The Christ Centred Cosmic Civilisation
Rod Dreher wrote “to order the world rightly as Christians requires regarding all things as pointing to Christ”
Christ is the One in Whom in all things consist and humanity is not the measure of all things. If a defining characteristic of the modern world is disorder then the most fundamental act of resistance is to discover and life according to the deep, divine order of the heavens and the earth.
In this series we want to look at the big model of the universe that the Bible and Christian history provides.
It is a mind and heart expanding vision of reality.
It is not confined to the limits of our bodily senses - but tries to embrace levels fo reality that are not normally accessible or tangible to our exiled life on earth.
We live on this side of the cosmic curtain - and therefore the highest and greatest dimensions of reality are hidden to us… yet these dimensions exist and are the most fundamental framework for the whole of the heavens and the earth.
Throughout this series we want to pick away at all the threads of reality to see how they all join together - how they all find common meaning and reason in the great divine logic - the One who is the Logos, the LORD Jesus Christ - the greatest that both heaven and earth has to offer.
Colossians 1:15-23
The Christ Centred Cosmic Civilisation
The Divine Kingdom challenging modern perspectives
This episode delves into the nature of the Kingdom of God, centring around Jesus' role as King and His teachings found in the Gospels. We explore themes of righteousness, inclusion, and the transformative power of the kingdom while emphasizing its relevance in today’s society and future hope.
• Exploration of Jesus' teachings on the Kingdom of God
• Insights into who qualifies for membership in the kingdom
• The nature of righteousness and divine grace in relation to the kingdom
• The role of parables in understanding the kingdom's secrets
• Discussion of the kingdom's future hope and present implications
• Encouragement to engage with the teachings of Jesus for personal transformation
The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
Well, welcome to the next episode of the Christ-centered cosmic civilization, and I want to explore over the next episode or two, more about the kingdom of God and God, the Son, as the King appointed and anointed by his father through the spirit, and how that reign, which goes obviously from creation from creation, is the father working through his son, who works in the power of the spirit always, and that that is manifested all the way through the Old Testament, in creation, in providence, in revelation, in salvation. And then that same dynamic is richly displayed in the incarnation also, where the son has, if it's possible, an even greater level of dependence on his father and the spirit and those same relations that he's always the true human from this time on. But the vision we want to explore is what is this kingdom of God? More about that in scripture, why it matters, what the difference in perspective it brings to us to dive deep into this and why he is the centre of the kingdom, and it's a big problem when we just talk about the kingdom without talking about the king. These are some of the things to explore, but I want to begin by saying this that the central message of the gospel seems to be the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven according to Jesus, and that's important.
Speaker 1:And when we go back to some of the earliest post-apostolic or even apostolic fathers and leaders of the church, they talk about the gospel very much in the language that Jesus uses in the gospels. In the Gospels and then what Paul is doing and often there's been a disjunction fabricated as if Paul is inventing a totally different message. But what Paul is doing, if we understand him correctly, is exegeting the language of Jesus in the Gospels and teasing out some of the meaning of all that Jesus preached about his kingdom. But in our setting, in a secular post-modern, we're like beyond post-modern. Now we're into a post-post-modern age where there's very different cultural dynamics at work and a sort of searching for a foundation. That isn't the old modernist foundationalism, but there is a search for a foundation.
Speaker 1:In this setting we need to set all our talk about the gospel, sin forgiveness, even God, any talk about God, god, whatever that means to people. We need to step into this and talk about all these things only within the framework of the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. So how to approach this? I think a good thing to do to begin with is to look at just the language of Jesus about the kingdom. It will maybe focus on Matthew's gospel, of Jesus in Matthew and appreciating what Jesus actually says and how important it is to his entire message. And we begin right in Matthew, chapter 3, verse 2, when Jesus was saying repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. That's his opening message at the beginning of his ministry Turn around, for the kingdom of heaven is right here, right before you, and we're going to see that.
