Proverbs chapter 20
Give my timer out here. Okay Proverbs chapter 20 starting there in verse 11
Even as child is known by his doings whether his work be pure and whether it be right
The hearing ear and the seeing eye the Lord hath made even both of them love not sleep lest thou come to poverty
Open thine eyes and thou shall be satisfied with bread. Let's pray dear God
Thank this opportunity to preach. Thank you for your word Lord. I prayed you'd give me clarity mind to preach your word
Help me to preach the truth in Jesus name. I pray. Amen. All right, tell my sermon is love not sleep
love not sleep go back in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 1 and
Chapter 1 tells us why the book of Proverbs was written
Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 1 the Proverbs of Solomon the son of David
King of Israel to know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words of understanding to a stream to receive the instruction of wisdom justice and
Judgment and equity. So God gives us the book of Proverbs to learn wisdom to get instruction to learn judgment equity
You know just the the quality of God what God would have us to know what God's wisdom is for our life
That's why the book of Proverbs is written and there's so much wisdom in this book that sometimes we can just read
Sense by sense and things will just go over our head little itty-bitty statements
Sometimes that we just read and we don't actually think about how important they are
And I think one of those is there in verse Proverbs chapter 20 verse 13 where it says love not sleep
Sometimes we're just reading they're like, okay. Yeah love not sleep, but we got to realize that every word of God is pure
Everything is in the Bible for a reason and God gives us this so that we could have wisdom in our life
So that we can really have a better life
That's why God gives us our commit his commandments so that we can have a better life
Okay
And so this sermon will not apply to everyone because there's some people in this room that do not sleep enough
Okay, you know if brother Aaron or Remy ever watched this sermon this sermon does not apply to you guys
Okay, you guys need to take a nap every once in a while, right?
But some people sleep too much and some people are Goldilocks Baptist and sleep just perfect and that the sermon won't apply to you either
Maybe that'll be an exhortation to you. Okay, but this concept is important to know it's important to remember
Why because it's the wisdom of God it's gonna help us in our life and especially as a child
This is a habit that you need to get right now because the habits that you form as a child will go with you into your adulthood
Whether good or bad and if they're bad habits, they're gonna be a lot harder to break once you're an adult
Okay, and there's a physical application to this and like with most things in the Bible
There's also a spiritual application to this of not loving sleep. So first the physical application
Look there ever again at verse 21 verse 13 love not sleep
God tells us why lest thou come to poverty number one loving sleep will make you poor
Especially as a man loving sleep will make you poor go to Genesis chapter 3
Genesis chapter 3 talks about the curse of man and what our job is as men
Genesis chapter 3 verse 19 in the sweat of thy face
Shout thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground for out of it
What's thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shout thou return?
And you know the curse of man is to work hard by the sweat of your face and provide for your family
No matter what that's good. That's man's curse. That's what we've been given, you know
It's kind of hard to work up a sweat
It's kind of hard to work by the sweat your face when you're sleeping unless you have some weird sleep disorder or something
You're not gonna be sweating in your sleep. Okay, love not sleep lest I'll come to poverty
The Bible says you love sleep. You want to hit the snooze button every morning. You're one of those guys
It's always late to work. That's how you come to poverty and in today's snowflake millennial generation
It's really easy to stand out at work just by being on time
You know the Millennials cannot show up to work on time. Sebastian was telling me the guy he works with
Consistently every day three minutes two minutes late to work. Just he's so consistent
He would just move his schedule back two or three minutes
He'd be on time but it's easy today to stand out just by showing up on time, you know
And how do you do that? You have to wake up. You have to wake up early. You have to love not sleep
Go to Proverbs chapter 6 Proverbs chapter 6 verse 4
Give not sleep to thine eyes nor slumber to thine eyelids deliver
Thyselves deliver thyself as a row from the hand of the hunter and as a bird from the hand of the Fowler
So I want what I want to point out there is that when you're giving not sleep to your eyes
You're delivering yourself from something that's hunting you something that's coming after you something that's looking for your harm
You know it compares it to a hunter or a Fowler and what is that? That's poverty
You know give not sleep to thine eyes because poverty is coming for you wake up
Something's coming for you go to the ant thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise which having no guide overseer or ruler
Provided her meat in the summer and gather her food in the harvest. How long without sleep?
