Loft City Church

Sermon #3 - Heart Check: Smyrna

Basically, the book of Habakkuk deals with three misconceptions that Habakkuk had about God. And, if we are honest, we will admit that we sometimes have these same misconceptions about God ourselves. Those three misconceptions are as follows: God does not care. God is not fair. God is not there. Do you ever feel that way about God? Habakkuk did. That’s the way things looked to him before he went to God with his doubts and his confusion. Today's sermon is based on Habakkuk 1:1-17 - Does God care?

Sermon:  The Hope of the Resurrection Text: John 20:19-23 Date:  April 12, 2020 (Easter Celebration)

We have three goals for the I believe sermon series: 1. Clarify our beliefs. Every person on earth has beliefs—about God, Jesus, sin, salvation. But not everyone knows what they believe. So, whether you’re a Christian or not, do you know what you believe? 2. Challenge some beliefs. It’s easy to treat Christianity as a Chinese buffet: I like God being loving but don’t like hell. I like Jesus’ miracles but not the virgin birth., there’s a good chance that you believe some stuff that’s unbiblical. 3. Understand what it means to be Christian. The beliefs we are going to talk about in this series have defined “Christian” for more than 1500 years. They are the basics, bare minimum, the non-negotiables. In this sermon, we will be looking at the phrase I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

We have three goals for the I believe sermon series: 1. Clarify our beliefs. Every person on earth has beliefs—about God, Jesus, sin, salvation. But not everyone knows what they believe. So, whether you’re a Christian or not, do you know what you believe? 2. Challenge some beliefs. It’s easy to treat Christianity like Chinese buffet: I like God being loving but don’t like hell. I like Jesus’ miracles but not the virgin birth., there’s a good chance that you believe some stuff that’s unbiblical. 3. Understand what it means to be Christian. The beliefs we are going to talk about in this series have defined “Christian” for more than 1500 years. They are the basics, bare minimum, the non-negotiables. This sermon serves as the introduction to the series.

Speaker:  Sam Chacko Date:  February 23, 2020 Text:  Ephesians 1:1-14; 2:11-22

Sermon: Clarification Dear LOFT Family: Below is the link to Sunday’s sermon that I preached on anxiety.    Depending on the context, fear and anxiety may be one of four types: (1) a God-given emotional response for our benefit, (2) a disordered physiological response that is not sinful, (3) a natural consequence of sin, or (4) sinful responses to God’s providential care. The anxiety that I was hoping to address in my sermon was #3 and #4. Let me explain: 1) A God-given emotional response for our benefit - If confronted with an immediate threat to our life—such as encountering a wild, dangerous animal—we should be respectfully fearful enough to flee for our own safety and survival. An immediate feeling of anxiety or fear may trigger a natural, God-given emotional response for survival. That sort of anxiety is rarely what we’d consider sinful. 2) A disordered physiological response that is not sinful (i.e. clinical anxiety). For some people, anxiety manifest as a physiological malfunction that has become bo

Text:  Luke 9 Speaker:  Sam Chacko Series: Stand - Alone Date:  February 09, 2020

We want to know the Gospel, live the implications of the Gospel and preach the Gospel. In order to live out the implications of the Gospel and apply it to each other’s lives, we are beginning a new sermon series that presents the practical, Biblical ways in which the Gospel of Jesus relates to our lives. Knowing these truths, we can live as truly free people under the sacrifice of Jesus – free from worry, stress, fear, and competition. This is how the Gospel affects us individually and as a community, so we seek to constantly remind each other of these truths throughout our everyday lives. This sermon is Good: God is Good, So I Don't Have to Look Elsewhere Date: January 26, 2020 Text: John 4 Series: God Is. Speaker: Sam Chacko

