We have been looking at the person, the ministry, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and what that means for those who have made a decision, and commitment to walk with God. Today’s message is a bit of a departure from our most recent series. Yet, at the same time, it naturally flows from what we have learned from God’s Word over the past few weeks.
Let’s set the stage for today’s message by looking at Isaiah 60. Set your pens and outlines aside, you won’t need them for awhile. Grab a Bible, and turn to Isaiah 60. This can be labeled as an “end times” passage. It points to the manifestation of God’s glory that will come upon the church at the end of all time as we know it. Have you found it? Here we go. Isaiah 60 (read).
Now I especially want you to catch what it says near the end of that chapter. In the English Standard Version it reads (read verse 22). The Lord speaks of “hastening” the work. That word “hastening” means to act quickly. To make haste. Another definition of it is even to be excited.
You see, there is an acceleration coming. When things will happen, and move in God’s church, and in our lives at a more rapid pace than we might have imagined. And I don’t want to confuse you, and have you mistake this for the speeding up of our society. Fast food. Instant messaging. News before it happens. That isn’t the type of speeding up that is being spoken of here.
It is a hastening; an acceleration of God’s working and moving among the church, and in our lives. There is coming a day, and I believe we are already living in the beginning of that day, when time will be sped up. God’s moving and working will begin to happen at a more rapid pace than what we have previously seen and imagined.
Now, it is almost impossible to talk about hastening, without dealing with the issue of time. And in the New Testament, there are two words used for this concept of time. Two Greek words. There is chronos. Any guesses as to what word we get from that? (chronological) Chronos refers to chronological time. Clocks. Calendars. Measurable, specific units of time.
But a second word that is utilized is kairos, which is usually translated as the “fullness of time.” I don’t know the best way to describe this without getting too complicated, but it is kind of a quantity versus quality type of difference. Rather than the specific measurement of time: minutes, seconds, and hours. Those units that make up chronos time, chronological time. With kairos we are talking about a quality of time. The fullness of time. The uniqueness or special quality of a given period of time.
Let me try to give you a practical example of this difference. The hour in which Allie and Jamie were born, different hours, but those hours were not simply chronos, chronological hours. At least not for Debbie and I. They were not just like the other 23 hours of that day. They were kairos hours. Kairos moments. Full moments. Moments of time that have great significance for my life. . .and theirs for that matter. A maximum amount of quality squeezed in to the quantity of time.
Let me try to give you a Biblical example of this. Turn to Galatians 4. Galatians 4, beginning in verse 1. We don’t need to necessarily see the background or details of this passage, because we are going to look at how this time language slips into this passage. Galatians 4:1 (read through verse 7).
Paul is writing to the church at Galatia, and while speaking of Jesus birth, Paul says that He came when the fullness of time had come. It was not just another day. Not just another month on the calendar. Not simply a measurable chronos of time, but a kairos moment. A fullness moment. A quality piece of time that forever changed the world. We went from being slaves, to sons.
Now, stay with me, because we are heading towards the point of today’s teaching. There is coming a day when the work of the Lord will be hastened. Excited. Sped up. There are chronos moments in history that become kairos moments. Units of time where the quality of the moment becomes more significant than the simple designation of time.
Put together, I believe there are regular measures of time, during which God’s Spirit moves, there is an acceleration of the working of the Lord, and regular time becomes kairos time. The Holy Spirit’s work hastens, and plain old ticking of the clock becomes quality moving of the Spirit.
You still with me? This is not as simple as watching me eat fruit. If you weren’t here last week, you’ll have to get a tape to understand that. But keep your brain grinding with me on this one. If we look at the life of Jesus, we see that it took Jesus 30 years to reach the full stature and preparedness for His ministry. Do you remember what He told His mother before He turned the water into wine? Anyone? (My time has not yet come).
It took time to be prepared to live out the ministry God had called Him too. But in retrospect, a very short period of time. 30 Years. That’s incredible. Think about it. In just 30 years, Jesus went from a fetus, to a walking bundle of miracles, and teaching, and mercy, and justice, and more than we could ever describe. Just 30 years.