Oh sluggard when will thou to rise out of thy sleep yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to
Sleep so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth and I want as an armed man notice there the Bible saying hey
This is important if you just give a little too much sleep to your eyes
Just a little too much slumber just a little too much folding to your hand
That's when the poverty is coming for you just a little bit
So it's not something that you have just huge amount of grace from Bible says love not sleep. It's an important thing
It's an important statement
Why it says that thy poverty will come upon you as one that travel it and I want as an armed man
You're want talking about your necessities your daily food
And the thing is is God has promised to provide for us Bible says I've never seen the righteous forsaken or seed begging bread
You know God promises to bride for our daily needs our daily bread
But just as much of a promise as it is for him to to provide for us
It's just as much as a promise that if you give sleep to your eyes if you have a little sleep a little slumber a little folding
The hands of sleep so shall thy poverty come so you say oh, I'm a Christian
So I have a free slate to have God provide for me. No, you know you Bible says the righteous, right?
so you have to be obviously saved and you obviously have to be obeying this command to not sleep because if you're sleeping all day or
Not at work. You're not going to be fed and it's when it's talking about your want
It's not talking about your want of a Lamborghini or your want of a new boat. It's talking about your daily needs
So, let's see here go to first Corinthians chapter 13 or chapter 10, you know
But the thing is that this takes discipline. This is not something that's easy. Everybody has the temptation to sleep in
Everybody feels tired, you know
Everybody loves to give their excuses of why they can't serve God why they can't go soul winning why they can't show up to church
And it's because I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm tired. But hey, everybody is tired
We are made of flesh and this flesh is weary, you know, we're all tired first Corinthians 10 13
There are no temptation taking you but such as is common to man
You know, this is not something that only you experience everybody experiences it
But it doesn't give you an excuse to disobey God's commandment to love not sleep
But if this is something you struggle with this is something you must correct as a man
This is something you have to get right you will not be able to provide for your family
You say well, I'm a lady. So I'm out of this is fine. I don't I can love sleep them
No, go to Proverbs chapter 31 Proverbs chapter 31
This is not something that only applies to man men are not the only ones that should be waking up early and working hard
God sees it as a righteous aspect of a man and a woman to be a hard worker Proverbs chapter 31 verse 15
She riseth also while it is yet night and giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens
This woman isn't loving sleep if she's raising up when it's still nighttime to feed her family
She's not eating the bread of idleness
She's waking up and she's working hard the Bible praises a hard-working woman in Proverbs 31. This is God's ideal woman
This is a godly woman and part of the reason why she's praised is because she wakes up while it's night to do her work
You say well if I if I wake up too early
And if I sleep in then I'll get all my stuff done too soon and I'll be bored all day
Well, you ought not to be bored all day. I don't care if you're a single girl. I don't care if you're a single guy
There's always something to be doing
You know most likely if you're a woman you have kids you don't have this issue of running out of stuff to do
I'm guessing you have plenty of stuff to do but there's lots we could do in this life
You know if you're a woman you run out of stuff to do at home read a lot of Bible
You know I don't believe in this mediocre Christian mentality of reading the Bible for 15 minutes a day
I think that's a mediocre goal for a Christian read the Bible for 15 minutes a day
I think if you read the Bible through one time year to year, I think you're barely making it as a Christian
I think a full-time working man should read the Bible cover to cover more than one time a year
And if you're a woman at home that has no kids, and you're not reading the Bible more than that shame on you
There's something wrong with you. If you're not reading the Bible for more than that
You know keep things clean around the house learn new recipes get a hobby get a side business
Be a prayer warrior. You know is there not a lot to pray for right now in 2018
Is there not a lot to be in prayer for for our movement for this church for souls that are being saved for the work of God?
Going on how's your prayer life as a woman if you have nothing to do if you get bored so fast at home
You know that you want to sleep all day. Why don't you be in prayer? Why don't you be in prayer?