We want to know the Gospel, live the implications of the Gospel and preach the Gospel. In order to live out the implications of the Gospel and apply it to each other’s lives, we are beginning a new sermon series that presents the practical, Biblical ways in which the Gospel of Jesus relates to our lives. Knowing these truths, we can live as truly free people under the sacrifice of Jesus – free from worry, stress, fear, and competition. This is how the Gospel affects us individually and as a community, so we seek to constantly remind each other of these truths throughout our everyday lives. This sermon is Glorious: God is Glorious, So We Don't Have to Fear Others Date: January 19, 2020 Text: Isaiah 6 Series: God Is. Speaker: Sam Chacko

We want to know the Gospel, live the implications of the Gospel and preach the Gospel. In order to live out the implications of the Gospel and apply it to each other’s lives, we are beginning a new sermon series that presents the practical, Biblical ways in which the Gospel of Jesus relates to our lives. Knowing these truths, we can live as truly free people under the sacrifice of Jesus – free from worry, stress, fear, and competition. This is how the Gospel affects us individually and as a community, so we seek to constantly remind each other of these truths throughout our everyday lives. This sermon is Great: God is Great, So We Don't Have to Be In Control Date: January 12, 2020 Text: Psalm 18 Series: God Is. Speaker: Sam Chacko

Sermon: Freedom Series: Advent 2019 Text: Romans 8:1-11 Speaker: Sam Chacko Date: December 15, 2019

Sermon: The Why of Christmas Series: Christmas Service - 2019 Text: I John 1:1-4 Speaker: Sam Chacko Date: December 8, 2019

The book of Ruth is a story that reminds us not only that God works visibly through prophets and miracles, but that he is invisibly and mysteriously working all of the time, even within tragedy.  It’s a story for those of us who have, are, and will suffer tragedy, loss, or pain. It’s a story for those wondering where God is in the midst of heartbreak upon heartbreak. It is a story for those who will doubt whether God is in control, whether God is good, and whether faithfulness to do what is right is worth it in hard times. And it’s a story for people who question whether all things, including suffering, are in fact purposed for good.

The book of Ruth is a story that reminds us not only that God works visibly through prophets and miracles, but that he is invisibly and mysteriously working all of the time, even within tragedy.  It’s a story for those of us who have, are, and will suffer tragedy, loss, or pain. It’s a story for those wondering where God is in the midst of heartbreak upon heartbreak. It is a story for those who will doubt whether God is in control, whether God is good, and whether faithfulness to do what is right is worth it in hard times. And it’s a story for people who question whether all things, including suffering, are in fact purposed for good.

The book of Ruth is a story that reminds us not only that God works visibly through prophets and miracles, but that he is invisibly and mysteriously working all of the time, even within tragedy.  It’s a story for those of us who have, are, and will suffer tragedy, loss, or pain. It’s a story for those wondering where God is in the midst of heartbreak upon heartbreak. It is a story for those who will doubt whether God is in control, whether God is good, and whether faithfulness to do what is right is worth it in hard times. And it’s a story for people who question whether all things, including suffering, are in fact purposed for good. In this sermon, we discover the hesed (God's lovingkindness and faithfulness) for Ruth, her family and the people of Israel.

The book of Ruth is a story that reminds us not only that God works visibly through prophets and miracles, but that he is invisibly and mysteriously working all of the time, even within tragedy.  It’s a story for those of us who have, are, and will suffer tragedy, loss, or pain. It’s a story for those wondering where God is in the midst of heartbreak upon heartbreak. It is a story for those who will doubt whether God is in control, whether God is good, and whether faithfulness to do what is right is worth it in hard times. And it’s a story for people who question whether all things, including suffering, are in fact purposed for good. In this first chapter of Ruth, we will be reminded through the life of Naomi and Ruth that we are called to remember the Lord, trust in the Lord, and commit our lives to the Lord.

On Sunday, October 27, we were blessed to have a guest speaker minister to our church.  Markus Lloyd serves as the Director of External Focus at Woodcreek Church in Richardson, Texas where he utilizes his leadership and speaking gifts to draw people into God’s Mission for the whole world. He also serves as the Executive Director for Threaded.  The mission of Threaded is to inspire relationships, reconciliation and collaborative action among the diverse Body of Christ