Indian Under the Bed
E.A. Johnston illustrates how the law of God exposes hidden sin like an 'Indian under the bed,' leading sinners to recognize their need for Christ's righteousness and deliverance.
In this compelling sermon, E.A. Johnston uses the vivid illustration of an 'Indian under the bed' to reveal how God's law exposes the hidden sin in every person. Drawing from Romans 7 and 8, Johnston explains how self-righteousness blinds individuals to their true spiritual state and how the law leads to conviction and the desperate need for Christ's righteousness. He urges ministers to preach the law boldly to awaken sinners and points listeners to the hope and deliverance found only in Jesus Christ.
Full Transcript
Listen friends as I relate the following story to you as my message today is Entitled the Indian under the bed There is a story about a pioneer man who settled in Virginia And he was a Christian man who was kind to the local Indians He built a log cabin out in the woods for he and his young wife and one evening While he was very tired from felling trees and plowing an Indian came to the door of their log cabin and asked to stay there that night as it was snowing The Christian showed him that they just had the one room and one bed How could they take him in the Indian said I don't want to sleep in the bed I'll just sleep here by the fireplace in my blanket So we let him stay though He was especially concerned because his wife was going to have a baby Of course, he had his gun right at the head of the bed and he thought he would sleep with one eye open But the first thing he knew it was morning and bright sunlight He jumped up the gun was still there, but the Indian was gone Outside he saw the Indian who motioned him to come to the lean-to There he showed him a dead Indian Him bad, man, the Indian said pointing to the corpse He say he kill you last night. He under your bed You good man So I come wait till you both asleep because I know want to scare your wife I make him come out we fight I kill him now I relate that story to you friends because it is a wonderful illustration of a thing in my Bible in Romans chapter 7 and verse 9 The Apostle Paul speaks of the law of God as an Indian hiding under his bed For I was alive Without the law here Paul was Unaware of the cutthroat Hiding in his room. His sin was not yet exposed He was laying in his bed, so to speak wrapped in the blankets of his self-righteousness Completely unaware of his great danger of having to face the strict law of God In its glorious purity and absolute perfection Men carry good opinion of themselves because they logged their sins by their own reason in their own accountant book Compared to others.
They are not so bad as the Pharisee said of himself I am NOT as other men nor as this publican the Apostle Paul was a Zealous Jew Trained by the best teacher, but he could not see the scoundrel lurking under his bed Until he realized the purpose of God's law was to expose sin But when the commandment came sin revived and I died That's where a man sees himself as God sees him as he cries with Paul. Oh Wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from this body of this death? the burning lamp of the law Passed over him Shining its terrible pure light exposing all sins Which when this occurs it amazes the stoutest heart and strips men of all pride and self-righteousness Showing them their imperfections Against the strictness of God's law in its infinite exactness to where they become undone Broken before such a holy God crying. Is there any hope for a sinner like me? But when we hear Paul exclaim There is therefore now No condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus The Indian under the bed has been exposed and dealt with Turned over to a higher power to be slain and of Christ being you The body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness if more ministers would preach the law of God to their Congregations this would give the spirit of God room to work on an unconverted Individual by exposing the Indian under his bed And awakening him to his great danger of dying in his sins to face an eternity The exactness of God's pure law and if standing there in your own merits He'll be cast into the lake of fire Prepared for the devil and his angels Listen friend you cannot stand Against the severity of God's holy law Unless you stand in the merits of another The Lord Jesus Christ who became a curse bearing our sins on Calvary's bloody cross Let us pray
Sermon Outline
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I
- Story of the pioneer and the Indian under the bed
- Illustration of hidden sin and danger
- Connection to the law exposing sin
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II
- Paul's experience with the law in Romans 7
- Self-righteousness blinds men to sin
- The law reveals sin's true nature
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III
- The law's effect: conviction and brokenness
- The cry for deliverance from sin
- Hope found in Christ's righteousness
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IV
- The necessity of preaching the law
- Exposing sin to awaken sinners
- Standing in Christ's merits for salvation
Key Quotes
“The Apostle Paul speaks of the law of God as an Indian hiding under his bed.” — E.A. Johnston
“The burning lamp of the law passed over him, shining its terrible pure light exposing all sins.” — E.A. Johnston
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Examine your own heart for hidden sin that may be unnoticed without God's law.
- Allow the conviction of the law to lead you to repentance and reliance on Christ's righteousness.
- Encourage ministers and believers to preach and embrace the law as a means to awaken sinners.