Dangers of Sleeping
DANGERS OF SLEEPING
TEXT: Romans 13:11
I. Sleep of Disobedience—Samson
A. Plan
1. Born to free Israel.
Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
2. God has a plan for our lives
B. Power.
1. He killed a lion.
Judges 14:5-6 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
2. He killed 1,000 with jawbone of a donkey.
Judges 15:15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
C. Problems.
1. Disobedience
Judges 14:1-3 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
2. Associations
Judges 16:1-4 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
D. Pitfalls
Judges 16:16-20 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her. There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
1. Delilah was used to bring Samson down.
2. As the result of sleeping, he lost his hair, strength, and sight, and was made a slave until his death.
II. Sleep of Disrespect—Disciples
A. Savior. Jesus’ Prayer, “Not my will”
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
B. Sleeping
Matthew 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
1. While Jesus was praying, Peter, James and John were sleeping.
C. Sincerity.
1. “Keep alert and pray.”
2. Otherwise temptation will overpower you.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
III. Sleep of Defiance—Jonah
A. The call: “Go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2).
B. The callousness: “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish” (v. 3) He fled the presence of God.
C. The consequences:
1. The storm (v. 4)
2. Jonah asleep (v. 5)
3. Jonah thrown into the sea (v. 15).
D. The control:
1. God was in control.
2. He prepared a large~ fish to swallow Jonah (Joh.2:1,2).
3. Jonah was vomited onto dry land (v. 2:10).
4. Jonah obeys and the whole city repents.
IV. Sleep of Destruction—Foolish Virgins
A. People
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
1. Five wise virgins; five foolish.
B. Preparation
Matthew 25:3-4 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
1. The wise took plenty of oil; the foolish did not.
C. Problem
Matthew 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.