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"It is time to awake out of thy sleep" (Rom. 13:11).
- Sleep of Disobedience–Samson
- Plan (Judges 13:5). Born to free Israel.
- Power. He killed a lion. (Judg. 14:5,6). He killed 1,000
with jawbone of a donkey. (Judg. 15:15).
- Problems. Disobedience (Judg. 15:2,3). Associations (Judg.
16:1-4).
- Pitfalls (Judg. 16:16-20). Delilah was used to bring
Samson down. As the result of sleeping, he lost his hair, strength, and
sight, and was made a slave until his death.
- Sleep of Disrespect–Disciples
- Savior. Jesus’ Prayer, "Not my will" (Matt. 26:39)
- Sleeping (Matt. 26:40). While Jesus was praying, Peter,
James and John were sleeping.
- Sincerity. "Keep alert and pray." Otherwise temptation
will overpower you. For the spirit is willing, but how weak the body is."
(Matt. 26:41 LB).
- Sleep of Defiance–Jonah
- The call: "Go to Nineveh" (Jon. 1:2).
- The callousness: "But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish"
(v. 3) He fled the presence of God.
- The consequences: The storm (v. 4); Jonah asleep (v.
5); Jonah thrown into the sea (v. 15).
- The control: God was in control. He prepared a large
fish to swallow Jonah (Jon.2:1,2). Jonah was vomited onto dry land (v.
2:10). Jonah obeys and the whole city repents.
- Sleep of Destruction–Foolish Virgins
- People (Matt. 25:1): Five wise virgins; five foolish.
- Preparation (Matt. 25:3,4): The wise took plenty of oil;
the foolish did not.
- Problem (Matt. 25:5): While waiting, they all went to
sleep–the wise with oil, the foolish without oil.
- Plan (Matt. 25:6-13): The wise enter the wedding. The
foolish went to buy oil, but when they had gone to buy oil the door was
shut.
Croft M. Pentz
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