Blaze Church

Law Busters | Grace On Repeat 3 | Pastor Keith Indovino

We all know what it feels like to keep a certain rule when other people are breaking it. Pride wells up in us. We compare ourselves to others and feel more deserving of the result. What about keeping the law of God? The Galatians were being influenced to put more trust in the law of God than the grace of God to be saved. The law was given not to show us how to be saved, but to show us how much we need to be saved! The law shows us our sins. Under the law, every person stands condemned. In grace, Jesus became a curse for us by dying on the cross. In Christ, the law is no longer the leading authority in our lives. We are free to keep the law, through the power of God, because we’ve been accepted and forgiven.

Honoring Those People | Grace On Repeat 2 | Pastor Keith Indovino

Is it easy for you to honor people who are not like you? We all have preferences and opinions. When we apply our personal choices to other believers in Christ, we create a space for pride and fear to develop. Attaching anything to the gospel of grace nullifies the work of Christ! The Apostle Peter allowed fear of others to drive him to change the gospel message. Paul confronted Peter’s racism and bigotry through gospel motivation. When we believe that we are justified by faith in the perfect work of Christ, all potential for superiority is broken down. Christians aren’t called to tolerate one another; we are called to honor other believers. We may be different, but that doesn’t mean that any of us is better than the other. Small Groups are essential because they provide the environment for us to live out the gospel of grace with other people.

Your Story, His Glory | Grace On Repeat 1 | Pastor Keith Indovino

Your story matters! In the age of influencers and celebrities, It may not seem like you have a story to tell. But if you have a story of grace, you have a story to share! As we begin our journey through the letter of Galatians, we discover that the gospel changes everything, the gospel changes us, and the gospel changes others. The foundation of the gospel is grace; anything that adds to that gospel is no gospel at all. You are loved by God, not because you deserve it, but simply because God chooses to love you. That is Good News worth sharing!

Control Freak | Mother’s Day | Pastor Amy Indovino

God is never late on His promises. It is us who demonstrate impatience and want to control the situation. This message looks at the story of Sarah (Sarai), Abraham’s wife and the mother of a great nation (Isarel). Throughout Sarah’s faith journey, she discovered that God was in control of fulfilling His promise and that her attempts created a messy situation.  We will learn that even though Sarah had barren faith, God still used her and fulfilled His promise through her. In the process, God’s fulfilled promise also changed Sarah and she was able to receive the gift of grace. For us today, God is still a God who fulfills His promises despite our attempts to fulfill them ourselves. He will build our FAITH through our mistakes and prepare us to receive His gift — Jesus!

I Did It To Myself | Wounds 4 | Pastor Keith Indovino

How do we respond when we wound ourselves? Shame and despair creep in, causing us to believe there is no hope. As we look to the moment when King David chose to wound himself and others, we discover three warning signs that can empower us to prevent wounding ourselves. The wound is not the end of the story. God has the power to redeem our wounds; to take our mess and make it a message of His grace and glory. There is hope in Jesus when we confess our sins, and trust that He is faithful to forgive!

He Gets Us | Wounds 3 | Josh Palmeri

The pain that comes from the wound of death marks us. How do we heal? By looking at the story of Lazarus, we see that Jesus is not removed from our pain when we experience the death of a loved one. He himself experienced deep grief and sorrow, and He understands. He meets us to heal us. When you believe in the Savior and receive Him, you discover both present and future hope.

Embrace The Mystery | Wounds 2 | Pastor Keith Indovino

When we are wounded, we often want explanation and vindication. We try to determine why the wound occurred, and we justify why we don’t deserve it. We can question the justice of God. As we look at Job, the suffering servant, we see a man who feared the Lord, and yet he was wounded drastically! When he demands that God explain why this is happening, God speaks, but he doesn’t provide the reason. When we know God, we can take comfort in knowing that God knows and God is near. We may not know as much as we’d like, but we know the One who knows it all!

Stop Running | Wounds 1 | Keith Indovino

How do you deal with your wounds? Too many people choose to escape instead of embracing the wounds of the past. The believer is able to embrace the wound so that healing can occur. We don’t have to remain afraid or unaware of what has happened to us. As we look at the life of Jacob, we see a generational pattern of lying, favoritism, and sibling rivalry. Jacob’s father wound may have been the propelling factor for his lifestyle of “grabbing.” When we acknowledge our wounds, God begins the healing process of naming us as his own.

The Road To Hope | Easter 2023 | Keith Indovino

Do you see Jesus as the resurrected Savior? Many people struggle to believe. So did the disciples in the first century. We are all looking for a place to put our hope in; somewhere that won’t fail us. Jesus graciously drew near to two disciples who were filled with despair and hopelessness. Although they couldn’t recognize Him, He remained with them. He showed them Himself through the Scriptures. When their eyes were opened, they rejoiced and were filled with hope. Easter isn’t about optimism. It is about putting our hope in someone who cannot be overcome, even by death!

Worship The True King | Palm Sunday 2023 | Pastor Keith Indovino

Everyone worships. What or who are you expressing reverence, adoration, devotion, and honor towards? As we look back at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, we see four acts of worship: Obedience, generosity, submission, and praise. Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus is the King who lays down His people. Jesus is the only true King worthy of our worship.