Speaker 1:The idea is important because if we really meditate on where the throne room is in the very highest heaven and in one perspective, it's as if Earth and humanity and all our kingdoms are way, far away, right out on the periphery of this huge cosmic civilization and empire. From one perspective it looks like that. From one perspective it looks like that. And then for suddenly the king of this cosmic kingdom, the divine emperor, to be present on earth, to come to what, just in one sense, is so far away, so so peripheral to this huge, incomprehensibly complex divine order. And so Jesus is saying listen, turn around. This cosmic civilization is right here, it's the center. The king of it has come to stand among you. It's almost as if the throne room is here, you're right in it. Whatever you're doing, it isn't important compared to this. And then in Matthew 4, 17,. The same thing.
Speaker 1:From that time on, jesus began to preach repent, turn around, stop what you're doing, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. So what is the correct response to this? Who is it for? Who can be involved in this cosmic civilization? Uh, that is God's business. Well, jesus explains that from Matthew, chapter 5, and in verse 3 he says blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And then again, in verse 10 of Matthew 5, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And again that idea that who qualifies to be involved in this? It's not like earthly kingdoms, where it is the rich and the powerful and the supremely talented who are involved in it. Here it's a totally different kind of kingdom entirely, and it's people who are in prisons or rejected, people who know themselves to be poverty, stricken and broken. Kingdom of heaven is theirs, because there's something about this king that makes that so. And yet it's not as if nothing matters, as if it's a kingdom in which nothing matters. Because then in Matthew 5, 19,. Jesus says anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. So his teaching is the thing that matters, jesus, and his word is the currency of the kingdom. And then again he goes on right in the next verse, matthew 5, 20.
Speaker 1:I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Now again, that doesn't mean oh well, the Pharisees and teachers of the law are very, very righteous. So you have to be unbelievably righteous. You must work even harder than they work at being righteous if you're going to enter the kingdom of heaven. It doesn't mean that because Jesus doesn't think the Pharisees and the teachers of the law are righteous at all, he thinks they are like scumbags, swindlers, frauds. They rip off people, they are bullies, they steal from widows, they manipulate people they're not righteous at all. So he's like saying unless you have a totally different concept of what righteousness is and how it is received, so rather than achieved for the Pharisees and the teachers of the law they're trying to achieve righteousness. Jesus is saying no, you need a different order of righteousness, something that's not at all like theirs, where they're trying to achieve righteousness. You must have this attitude of receiving righteousness that is far, far surpasses that, and then you may enter once you have this totally different order of righteousness. Order of righteousness.
Speaker 1:So, entering the kingdom of heaven requires a revolution and religion is not good enough and human achievements are not good enough, even from the most religious people, something is again a totally different order of rule. But then in Matthew 7, 21, he warns us not everyone who says to me, lord, lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my father who is in heaven. So again, it's not enough to just come with a kind of attitude, um, a religious assumption, like oh well, I'm religious, I talk about God, I know stuff about Jesus, or I know how to recite the creed, or I understand early church debates or Reformation debates or modern debate. I know stuff, I can say stuff. Jesus is like no, no, no, no, no. That's not how you enter the kingdom of heaven. It's not by information, even if it's good information, not even passion about good information because the Pharisees, they had that sort of righteousness and that righteousness wasn't the right order of thing. Jesus just says you've got to do the will of my father who is in heaven. If you want to be involved in heaven, you have to forget all the earthly kind of status and competition and education and all of that. Be educated by the father who is in heaven. Then you can be involved in the heavenly civilization. What is the will of the father? Well, that comes out in the gospel as a whole. I leave that with you. Have a look. What is it that the father wills for people to do? And it does involve Jesus.
Speaker 1:Matthew 8, verse 11. Jesus says I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven, then, seems to have a future dimension to it in that it is it's as if now there is this rain that comes from heaven. When Jesus is near, there is this rain that comes from heaven. When Jesus is near. The kingdom itself is near, but there's a time when it's as if all of creation will be utterly unified into the kingdom of heaven. And so it's got this future hope to it. There's a hope attached to it that, as we pray in the Lord's Prayer, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. So there's that dimension to it.
