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Things Done
While Some Slept
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Sleep is a blessing for mankind
Sleep allows our bodies to renew and gives us
strength to accomplish tasks
Like food, air and other essentials, sleep is a
necessity
Sleep disorders and deprivation can lead to many
serious problems over time
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Sleep deprivation has been used to extract
information from enemy combatants
Adequate sleep is essential to good health
The word sleep and its derivations are found
164 times in the Bible
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It is used metaphorically many times (referring
to physical of spiritual death)
It is also used in a literal sense many times
Many Bible characters are connected is some
fashion to sleep
Note some things that occurred while or because
some slept
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Ones Strength Was Diminished
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The story of Samson (Judges 13-16) is well-known
His forays into Philistine territory and his
encounters with women there brought many
hardships upon him and brought about his tragic
end
He is best known for his great strength, which
was taken from him because of his relationship
with Delilah
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Having succumbed to her desire to tell the secret
of his strength, while he slept she had his head
shaved, and his strength departed from him
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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.
Judges 1619
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Having succumbed to her desire to tell the secret
of his strength, while he slept she had his head
shaved, and his strength departed from him
The lessons this episode provides are so important
His strength was lost while he was with the wrong
crowd
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He lost his wife, sight, strength and life
because of his association with an ungodly people
Although it was during physical sleep that his
head was shaved, it was during his spiritual
sleep that he surrendered his secret
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A Scheme Was Devised
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As with Samsons strength, Solomons wisdom is
renowned
Following his prayer for wisdom (I Kings 35-15)
we are told of his encounter with two harlots
The harlot whose infant had died devised her plan
and carried it out while her roommate slept
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This she conveyed to Solomon
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And this woman's child died in the night because
she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and
took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid
slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her
dead child in my bosom. I Kings 319,
20
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This she conveyed to Solomon
His conclusion to the matter and wisdom in
determining the true mother of the living child
are immortal
Perhaps illustrated by this account is the need
for parents to be vigilant regarding their
children
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Satan is waiting for us to fall asleep in
caring for them
His attacks are relentless and come from every
avenue at his disposal
Just as with our own souls, we have to be
vigilant in taking care of our children
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Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour I Peter 58
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Some Seed Was Dispersed
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The parable of the tares is one of seven parables
recorded in Matthew 13
It is one of the few parables which the Lord
explained in detail to His disciples (Matthew
1336-43)
The lesson taught in this parable is that corrupt
seed has been sown among the good
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Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which
sowed good seed in his field But while men
slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
wheat, and went his way. Matthew 1324, 25
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It should be of great interest to note that it
was while men slept that the tares were sown
Jesus spoke this prophetically, of course, since
His kingdom was not yet in existence when this
parable was given
We should be diligent to insure that tares are
not being sown on our watch!
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Some Seekers Were Denied
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Another of the Lords parables is given in
Matthew 251-13 (wise and foolish virgins)
In Matthew 241-35, Jesus spoke of the
destruction of Jerusalem (in answer to His
disciples questions regarding it)
Beginning in Matthew 2436 He made a transition
to the subject of the final judgment of all
mankind
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The subject continues throughout Matthew 25
The custom of the day was for the bride to be
accompanied by her maidens until the arrival of
the groom and his attendants, at which time the
procession would proceed to the couples house
for a wedding feast
In this parable the groom was delayed and the
maidens fell asleep
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While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered
and slept. Matthew 255
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When suddenly the announcement was made that the
groom had arrived, the maidens awoke, five of
them to find that their lamps had gone out and
that they had no oil for them
They were not prepared and thus had to go
purchase oil for their lamps while they should
have been in the procession and at the wedding
feast
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And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of
your oil for our lamps are gone out. But the
wise answered, saying, Not so lest there be not
enough for us and you but go ye rather to them
that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they
went to buy, the bridegroom came and they that
were ready went in with him to the marriage and
the door was shut. Matthew 258-10
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The lesson is quite obvious- be prepared!