It took Moses 80 years to be prepared to do a lot less, and not do it nearly as well. But, are you ready for this? Here comes the hastening. Watch for the acceleration. Watch the kairos moment unfold. What Jesus learned, and put into practice through 30 years of growth and maturity was then imparted into the disciples in just three and a half years!
I don’t know if you have ever really stopped to think about that. These common, non-religious men were transformed into powerful apostles in just three and half years. Not the 30 years of preparedness that Jesus, the son of God, the very Word become flesh, Immanuel, God with us, His 30 years of preparation. No. Things were hastened. Accelerated. And they healed the sick, raised the dead, grew into deep spiritual teachers who proclaimed Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in just three and a half years. You can’t hardly even get an M.Div. in that much time anymore. Right?
How did it happen? I believe they were living in a kairos moment. A moment of accelerated time. A moment of great quality and significance.
This is so huge. Do not miss this today. In three and half years the disciples were doing what Jesus did. And it happened through a word that I used just a moment ago that you might not have even caught. They were not simply taught. There were not merely instructed. Jesus did not simply model ministry for them, and mentor them.
Rather, Jesus imparted His Spirit into their lives. He took what was in Him, and in a kairos period of time, in a supernatural way that would not normally be imaginable in such a short period of time, imparted His ministry, His authority, His anointing into their lives.
Look at how Jesus describes this in John 14. John 14:12 (read through verse 14). Through the impartation of Jesus’ Spirit into our spirit, this advantage that Jesus spoke of, we can experience an acceleration of God’s moving and working, and not only do the works that Jesus did, but according to Him, do even greater works. Am I the only one that kind of excites?
This is another piece of what Jesus spoke of in the passage we have looked at so many times over the past few weeks. Look at John 16:12 (read through verse 15). The Holy Spirit, that lives in me, and in many of you, and can dwell in all of us. . .is the very authority of Christ imparted into our lives. Isn’t that incredible? (Gauge response)
Now, you are hardly going to believe this. You might think I have totally lost my mind. But check this out. This is what I believe. Not only did the Father impart His authority into Jesus life over a 30 year period. Not only did Jesus impart his authority into His disciples over a three and a half year period. Not only did the Holy Spirit impart the authority of Christ into the believers in the upper room in a three and half minute period. But if you have received the Holy Spirit, I believe, you have received the equipping and ability to enact the ministry of impartation.
Probably lost some of you with that one. This hastening of the Lord. This quickening and accelerating of God’s hand in our world. This turning chronos time into kairos time. I believe it is a ministry, and ability given into the hands of the believers, the church to impart into the lives of others. People to people. From me to you, and from you to. . .whoever God directs you to. Family members, friends, co-workers, brothers and sisters in Christ. Maybe even someone sitting next to you today, and in need of an impartation of the Holy Spirit.
I believe we are to be about this ministry of impartation, this ministry of accelerating the work of the Lord, this ministry of turning regular old minutes into the fullness of time. Person to person. Me to you, and you to whoever. But you say, “I’m not Jesus. I’m not the Holy Spirit. I’m not God. How can I engage in the ministry of impartation? I’m just a plain old human being.”
Okay, let’s keep moving, because I want you to see another example of this. And this time, the impartation is plain old human being to plain old human being.
Two men. Similar names. Often confused. But extremely different men. Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of all time. Performed incredibly miraculous signs and wonders. Declared the word, and judgment of the Lord. This dude was big time.
Then there is Elisha. At the time that their lives intersected, he was a farmer. That’s it. A farmer. No “Shazam.” No fire from heaven. No stopping the rain. Just a farmer.
But Elisha became Elijah’s protégé. He followed him around, watched his every move. He desired to learn and absorb everything that he could from Elijah. Right? Wrong. You see, Elisha didn’t just want what Elijah had. He wanted twice as much. He wanted a double portion. He didn’t just want Elijah to pass on in their time together the stuff that he knew, and had within him. He wanted an acceleration, a hastening, a kairos moment during which a double portion of the spirit that rested upon Elijah could be poured into the life of Elisha.