Speaker 1:And yet, in Matthew 10, verse 7, jesus gave the message that all his apostles must preach. He said as you go, proclaim this message. The kingdom of heaven has come near. So again, that's the gospel that they proclaim and that's worth us meditating deeply upon. The gospel they proclaim has something to do with the way that Jesus, who Jesus is and what it means that he is near to us, that we can engage with him, that the kingdom of heaven is not something far away in the highest heaven, but it's something that is immediately upon us through Jesus. Because of Jesus, the kingdom of heaven has come near, because Jesus is near. So our message about Jesus has to be set in this framework of this kingdom of God. He's set in this framework of this kingdom of God, god's business, the cosmic civilization.
Speaker 1:In Matthew 11, 11 to 12, jesus comments that, naturally speaking, just in terms of genetics, that the greatest genetically gifted person born of women was John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. So that all the kind of to have enormous ability in earthly terms, which John clearly had that doesn't matter, clearly had that doesn't matter. That doesn't matter, because anyone who is a citizen of the kingdom of heaven has more power behind them, more significance behind them, more potential behind them than anyone judged just in earthly terms. Because of course John the Baptist is part of the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus is simply making this point that what makes John the Baptist great is not that he's a supremely gifted individual in terms of intellect and charisma and determination and bravery and maybe physical strength and all I don don't know all the capacities that John the Baptist had. But that's not what makes him significant. What made John the Baptist significant is his role in the kingdom and anyone the least in the kingdom of heaven, because it's the kingdom of heaven with all the power and glory and majesty and meaning and eternity about it. Anyone who is involved in that is automatically of greater significance than even that any any merely earthly capacities.
Speaker 1:And then jesus adds from the days of john the Baptist till now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and violent people have been raiding it. That's one translation, or it's it's. The idea is. It's almost as if the kingdom of heaven has been, is, is here present, and all kinds of people are forcing their way into it, of people are forcing their way into it, and Jesus knows that and is almost looking for such people. But then in Matthew 12, 28, he makes this point If it is by the spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Speaker 1:So here there's this again, this other notion that there is another kingdom. There's obviously all the earthly kingdoms and they rise and fall and sometimes grow to be empires and then fade away again. Yeah, but between the earthly kingdoms and the great cosmic empire of heaven, god's kingdom, there is another layer of invisible, normally speaking kingdom, and that's the kingdom of the powers of the air, as Paul describes it, and it's Satanan's kingdom and it's with the. There are principalities and powers in heavenly realms that have a kingdom, an order, a agenda. Um, it's a force that exists in the heavenly realms that is opposed to the kingdom of God, and the earthly kingdoms are subject to this, these powers also, and so that there is this sense of collision between the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, and the principalities and powers, the kingdom of the earth, principalities and powers, the kingdom of the earth. And so when jesus says this, by the spirit of god, I drive out demons, he says the kingdom of god has come upon you. So, as jesus does, the does something like that and pushes back demons, that the this rule of the highest heaven through him, by the power of the spirit, and that is so important that always, god, the son, operates by the power of the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1:I like it when, in Matthew 13, jesus does a lot of teaching about the kingdom of heaven in the form of parables, and understanding these parables gives the secrets of the kingdom. So that's why spending a lot of time with the parables of Jesus is immensely important, because he literally says in Matthew 13, 11, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you through the parables, but not to them, not to outsiders, who only hear the parables as kind of stories, and keeps them, just hears them. Oh well, that's a weird story. I don't know quite what that means. Yeah, that's the outside, but for those that are inside, who who are related to Jesus and take him to be the key and listen to what he says and even ask for ears to hear, or whatever these parables grant the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1:Well, what are these parables? Well, matthew 13, 24, jesus told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. And that notion of the sower, of this man who sows seed, it comes up repetitively in the parables of Jesus and he is the sower of seed. And there's the world in different versions of the parable. Sometimes it's about the different kinds of responses to his word. Sometimes it's about the opposition that comes to the good seed and how this kingdom of evil wishes to disrupt that and attack that and undermine his work. Matthew 13, 31, he told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field. Again, it's that agricultural picture where Jesus is this man who has seed and he plants it and things happen. Matthew 13, 33, he told them. Still another parable the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about 60 pounds, a sack of flour until it worked all through the dough.
Speaker 1:There the idea is how the kingdom of heaven seems insignificant on earth, it doesn't seem to amount to anything. Where is this power that created the universe, that rules over the galaxies? That created the universe that rules over the galaxies? What influence is it having? How does it show up? It doesn't do anything and then it turns out. Ah. But just the smallest bit of the presence of the kingdom of heaven can transform things beyond our imagination. Matthew 13, 44,.