How about go soul winning exercise do something, but don't sleep all day
You do not have an excuse just because you're a woman to sleep all day
I don't mean obviously you probably don't have to sleep as little as the husband does you know that's that's implicit of course
But you don't get to sleep all day
Proverbs chapter or wait stay there in Proverbs 31 look at verse 27 real quick
She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idle idleness
It's kind of hard to look well to things when you're asleep
You can't look at anything at all when you're asleep go to Proverbs chapter 14 verse 1 actually turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 11
I'll read for you Proverbs 14 1 every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands
You know if you're a wise woman you're gonna harken unto the commandment to love not sleep
And if you're a foolish woman you're gonna end up being the woman that plucks down her house with her hand because she's not being
Vigilant because she's not looking well to the ways of her house
Ecclesiastes chapter 11
Verse 9 you say well, I'm a child so this doesn't apply to me here. No, it applies to you, too
Verse 9 and chapter 11 says rejoice
Oh young man in my youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart
And in the sight of thine eyes, but know thou that for all these things God will bring you to judgment
Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh for childhood and youth are vanity. Look your childhood is
Vanity your your game playing is vanity. Most of your child is complete vanity. So listen take advantage of your childhood
You have all this free time to learn how to serve God to the best capacity you can wake up early
Especially if you're a young boy learn how to wake up early and work you say I have nothing to do ask your parents
They'll give you something to do
Don't just wake up having no plan for your day get up. You need a list to ask your parents for a list
I'll give you a list get up and work boys get up and work girls
Get up and read your Bible and take advantage of the youth when you don't have all this stuff taking up your time
How great would it be if before you have your first job? You've already read the Bible through cover to cover ten times
That's easy to do if you start in your childhood and you take advantage of your time
But if you're sleeping all day and you waste it like I did then you're gonna have to catch up later
Don't do that learn to serve God to the fullest in your youth Psalm 63 turn there
Psalm 63 and spiritual application of this is that God wants to us to seek him early
He wants us to seek him early in our life
He wants us to seek him early in the day God wants to be the first fruits of all that we have
Okay, so Psalm 63 verse 1 Oh God
Thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in the dry and thirsty land
Where no water is to see thy power and like glory so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary because thy loving kindness is better
Than life my lips shall plays praise thee thus while I bless thee while I live
I will lift up my hands in thy name the Bible says early
Will I seek thee look when you wake up the first thing you should do is to be praying and to be reading the Bible
I do not think it is right for the only time for a Christian to get their Bible reading done is in the evening
I think you should be reading the evening, too. But the Bible says early will I seek thee why look at verse verse 2 to see thy power
Who wants the power of God on their life who wants the hand of God on their life wake up early?
Get God in on your day get God in on your life and you're gonna have the power of God upon you
You don't want to wait until the evening and he says thus will I bless thee while I live we're not gonna live physically forever
We're not gonna have the opportunity to sit down and have a long time with God forever
I mean we'll be with God in heaven, of course, but take advantage of the time you have wake up early and see God early
Bible says one of my favorite chapters in the Bible in Psalm 1
There's a blessing with seeking God early blessed is the man that walked not in the council of the ungodly nor stand in the way of
Sinners nor sit in the seat of the right of the scornful
But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law that he meditate day and night
So don't just read at night. Don't just read it in the day meditate there in day and night
But it's kind of hard to do that when you love sleep
So number two the the second spiritual application is Ezekiel 33
She'll turn there Ezekiel 33 in verse 4 then whosoever hear at the sound of the trumpet and take if not warning if the sword
Come and take him away his blood shall be upon his own head
He heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning his blood shall be upon him
But he that take of warning shall deliver his soul
But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet and the people be not warned if the sword come and take
Any person from among them he has taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand
We have to be awake
We have to love not sleep when it comes to being a watchman for souls
How many missed opportunities have we had to preach the gospel to someone not because we knew we should preach that person the gospel
We just decided not to do it
But just because we weren't thinking about it just because we were asleep at the wheel
You know we are the messengers and ambassadors and priests and kings of God
We are the people that have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation and people's souls are depending on our willingness and our
Awakeness to preach people the gospel and when we miss those opportunities
People can go to hell as a result of our our missed opportunities. You know, are you willing to live with that?
Do you want that kind of blood on your hands? You need to be awake spiritually when it comes to souls
We need to be awake spiritually when it comes to being a watchman against sin first Peter chapter 5 verses
Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walk at the bow seeking whom he may devour
You know in 2018 is not the time to be asleep. You know, I believe we're in the falling away
We're in the last times the devil's walking around seeking who he could destroy what church he could destroy what family he can destroy
And you know us as a church got to be looking out for sin in the church
We have to be looking out, you know parents have to be looking at sin in their home
And even in your own life, you have to be aware of it
You have to be awake and looking for these things because the devil does want to destroy us
And then lastly we have to be wide awake as the watchman against false doctrine Titus 1 9
Holding fast the faithful word as he had been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gain sayers
It's a job of preachers and of churches and of men leaders of the home to be on watch against false doctrine and not to allow
You know false doctrine to come into a church or a family
That's running rampant today and now is not the time to be asleep physically now
It's not the time when it's harder than ever to provide for family on one income to be sleeping in every day and not showing
Up to work now is not the time when we're been under more spiritual attack than you know
It's definitely one of the greatest
Generations of spiritual attack probably there's ever been and if we see the tribulation definitely will that will ever be you know
This is the time that we need to be awake. We need to be in our Bibles
We need to be physically physically awake and spiritually awake. Let's pray dear Lord. Thank you for this day
Thank you for that truth and Proverbs versus love not sleep
Help us not to just pass over verses in our Bible and just not give them much thought Lord
You gave that verse to us for our wisdom and to make our lives better
I pray that you'd help us apply it to every area in our life. Jesus name. I pray amen