This spirit, this anointing that was upon Elijah’s life was symbolized by his mantle. This covering which he pulled over his face when the Lord drew near to him and spoke to him near Mount Horeb. It was a physical item that symbolized a spiritual truth. Namely, that the Spirit of the Lord resting upon Elijah.
Turn to 1 Kings 19. 1 Kings 19:19. Look at what happens with this mantle when Elijah meets Elisha (read). Ever heard the term, “Passing the mantle.” There you have it. Elijah was passing the mantle of prophet of God, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, passing it on to Elisha. But that wasn’t enough for Elisha. He didn’t just want the mantel.
So jump ahead with me to 2 Kings chapter 2. 2 Kings 2 (read through verse 7). Great scene. Elijah knows his death is near, but Elisha is sensing a kairos moment. He will not leave his side. And now there is this group that has gathered, and is watching these events unfold. Then look what happens in verse 8 (read).
Pretty cool, huh? I’ve been walking down the street with people before. I can’t even get traffic to stop for a red light when I have the right of way in a crosswalk. I need an Elijah mantel.
Verse 9 (read through verse 15).
Person to person hastening. From one man to another, the imparting of the spirit that rested upon one, to the other. And we know it happened, because it was witnessed by those who saw Elisha. They knew that the spirit had been imparted into Elisha. He was now, the man.
Let me try to begin and wrap this up. Here are the bullet points for today. The takeaways. The “don’t miss this” points to jot down, reflect on, and decipher their impact for your life.
1. THE WORD OF GOD SPEAKS OF A HASTENING OF TIME.
There is coming a day, and again, I believe we are already living in the beginning of this time, when the movement of God, the working of the Holy Spirit, the speed at which things begin to happen in the church, in the body of Christ, in our individual lives will be hastened.
2. THE HASTENING OF GOD TURNS REGULAR TIME INTO THE FULLNESS OF TIME.
When the Spirit begins to move in your life, and in our body, and in our city, regular moments of worship, regular moments of Bible study, regular moments of prayer, regular moments of relationships and fellowship are going to be filled with quality, deepening, significant times.
Have you seen some of them? When people come to the altar and pray to receive a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. Don’t get bored, and wonder when the service is going to end. Realize you are living in the hastening of time. You are experiencing a kairos moment.
When people raise their hands in praise and worship, physically surrendering to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their emotions and being. Don’t wonder how many times we are going to repeat the song, or how much longer we are going to stand up. Realize that you are living in the hastening of time. God’s Spirit is moving in people’s lives, and they are experiencing a kairos moment which you can experience with them.
When a co-worker comes to your cubicle, begins pouring their life out in pain and sorrow, getting chocked up, maybe even weeping. Step aside from everything else that is going on around you, and realize that God is hastening the time in that person’s life. He has prepared them, and you, for a kairos moment during which you can impart the grace, and mercy, and peace of His Holy Spirit into their lives.
Move past the mundane, and begin to see God’s hastening that is turning regular time into the fullness of time.
And. . .
3. WHEN GOD HASTENS TIME, WE MUST BE READY TO PASS THE MANTLE.
The Holy Spirit is not given to us to store up in these little earthen vessels, and keep it to ourselves. To bind up inside the walls of our church, and keep it to ourselves. I believe. I think it is Biblical that I desire through my life to be an imparter of the Holy Spirit into the lives of others.
When a kairos moment arises between me and my children, me and my wife, me and my interns, me and the SWC leadership team, me and my accountability partners, me and whoever. Whatever mantel God has placed upon my life, I want to be a part of His hastening, and pass that on to those around me. I want to share this advantage of the Spirit with those around me.
30 years of preparation. To 3 and half years of preparation. To minutes of preparation. How can that type of acceleration happen? Because preparation became impartation, and impartation of God’s Spirit is exponential.
Anyone remember the old commercial? I think it was for a shampoo. And I told two people. And they told two people. And they told two people. Anyone remember that? And the pictures got smaller and smaller, as the number of people who knew about this product grew exponentially.
I believe that is what God wants to do through His church, in our day, for the hastening of His kingdom. If you want to be a part of that, stand with me. If you are not interested, stay seated. But if you want to be a hastener. A kairos creator. Stand with me, and let’s pray together.