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The Savior Was Disappointed
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Having observed the Passover with His disciples
and instituted the Lords Supper, Jesus led His
disciples to Gethsemane
There, three of the eleven were invited to go
farther with Him into the garden
He asked them to watch with Him, and then He
proceeded a little farther and prayed earnestly
that this cup might pass from Him
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He returned to the three for encouragement and
human compassion, only to find them asleep
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And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth
them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye
not watch with me one hour? Matthew
2640
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He returned to the three for encouragement and
human compassion, only to find them asleep
Having issued this mild rebuke Jesus proceeded to
pray twice more, only to find His disciples
asleep each time
Following His third prayer, the hour of watching
and praying had passed, the group was approached
by the mob and Jesus was betrayed and arrested
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While Jesus agonized over His approaching
crucifixion and separation from the Father, His
disciples slept
While we might be quick to condemn these men, we
should examine our own lives to see if we are
asleep while awaiting the return of the Lord
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Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and
arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee
light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not
as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. Ephesians
514-16
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A Service Was Disrupted
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Just prior to the conclusion of his third
journey, Paul stopped at Troas and stayed for a
week (Acts 206)
The church was assembled for worship on the third
floor of a certain building
Paul preached to them on that occasion, a sermon
which lasted until midnight
In a window in that room sat a young man named
Eutychus
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Around midnight, as Paul was preaching, Eutychus
fell from the window and was killed
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And there sat in a window a certain young man
named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep
and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with
sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was
taken up dead. Acts 209
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Around midnight, as Paul was preaching, Eutychus
fell from the window and was killed
Why is this incident recorded here?
The obvious impact of it was that Paul raised
Eutychus from the dead, encouraging the brethren
greatly and, perhaps, emphasizing some of the
truths he had just been preaching
However, the incident disrupted their worship
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We need to be aware of things we can do to
prevent distractions during worship
Some have made a habit of getting up and leaving
during worship
At times such is necessary urgent situations
arise
Some are on medication, suffering the infirmities
of age or other maladies that require them to
leave
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But, there are some (our younger ones being among
them) by which you can almost set your watch by
their habitual leaving during the worship hour
Others find this a convenient time to catch up on
their sleep, examine the contents of their purse
or even give themselves a manicure
Worship is demanding under the best of
circumstances
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We need to get enough sleep on Saturday night or
Sunday afternoon so that we can be refreshed and
prepared to worship properly
We need to take care of the trivial and the
necessities before worship so that we ourselves
can worship correctly, and so that we will not be
a disruption to the worship for others
Lets ask- Are my actions disturbing the worship
of others?
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Some Servants Will Be Distracted
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The message of the Bible, boiled down to its
simplest facts He is coming He is here He is
coming again
One of the themes of First Thessalonians is the
Second Coming
Pauls message to those of Thessalonica was that
those in darkness would not escape His wrath, but
those in the light anticipate and watch for His
coming
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Ye are all the children of light, and the
children of the day we are not of the night, nor
of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do
others but let us watch and be sober.
I Thessalonians 55, 6
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Some have and will become distracted by the world
along the way (Demas, many of the Galatians, many
of the Corinthians, etc.)
The great lesson regarding His coming- be aware
that it could be at any moment and be prepared at
all times
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Watch ye therefore for ye know not when the
master of the house cometh, at even, or at
midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the
morning Lest coming suddenly he find you
sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all,
Watch. Mark 1335-37
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Some have and will become distracted by the world
along the way (Demas, many of the Galatians, many
of the Corinthians, etc.)
The great lesson regarding His coming- be aware
that it could be at any moment and be prepared at
all times
As the song asks, Are you ready for the judgment
day?
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Ones Strength Was Diminished
A Scheme Was Devised
Some Seed Was Dispersed
Some Seekers Were Denied
The Savior Was Disappointed
A Service Was Disrupted
Some Servants Will Be Distracted
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Things Done
While Some Slept
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Ones Strength Was Diminished
A Scheme Was Devised
Some Seed Was Dispersed
Some Seekers Were Denied
The Savior Was Disappointed
A Service Was Disrupted
Some Servants Will Be Distracted