Speaker 1:The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again and then, in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought that field there's often discussion about is the man in the context? The man must be Jesus, because the man who's operating in all these parables is him. So you would hear again. Imagine that Jesus in some way gives up lots in order to acquire something. And then you think is this what is going on with the incarnation? That the kingdom of heaven, as he sees it, is something so precious? And to establish this reign of the father, treasure that is at the centre of the kingdom of God, and that in order to acquire this and to have this reign, this business of God, which is centred on church, jesus must give up everything he has. He emptied himself, as Philippians 2 puts it. Or in the other scripture, when he says, though he is rich, he became poor in order that we could, by his poverty, become rich. Is it all to do with that? So the kingdom of heaven is something that even the eternal son will give up all he has in order to secure it. It's so important, it's so precious, and the implication is will we also give up what we have in order to have it and be part of it and enjoy it? Matthew 13, 45.
Speaker 1:Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls Similar image, different flavor, perhaps. Matthew 13, 47. Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. So the kingdom of heaven is this big category that gathers in all the people, and then there's a sorting process who is really a citizen and who is not? And it's all the nations that are being caught in the net. And yet in all the nations, there are those who become part of the kingdom. Matthew 13, 52,.
Speaker 1:He said to them now this is interesting because now he's going on from the parables to what is done with the parables? This, what is done with the secrets of the kingdom? With the secrets of the kingdom, every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old. So it's that idea that if we grasp the secrets of the kingdom in the parable and then we're like one of these teachers, we have at our capacity ancient and new truths to bring forth.
Speaker 1:In Matthew 16, when he's talking with Peter I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bound on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. So here there's this tremendous authority given to church, so that who is allowed into the kingdom and who is not allowed into the kingdom. This authority is given to church, these keys where the door is open through the gospel and it can also be closed where we say no, you are not a citizen of the kingdom, you do not love and trust Jesus, you are not a citizen of the kingdom and the door is closed to such a person. You are not a citizen of the kingdom and the door is closed to such a person. But this authority given is extraordinary, really, the more we listen to that.
Speaker 1:But look at Matthew 18, verses 1 to 4. Again, this is this upside down nature of the kingdom, that the way God does his business, the way that heaven operates, is so different to the way that kingdoms on earth operate. Matthew 18, verse 1,. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Well, the answer to that is obviously Jesus himself. He's standing right in front of them, the king of the kingdom. But the agenda is they're perhaps thinking after you, jesus who are the big shots? And he said truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, toddlers, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever takes the lowly position of this child, that's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So I mean, the implications of that are so deep, so profound, and how awful it is that so often church life is so much. Awful it is that so often church life is so much, has become so much more similar to the way of the world, the desiring to be praised, envy, jealousy, posturing.
Speaker 1:I remember there was a huge Christian conference on kingdom leadership and the speakers were secular people just talking about management principles or getting politicians to talk about how they have exercised leadership and things. I was so shocked at that because it was from. It was organised by a church that seems to care a lot about the kingdom of God and talks a lot about the kingdom of God, but when it came to this matter of greatness and leadership, they looked to the world for models of it, rather than perhaps finding these extremely humble servants in the kingdom and to say, look, this is what it looks like Someone we've never heard of, someone who nobody cares about. But they embody real leadership, real greatness in the kingdom, real leadership, real greatness in the kingdom. He has that story in Matthew 18, verse 23, where Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. That story is itself fascinating. The king wants to settle accounts with his servants and what that tells us about the attitude of the king of heaven.
Speaker 1:We won't look at that one now, but we'll move over to Matthew 19, when again there's this idea that we think not as listening to this podcast, but I mean the world generally thinks that in order that the most important things in life are like romance, marriage, intimacy, all that sexual intimacy, that sort of thing, that sort of thing. But Jesus says in Matthew 19, 12, there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it. So as many of us as possible should live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. That the kingdom of heaven has more than all the kind of intimacy and relationships and things that this world can offer, says Jesus. And then, in just two verses later, in Matthew 19, 14, jesus says let the little children come to me, don't hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. So again, there's something about the way children just accept that and believe that, trust that and grasp the kingdom of heaven. Is that wonderful, is that marvelous. And that to be hugged by Jesus and we get that in the, the gospels, where he'll hold them in his arms, and you can imagine those children are just thrilled at that. Nothing means more to them All. Through their lives they'll have remembered I was once hugged by the divine emperor and that was better than anything they ever knew in life. And they knew that and believed that.
