Campbell Street Church

Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Christ is a turning point in Matthew. Jesus can now start to explain that he has come to die on the cross. But the disciples show they have still got a lot to learn about the nature of the Kingdom ... and how forgiveness will be achieved.

One of the amazing things about Jesus is his compassion for people. We can often gloss over it ... or just assume that he should be like that because he is God. Jesus was motivated in all that he did by compassion for people ... people who needed to be fed, healed, cared for and saved.

Matthew uses the word "kingdom" more than any of the other Gospels ... in fact more than all the others Gospel put together. But what is the "kingdom of heaven". Jesus gives us a series of parables that help us understand the kingdom he has come to bring in.

One of the surprising things as we read through Matthew's gospel is that the religious leaders, the Pharisees, seem to be blinded to the truth of who Jesus is by the religion and rules they have put in place.

Matt 1-7 provides and introduction to Jesus … culminating with the Sermon on the Mount. But in chapter 8 Jesus ministry begins in earnest. There is work to be done … but Jesus will also face opposition. But the fields are white for the harvest.

God has not only called us to be his people ... he has called us to be his ambassadors ... to take the good news about Jesus to a world that needs to hear.

God's has not only called us to be his people, he ha called us together to love one another and to serve one another. The bible has a lot to say about us serving one another.

We can sometimes thing that the church is the building, the denomination or what we do in the building on Sunday. But the church is God's people ... called by God to be his people.

Something that gets stressed in the book of Ruth is the importance of relationships. And above all it shows the immense value of a relationship with God.

How should respond when things go wrong? Should we see it as God's judgement? Pslam 44 helps us understand the hardships we may face in this life.

The story of Ruth reminds us that there are no “coincidences” in life. God is the one who rules over all things … a God who orchestrates the events in our life for his purpose and his glory.

The story of Ruth is a beautifully told story in 4 parts. Each part of the story gives us an insight into God’s character … his care and concern for his people.

We seem to get mixed messages around Christmas time about what the true meaning of Christmas is. But we don't have to look to far to find the true meaning. It is right there in the Christmas story.

Christmas can be a stressful time. One of the things that contributes significantly to that stress is money. The writer of Psalm 49 helps us to make sure we keep money it its right place.

This Psalm is unique in the book of Psalms as it is neither directed to God nor speaking about God. It is about a wedding ... the wedding of a king. The writer of Hebrews shows us ultimately who that king is.

Paul offers 3 principles for dealing with minor "disputable" issues within the life of a church. We are to put the Gospel first and not be divided over petty issues.

Christians may have been set free from the “law” but they are to obey the law of the land. We are to be good citizens ... valued members of the community and society.

In Romans 12 Paul gets down to the practical implications of all he has said in the first 11 chapters. But the focus is that "worship" of God is to be with our whole lives.

Paul continues to explain Israel's hardness of heart ... but also offers a stern warning to the Gentile Christians in Rome.