Short Beds and Small Blankets
Isaiah 28:20
God has so made man, that there are two things essential for their comfort, if not for their very existence, namely, sleep and clothing.
Sleep is essential to the very existence of our bodies on earth. Clothing also is needful for our comfort, and, at least in some climates, absolutely necessary for our very existence. God has made the animal creation of such a kind, that they grow their clothing upon their own backs.
Just what the body needs materially, that the soul needs spiritually. The soul needs two things. It requires rest, which is pictured to us in sleep. The soul needs covering.
Our text tells us that men have sought for rest and for clothing where they are not to be found; that they have gone about to make a bed for themselves which is shorter than that they can stretch themselves upon it; and that they have also sought to make coverings for themselves which have turned out to be narrower than that they can wrap themselves in them.
We have a proverb today, “As a man makes his bed, so must he lie in it.” How true, and you have only yourself to blame for it.
Let us look at what man has done, and of his vain and futile attempts to find rest and clothing for his soul; and then, afterward, we shall briefly attempt to show how God has accomplished this, and has given to the believer a couch upon which he can stretch himself on and yet find that the bed is long enough, and how the Lord has given him a garment in which he may grow, but he will always find that, broad as he shall become in the magnitude of his experience or of his sin, yet shall this covering be always broad enough to cover him.
Many people select the short bed and narrow
blankets of:
I. GOOD PERFORMANCES
I am talking about good works. God works are a most empty, hollow, and miserable hope for eternity!
Ephesians 2:8,9
Titus 3:5
Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
Galatians 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
No one will ever go to heaven because of his performance, that is, what he has done; or his position, who he is; or his pedigree, who his parents were. Those things are irrelevant. Salvation has nothing to do with either conduct or character. The only reason anyone goes to heaven is because of the grace of God.
Salvation is totally and completely without your performance. You cannot win it as a prize, you cannot earn it as a wage, you do not deserve it as a reward, but you can receive it as a gift.
God salvation is not a reward for those who are righteous, it is a gift for those who will admit they are guilty.
“I am doing the best I can” is a bed that is too short and blanket that is to narrow.
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Luke 18:9-12
A. There are places associated with good performances
B. There are practices associated with good performances
"Two men went up to the temple to pray." I fear one of these men forgot his errand. I am at a loss as to what to call the Pharisee’s address; it certainly does not deserve the name of a prayer. It may rather be said that he came to the temple to boast, than to pray; for I do not find one word of confession of his original guilt; not one single petition for pardon for his sins, or a request for grace to help in time of need. He only brings to God a reckoning of his performances.
“I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." Fasting is a Christian practice, but it does not save.
"I give tithes of all that I possess" again a religious practice, but it does not save.
Those that do not build upon Christ as their foundation, but rest in a righteousness of their own, will prove in the end thus to have deceived themselves; for you can never find rest or warm in a bed or blanket or your own hands; it is only a bed too short and a blanket too small.
Many people select the short bed and narrow
blankets of:
II. GRAND PROFESSIONS
Some people are very fond of curling up in the short bed of an empty profession of faith. Some trust in a decision they made a number of years ago – a decision that was the result of a mere fleeting emotional moment. However that profession has never resulted in any lasting change in their lives.
Matthew 7:21,22
A. Notice the claim of the lost (v.22)
They claimed He was their Lord, but calling Him Lord does not make Him Lord.
They had truth. They were able to say the right things about Him, but they were still not saved.
They were also fervent and zealous, and you notice this in their speech “Lord, Lord.” However, being fervent, zealous, or sincere does not save.
Here is a false assurance. There is the tendency to base our assurance upon certain statements which we ourselves make or how we make them. There are those who say, “Scripture says, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’” They interpret such verses as meaning that as long as they acknowledge and say certain things about the Lord Jesus Christ, they are automatically saved. Their error is surely this: the man who is truly saved and who has a genuine assurance of salvation does make, and must make, these statements, but the mere making of these statements does not of necessity guarantee, or assure, a man of salvation.
The very people with whom our Lord is dealing do say: “Lord,Lord,” but, as James reminds us in his Epistle that “the devils also believe, and tremble.”
If you read the Gospels, you discover that the evil spirits, the devils, recognize the Lord. They know who He is; they say the right things about Him. But they are devils, and they are lost.
Though the believer, the Christian, does say the things, he does not stop at merely saying them. We must not put our trust in our own belief but in the Lord Jesus Christ must our faith rest. We should not rely on our own belief, or our on mere assertion of it.
There is the terrible danger of basing our assurance of salvation upon a repetition of certain statements, a formula, or a prayer.
What is the difference between what we have just described and basing our assurance of salvation upon the fact that we are members of a church, or that we were baptized. There is no difference.
A faith that goes no further than the head can never bring salvation. Ro 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.”
There are some people who will think they are saved, but who, in fact, are still lost and headed to Hell!
B. Notice the condemnation of the Lord (v.23)
Jesus had no knowledge of their pardon of sin, and He had no knowledge of their possession of salvation. 2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.”
Being religious means nothing. Religion without faith in Christ is form without the power.
Many people select the short bed and narrow
blankets of:
III. GROSS PRESUMPTION
Proverbs 27:1
Multitudes are depending on a tomorrow to get saved. To provide for tomorrow is our duty, to boast of it is sin. Only a fool would dare to do so; for we may be ushered into eternity without Christ before the sun goes down or rises again. The rich fool’s soul was required of him the very night he gloried in the fullness of his barns.
Isaiah 56:12 “Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”
Today is day of salvation. The postponement of matters related to the welfare of your soul is suicidal. God says, “Today, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your heart” (Hebrews 3:7).
Remember, those who plan to give their lives to Christ at the eleventh hour die at 10.30 hours! Give your life to Christ today. Give Him your heart right now.
The great mischief of most men is that they presume upon tomorrow. It is not that they resolve to be dammed, but that they resolve to be saved tomorrow. Tomorrow is in no calendar except the almanac of fools.
One of these days is often none of these days. Hell is full of people that planed on getting
saved tomorrow
Procrastination is my sin
It brings me naught but sorrow.
I know that I should stop it
In fact, I will...tomorrow.
One day a king died. His servants spread the unbelievable news all over the palace. He had died in his bed of natural causes.
"Where has he gone?" asked one of the king’s wisest counselors.
"Why, to Heaven of course!" answered all the others. "No," said the other soberly. "I served this king for many years and traveled with him to many places. He loved to travel and would go over the details of each journey. Every element was planned and anticipated. But I have never heard him say a word about traveling to Heaven. It is a journey for which I saw him make no preparation. I am quite sure he did not go to Heaven."
What about you? Have you made the right preparations?
Conclusion
In our text we are told that there are some who had a bed too short and a blanket too small.
GOOD PERFORMANCES
GRAND PROFESSIONS
GROSS PRESUMPTION
