Proclaimer Blog
A biblical view of sleep part 2
So, I had a nap and here is my finished outline. Remember this is not an expository sermon. It's part of a church series where, once a month, we think about a particular issue from a biblical point of view. It's on top of a morning and evening sermon (1 John and Ecclesiastes) that people will have already had. So, it's more of a thematic talk, trying to see a biblical theology of sleep. Here in just outline form….
Introduction
I'm going to start with some sleep facts. Then I'm going to introduce my big idea: Sleep is part of our created humanity and a good sleep is a gift to be treasured and enjoyed, a picture of something eternal. Then I'm going to unpack that phrase by phrase.
Sleep is part of our created humanity
- This will be brief, but may include some medical reasons why sleep is good for you. Also a look at the perfect humanity displayed in Christ.
Sleep is a good gift to be treasured and enjoyed
- The ability to sleep and wake is a mark of God's sovereign care (Ps 3.4, 4.8), a sweetness (Prov 3.24)
- Lack of sleep may be a sign of unresolved sin (Ps 77.4)
- In some cases, the ability to sleep may be a sign of a seared conscience (Jonah 1.6)
Sleep is a picture of something eternal
- Here, I will explore the NT use of sleep as a euphemism for death and its appropriateness
Conclusion: We can sleep soundly, because God does not (Psalm 121, I will probably unpack this a bit)
And so, the secret to a good night's sleep may be medical (something wrong with you), environmental (something wrong with the room, bed, etc) or spiritual. And if spiritual, the answer is trust and contentment (Ecc 5.12).
Then I've got some discussion questions, which I think will include:
- Should we ever fall asleep in church (Acts 20.9)? I want to use this to get people to think about preparing for church well to include a good night's sleep
- What should we say to a new mum struggling to get by on four hours sleep a night?