SLEEP EASY: GOD IS AWAKE!
Ps. 121:3-4
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: ANIMALS IN HEAVEN?
1. There’s a natural curiosity about Heaven. One little boy asked his Mom, “Mom, are there animals in Heaven?” She replied, “What kind of animals?”
2. He said, “Regular animals, cows and bees.” She said, “I’m not sure about that. I doubt they will be necessary in Heaven.”
3. “Then where are we going to get enough milk and honey for everybody?” he asked.
B. TEXT
2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” Ps. 121:2-4, 7-8.
C. THESIS
1. Sleeping on the job is a growing problem. A new survey reveals that 51% of Americans sleep on the job! [https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAnd Tools/hr-topics/employee-relations/Pages/ Sleeping-on-the-Job.aspx]
2. For a soldier to fall asleep on duty is a dereliction of duty, because the other soldiers might be attacked while he’s sleeping. So, sleeping at the wrong time can be bad.
3. How many times have YOU struggled to stay awake? [I’m NOT talking about church!] For most of us – often! We have responsibilities, work that must get done, children to look after, an assignment which must be finished, or some event we’re waiting for.
4. But another cause of sleeplessness is worry. Today we’re looking at a marvelous promise by which God wants to end our cares and worries. This message is titled, “Sleep Easy: God is Awake!” It’s implied in these verses that, first,...
I. WE WORRY UNNECESSARILY
A. WORRYING IS A BIG PART OF LIFE
1. We do a lot of worrying. 71% of U.S. adults confess they have fears of some type and at least 40 million people have anxiety disorders!
2. We worry about our future, our jobs & finances, our health, our marriage, our kids, our Facebook profile, and what we’re going to eat for dinner. Studies show that 85 percent of what we worry about never happens! [Huffpost article at conclusion.]
3. SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO WORRY!
a. A man said, “I always feel bad when I feel good because I know I’ll feel bad after a while.”
b. One lady said she liked worrying, because if she didn’t do that, she’d be bored.
c. One man claimed that since 90% of what you worry about doesn’t happen, that was proof that worrying works!
d. Someone said, “If you have no ulcers, you’re not carrying your share of the load!”
B. GO TO GOD FOR HELP
1. The Bible says, “Be anxious for nothing...” Ph. 4:6. “Do not worry about what you’ll eat, drink, or wear... for your heavenly Father knows you need these.” Mt. 6:31-32. All we have to do is pray to Him!
2. ILLUS. Lifetime Rail Pass Goes Unused
a. When Crowfoot, the great chief of the Blackfoot tribe in southern Alberta, gave the Canadian Pacific Railway permission to cross the Blackfoot land, he was given, in return, a lifetime pass on the railroad.
b. Crowfoot put it in a leather case and carried it
around his neck for the rest of his life. There is no record, however, that he ever used his right to travel anywhere on the trains. [Prairie Overcomer]
c. God’s promises are not for decoration. You need to know them and claim them by faith, in prayer, in order to receive the benefits of them!
II. GOD IS WATCHING OVER US
“He who watches over you will not slumber” (121:3)
A. SYMBOL IN SPACE: “THE EYE OF GOD”
1. The Hubble Space Telescope has taken a number of photos of the Helix Nebula that caught the curiosity of the scientists. Some astronomers describe it as “a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases.”
2. At its center is a dying star that has ejected dust and gas stretching toward its outer rim. Remarkable photos of it look like the blue iris of a human eye complete with eyelids. Because of this, some have called it the “Eye of God.”
3. It’s a reminder of an eternal eye that constantly watches over us. God keeps a watchful eye on every child of God. God’s care is constant and unfailing.
B. DO YOU HAVE A PORTABLE GOD?
1. In 1 Samuel 6, the Israelites thought their God was limited to a golden box called the Ark. But how many of you know, that “God fills the heavens & the earth?” (Jer. 23:24). Even they can’t contain Him! “In Him we live, & move, & have our being” Acts 17:28. I SERVE A BIG GOD!
2. Prov. 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Heb. 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
3. Because God is everywhere, His infinite mind perceives all things. He knows if one sparrow falls to the ground, if one hair falls from your head. He knows your thoughts, motives, actions, and needs.
4. And the best thing of all is that He loves you and is motivated, in all He does, by love. Wow!
III. GOD NEVER SLUMBERS OR SLEEPS!
A. HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES GOD NEED?
1. Giraffes have the shortest sleep cycle of any mammal. They sleep only an average of 1.9 hours per day (and can sleep as little as 10 minutes!). For giraffes, it’s not a sleep disorder that keeps them awake. It’s just the way God has made them. If you think 2 hours a day is not much sleep, consider that our Heavenly Father never sleeps!
2. God is a “present help in every time of need” Ps. 46:1. In order to be a timely help, He has to watch constantly – 24/7/365/forever!
3. Only God never sleeps. If WE help someone, it has to fit into our schedule and be convenient. But God is always ready to help. So we can go on to sleep and rest, because God will be awake all night!
4. God says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” Isa. 40:28-29.
B. CAN YOU TRUST IN HIM NOW?
1. Bulstrode Whitelock, Cromwell's envoy to Sweden in 1653, was much disturbed in mind as he reflected on the troubled state of Great Britain.
2. It happened that a confidential employee slept in the adjacent bed, who, finding that his boss could not
sleep, at length said, "Sir, would you mind if I asked you a question?" "Not at all."
3. "Sir, don't you think that God governed the world very well before you came into it?" "Undoubtedly." "And Sir, don't you think He will govern it quite well when you’re gone out of it?" "Certainly." "Then Sir, don't you think you could trust Him to govern it while you’re in it?"
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: God Never Forgets Promises
1. An elderly Christian was in much distress as he lay dying. “Oh, Pastor,” he said, “for years I have relied upon the promises of God, but now in the hour of death I can’t remember a single one to comfort me.”
2. Knowing that Satan was disturbing him, the preacher said, “My brother, do you think that GOD has forgotten any of His promises?”
3. A smile came over the face of the dying believer as he exclaimed joyfully, “No, no! He won’t!” “Praise the Lord, now I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust Him to remember them all and bring me safely to Heaven.”
4. Peace flooded his soul, and a short time later he was ushered by the angels into the light of God’s eternal day. [Our Daily Bread]
B. THE CALL
1. Mary Crowley said: “Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.” Lay down and sleep beloved, God’s got this!
2. The Apostle Peter said we’re to “Cast all your care upon him; for he cares for you” 1 Pet. 5:7.
3. How many of you have burdens you’re carrying around? Isn’t it time you turned them over to the Lord? How many have a special need for prayer? Stand. Let’s all join together in beseeching God.
4. PRAYER.
[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/85-of-what-we-worry-about_b_8028368]
[This message has several quotes from Mathew Philip’s “A Watchful Eye”]
