enduring hard circumstances like Job did. Remember, the Judge stands at the door, so let's wait well together.

Question:

Think about a season of waiting or suffering you're currently walking through. Are you more tempted to grumble against the people around you or to grit your teeth and push through on your own strength? What would it look like this week to brace your heart, trust God's timing, and depend on the Holy Spirit to grow real patience in you rather than trying to manufacture it yourself?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

True peace isn't something we manufacture or negotiate with God on our own terms. This message walks through Ephesians 2 and Romans 5 to show three dimensions of peace the gospel brings: vertical peace with God through justification, horizontal peace with others as Christ tears down dividing walls, and internal peace produced by the Holy Spirit within us. While our flesh feeds on drama, outrage, and conflict, the Spirit grows peace alongside love, joy, and patience. The war is over, the walls are down, and we're invited to rest in what Christ accomplished.

What would change this week if you let the peace of Christ act as the umpire ruling your heart and mind?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Joy is not a forced smile or constant happiness, but the steady posture of a believer's life. Drawing from Galatians 5 and Philippians 4, this message unpacks joy as a fruit of the Spirit rooted in three realities: we've been forgiven a great debt, adopted into God's family, and given the hope of eternal glory. Joy becomes our gift from God, a tool for witness that draws questions from a watching world, and a weapon against anxiety when we replace worry with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. Like Habakkuk, our circumstances may not change, but our perspective can.

Question:

When others look at the posture of your life, does your joy make the gospel visible to them, or are you trying to fight worry with more worry instead of bringing your requests to God with thanksgiving?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Join us as we begin a new focus in our Galatians series, slowing down to study each fruit of the Spirit one at a time. We start with love, the foundation of them all. Using 1 Corinthians 13, we discover that biblical love is not a feeling we fall in and out of, a checklist to climb, or whatever our culture says it is. Real love is essential, defined by God, rejoices in truth, and endures because it is rooted in Christ. The Spirit grows this love in us as evidence of His presence and work.

Question:

Where in your life are you tempted to let the culture, your family, or your own feelings redefine love rather than letting God's Word shape what love truly looks like in your relationships?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Paul writes to the Galatians with urgency: salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Using the story of Hagar and Sarah, he contrasts two ways to live—slavery under the law or freedom in Christ. Adding anything to Jesus' finished work isn't the gospel at all. Yet freedom isn't a free pass to sin; it's the freedom to joyfully serve and love others without fear. Whether you tend toward legalism or license, both are ditches off the road. Christ purchased our freedom so we could stand firm, serve one another, and rest in His promise, not our performance.

Question:

Where are you most tempted this week—to earn God's approval through your own effort and rule-keeping, or to use your freedom in Christ as an excuse to live for yourself?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

What if you've been living like a servant in a house where you're actually the child? In this message from Galatians, we discover the freeing truth that God moves His people from slaves to sons through Jesus Christ. God's promise to Abraham came long before the law, and nothing can cancel it. The law was never meant to save us. It was given to reveal our sin and guide us like a guardian until Christ arrived. At just the right moment, Jesus paid for us with His own blood and welcomed us into God's family as adopted children. Now we can call God 'Abba, Father.' So why would we ever go back to living like slaves when the Father has called us home?

Question:

If you truly believe that God loves you, wants what is best for you, and knows more than you do, what areas of your life are you still trying to earn His approval in rather than resting in your identity as His adopted son or daughter?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠

Summary:

Continuing our study in Galatians, this message moves into chapter 2 where Paul publicly confronts Peter for pulling away from Gentile believers to please the Jewish circumcision party. That small act of hypocrisy distorted the gospel itself, sending the message that faith in Christ wasn't enough. Paul reminds us that justification comes by faith in Jesus alone, not by works of the law. Like a camel squeezing through a narrow door, we must drop every claim of self-righteousness and come to Christ empty-handed. Faith receives, grace saves, and Christ alone keeps us standing.

Question:

As you reflect on this message, ask yourself honestly: what 'baggage' are you still trying to carry through the door of salvation? Is there an area of your life where you are quietly trusting your good behavior, religious effort, or moral record to keep you right with God rather than resting fully in the finished work of Christ? What would it look like this week to lay that down and trust Him alone?

To learn more, visit
⁠⁠lakelandneighborhood.church⁠⁠
To support us financially, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
To follow along with the small group notes, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠
Music: On Our Own Again by ⁠⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