Speaker 1:But it's so easy to let money and wealth and power and deceitful desires take us over so that we no longer care about the kingdom of heaven. We're no longer thinking about that throne room of heaven, but we're much more thinking about our own bank balances and comfort and possessions here and now. So further on in Matthew 19, from verse 23, jesus said to his disciples truly, I tell you, it's hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It's hard Again, I tell you, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Because, as he says in his parables, we get captivated by the troubles, the anxieties, the possessions, the desires of these kingdoms, the earthly kingdoms, and so we just don't bother about the kingdom of heaven and then we are lost. Matthew 20, verse 1,. The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Again, an amazing story about what is just and what the rights are that this king has to welcome in whoever he wants and reward them with this wonderful reward on an equal basis. Matthew 21, 31,.
Speaker 1:Jesus said to them truly, I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. So again, the religious people, the people who thought they were in on the kingdom of God. And it's so easy to do. Even now, people complacently assume they're part of God's business. Of course, I'm part of God's business. I go to church, I'm a church minister, I'm this, I'm the other part of God's business. I go to church, I'm a church minister, I'm this, I'm the other, I've got degrees, I'm looked up to, I speak at conferences.
Speaker 1:And then we've seen it in recent days it turns out that that person was living a false life, that there was nothing to it, there was no root, that they, in their heart, they were not loving and trusting and serving Jesus. We've seen it tragically, many, many times. So Jesus is saying look, there are people that you think, well, then, it was tax collectors and prostitutes. What is it today? Who are the people that we say, well, they don't know, they don't know, they're not part of God's business. And you, in your situation, you may have to examine yourself and think who are the people I assume have nothing to do with God's kingdom? And he says well, no, look carefully, because very often they are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you, of God ahead of you.
Speaker 1:Matthew 21, 43,. I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. And again, that notion that he's got you can't be false. In the kingdom of God, you're either part of it and then you're connected to Jesus, and this is the John 15 truth. If we're connected to him, we bear fruit. If we're not connected to him, we won't bear fruit, and then we have to be purged away, thrown out of the kingdom.
Speaker 1:Matthew 22, verse 2, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. So in that image the father is also a king, and of course we know that's true. The father sits on the throne of heaven and reigns through his appointed king. So there's like it's as if the father is this high king who rules through this appointed king, king who rules through this appointed king, jesus. And then what is the high king preparing? Well, it's a wedding banquet for his son. And again then the kingdom of heaven and then we see this throughout all the scriptures has this focus on the son, the royal, divine son, being married. There's only a couple more in Matthew. We'll just handle them.
Speaker 1:Matthew 23, 13,. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites. You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. That is a terrifying one, isn't it? Where the keys of the kingdom, we remember, are given to the apostles. They are to open the door, to let people in through this message of faith and trust in Jesus, who dies and rises, ascends for the sake of his people to rescue them. That is the message that lets people, in the sake of his people to rescue them. That is the message that lets people in the message of the king of the kingdom. But the teachers of the law and the pharisees are hypocrites because they talk about the kingdom and talk about as if they care about it, but they don't. They shut the door, they don't let people in who are trying to get in, who are trying to come to Jesus, and they are pushing them away with the legalism, morality, traditions, whatever it is.
Speaker 1:And finally, matthew 25, verse 1,. At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bride group. This idea of those who are ready, filled with the spirit to focus on Jesus, are looking forward to him, that matters to them, and those who only seem to be interested in him. Quite a lot of that goes on. So there's those who are completely disinterested from the kingdom and it turns out they can enter quite easily. Then there's a category of people who seem to be concerned about the business of God but aren't really, and the world is filled with them. Listen, we've done a lot. We've run on longer than I would want to do, but we've laid some foundations that we can pick up in our next episodes on the kingdom of God.