A Theology of Sleep

Service Notes

Bro. Frick will answer the “What does the Bible say” question tonight? "Will people get married and have children during the millennial kingdom?"

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Proverbs 24:33–34 (KJV 1900)

33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:

34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; And thy want as an armed man.

Introduction

Picture “Life is short. Stay awake for it.” [Slide]

Good marketing. Is it a good message? We are told to number are days. James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. What if coffee vapor slowed down the vapor.

We all want the sleep of Proverbs 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. / Wish everyone could get the type of rest Henry Penrod is famous for in church.

We have heard of the danger of too much sleep. Proverbs 6:10-11 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, And thy want as an armed man. Repeated in 24:33-34

Laziness brings us into a deep sleep. Deep is not speaking of good sleep but they can that takes us close to death. Proverbs 19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; And an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Many verses outside of Proverbs.

Jesus even wakes the disciples up on an occasion. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

We want to sweet sleep in Proverbs but we have often had the nights like Job. Job 7:4 When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

It is a good 25% of our lives. We need to get it right.

The Bible speaks of death as sleep because of the reality of the resurrection.

The death of David was referred to sleep. 1 Kings 2:10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Scripture paints the death of a believer as merely a temporal rest for the body until the resurrection

When the Bible speaks of sleep in a literal manner it speaks in two ways; a sleep of sluggard and a sleep of peace.

Sluggard sleep; This kind of sleep is simply avoiding the good work that God has called us to do

When there was a work to be done. Nahum 3:18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: Thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

When we should be in prayer. Mathew 26:41

Sleep may be the place you hide from responsibilities. Jonah 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

When we suffer significant trauma like losing a loved one, or losing a job, we can retreat to sleep. But this kind of sleep is simply shutting the door on the reality of life's difficulties.

What many of us would never do with alcohol we might with sleep. It seeks to ignore the hurt and pain of life instead of seeking God's comfort, healing, and redemption by faith through it.

Sleep in peace: This kind of sleep demonstrates a complete trust in God and understanding that we are not Him.

Jesus exhibited faith in God's call by sleeping in the boat during a storm. Mark 4:38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

We can enjoy this same type of sleep. Ezekiel 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. (if we have a camping ministry this will be the verse for it)

The LORD alone will bring this comfort to his people so that they can rest without anxiety or fear. Psalm 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

We trust in the Lord when we rest. Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

God uses these restless nights to call us to Him

Sometimes God shows His love for us not only through the gift of sleep, but through the gift of sleeplessness

King Ahasuersus in Esther 6.

God used the restless dreams of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 & 4

Daniel's own dream in Daniel 7.

David was led to call out to the LORD in repentance through his sleepless nights in Psalm 6.

My father made a profession of faith after a restless night.

Here is a prescription for your restless night.

Psalm 119:147–148 (KJV 1900)

147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.

148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, That I might meditate in thy word.

Funny story about Charles Spurgeon dreaming about his passage.

Should we interpret dreams?

The Bible is complete, having revealed everything we need to know from now until eternity.

We should compare any thought (awake or asleep) to the Word of God.

Be mindful of what you think upon throughout the day. Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

A faithful theology of sin alerts us that our dreams may be disclosing dark desires that abide unseen in our hearts.

If our dreams are continually bad we should consider Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

Here is a good bed time routine

Before you sleep, set your mind upon God through his word and prayer. Fill your heart with truth Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Cast every anxious care on him 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Pray to him and plead with him to give you the sleep he has promised Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Sleep is not the goal. Trusting God is.

Paul has sleepless nights even though He understood he was not indispensable. 2 Cor 6:4-5 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

Paul was obviously losing sleep for a purpose. But there is also a staying up that doesn’t profit anything. Psalm 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Jesus would go out early morning. Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Jesus would also take a nap during a storm.

How much sleep is too much sleep?

That is a spiritual question.

God has made us differently and we can be in different seasons.

But even our sleep patterns should be constantly submitted to Him for review.

Other reasons for a lack of sleep

Ignorance. We do not understand its value in our lives.

The Exxon Valdez, Challenger Space Shuttle, and Metro North Train tragedies in New York were all linked to sleep-deprivation.

A God who does not sleep created us in a way in which we do. To reject its place in our lives it to rebel against His design for us.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to sleep.

Sleep is a gift from God. Accept it. Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Jesus commands it to his disciples. Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Lack of Discipline.

Even when we know the value of sleep we ignore it.

Many times it is something we are seeking in the day that we do not feel like we have had enough of; productivity or pleasure.

We need to trust God for the new day. Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Anxiety

We are not ready to cast our cares upon the Lord. So we hold on to them.

Casting cares should be part of your bed time routine. 1 Peter 5:7-9 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Story / The Trouble Tree

The carpenter who was hired to help a man restore an old farmhouse had just finished his first day on the job and everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. First of all, on his way to work he had a flat tire that cost him an hour’s worth of pay, then his electric saw broke, and after work his old pickup truck refused to start.

His new boss volunteered to give him a lift home and the whole way to his house the carpenter sat in stone silence as he stared out his window. Yet on arriving, he invited his boss in for a few minutes to meet his family. As they walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When he opened the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was one big smile as he hugged his two small children and kissed his wife.

Afterwards, the man walked his boss to his car to say thank you. Now on their way out of the house, the boss’ curiosity got the best of him so he had to ask the man about the tree on the front porch. He said, I noticed when you came up on the porch before going into your house you stopped and touched the tree, why?

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” he replied. “I know I can’t stop from having troubles out on the job, but one thing’s for sure – my troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”

“Funny thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick ‘em up, they aren’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

Caffeine / Screens / Exercise

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

“Our hope isn’t in a perfect eight hours of sleep, but in a faithful God whom we can trust to sustain us the next day.”

What can we learn from the need to sleep?

God created you to require sleep

Life is too short to sleep all the time, but life is also too short not to sleep more than a lot of us do.

Sleep should keep or make us humble

“Every time we go to bed, we humbly admit again that the world will be fine without us for a while.”

Psalm 121:4 (KJV 1900)

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Sleep is a gift from God

Psalm 127:1–2 (KJV 1900)

1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.

God saturated view of life.

If a house is being built. God is building.

If a city is being watched. God is watching.

If you are sleeping. God is giving that as a gift.

God is working and we are working.

God builds. We build.

God watches. We watch.

God gives. We receive.

God explains how we are to work and watch.

Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.

We may get up early. We stay up late but we will not do it with anxious toil or sorrow.

Why? We acknowledge that God is the decisive worker.

Why? We embrace being loved. (beloved sleep)

Missionaries say it can be stressful to stay in someones home. Why? We do not know what they think or feel about us. Hard to sleep under those conditions.

Luke 12:32 (KJV 1900)

32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Conclusion

Sleep in peace tonight, God is bigger than anything you will face tomorrow and He loves you. You are His beloved. Sleep like it.