Date: 28 May 2000.
Location: Xian Sheng’s house, Taman Melawati
Table of Contents
(A) Jesus never claimed to be GOD.
Xian Sheng highlighted the key point of Brother Law Boon Eng’s sermon: that Jesus never declared himself to be GOD or the CREATOR.
The Bible is filled with verses where Jesus stated that his words, works, and authority came from the Father.
Xian Sheng urged the followers to remember that Jesus said we are all children of God. He affirmed that those verses are not wrong. Xian Sheng further clarified that Jesus, himself, and every follower are children of GOD.
Nevertheless, Xian Sheng emphasised that their responsibilities—referring to Jesus and himself—differ from those of the rest of us.
Xian Sheng held up the Sunday Mail, the Sunday edition of the Malay Mail. It featured an opinion column publishing letters sent to the newspaper. He explained that someone had written an article expressing their belief that Jesus is not GOD. The author referenced specific verses in the Bible to support their argument.
(B) The Promise of Sleep
Xian Sheng read a book about sleep. He believes understanding sleep behaviour is a critical issue for us.
The authors of the book, “The Promise of Sleep” are two doctors: Dr William Dement and Christopher Vaughan.
Xian Sheng asked the followers to listen carefully as he would read aloud important extracts from the book. He clarified that what he was about to read were real events.
The authors described the side effects experienced by a woman who lacked sleep. In her groggy state, she placed her plates, cups, and dishes into the washing machine, added detergent, and turned it on. To emphasise the point, Xian Sheng imitated the sounds—”Plink! Plang! Plink! Plang!”—of the dishes shattering inside the washing machine.
Due to sleep deprivation, the woman made the mistake of putting her dishes into the washing machine instead of the dishwasher.
The doctors provided another example of a patient who exhibited compulsive behaviour, insisting on buying tickets to watch sporting events such as football. Regardless of circumstances, he felt compelled to purchase them. However, upon arriving at the football stadium, he slept through the entire match due to lack of sleep, only waking up after it ended.
The consequences of sleep deprivation can be quite dangerous, leading to mathematical errors, breaking objects, and heightened irritability towards family members, friends, and colleagues. Even minor issues can provoke anger in those who are sleep-deprived.
There are many instances where lack of sleep has resulted in fatalities, particularly in car accidents. Drivers may fall asleep at the wheel, leading to their own deaths through negligence—but tragically, they caused death to others.
At the Sleep Research Center at Stanford University in the USA, Dr. William Dement conducted a two-week short-term study in 1974 to simulate a person driving under extreme sleep deprivation, observing its effects on cognition and perception. He discovered that the subject could fall asleep with their eyes open, even while driving. The researchers used plasters to keep a young man’s eyelids open and exposed him to a very bright strobe light only six inches away from his eyes flashing irregularly an average of six seconds. He was required to press a tiny switch taped to his index fingers whenever he sees the flash. He failed to press the switch once during the study. (The Promise of Sleep, p.14)
Although the young man’s eyes were wide open, he had fallen asleep for 2 seconds. This phenomenon is known as microsleep—a brief, involuntary lapse into sleep lasting a few seconds, during which a person appears awake with their eyes open but is functionally unconscious and unresponsive.
The doctors highlighted the dangers of microsleep while driving. A person experiencing it might swerve into the opposite lane, and even if oncoming vehicles flash their headlights frantically, the driver would remain unaware. In just two seconds, a fatal accident could occur.
After such an accident, the other driver might claim they flashed their headlights, but the sleep-deprived driver failed to notice. In reality, the driver had fallen asleep—it was not a case of simply missing the warning signals.
Returning to the sleep deprivation study, when asked why the young man did not press the switch, he replied that there was no flash.
Thus, the study underscored the dangers of microsleep, demonstrating how a person can naturally fall asleep with their eyes open without even realising it.
(C) You owe a “sleep debt” if you sleep less than 8 hours a day.
According to Dr William Dement, humans generally require one hour of sleep for every two hours of wakefulness—whether working or simply being awake. Based on this calculation, an adult needs a minimum of 8 hours of sleep, while children require 10 hours.
Dr William Dement explains that the brain “remembers” and responds to the lack of sleep, particularly through the concept of sleep debt, similar to a monetary debt owed to a loan shark. Xian Sheng emphasised that sleep can indeed be owed like a financial debt.
The brain tracks and records the amount of sleep lost. If a person accumulates a sleep debt, they must eventually repay the deficit.
Xian Sheng raised the question of how one might repay this sleep debt. For instance, if a person sleeps only 7 hours instead of the recommended 8, they incur a 1-hour sleep debt. As a result, they would feel drowsy throughout the day. However, with sufficient sleep, they would not experience such sleepiness.
How does one settle accumulated sleep debt? During a five-day workweek, if a person sleeps only 6 hours each night instead of the required 8, they build up a 10-hour sleep debt (5 days × 2 hours). Even if they sleep the full 8 hours on Saturday, the debt remains, demanding full repayment. This is why people still feel sleepy while driving. (The Promise of Sleep, pp. 60–61).
Xian Sheng provided a monetary analogy: If you owe me 10 dollars, repay me only 5 dollars, you still owe me 5 dollars. He then asked: If a person sleeps an extra 5 hours on Saturday, have they fully repaid their sleep debt? Xian Sheng replied No, as they would still owe 5 hours. This is why they would continue feeling sleepy—the sleep ledger remains unbalanced.
If we believe we can repay an entire week’s sleep debt in a single day, we are mistaken. The 10-hour deficit must be gradually repaid over several days. Failure to do so means the mind records it as what the book terms the mortgaged mind.
Sleep research has helped Xian Sheng understand why Brother Tan An Bin suffers from pathological sleepiness or hypersomnia while driving. The reason Brother Tan still feels drowsy, despite sufficient sleep the previous night, is simple: he has not fully settled his sleep ledger.
The best way to repay a single day’s sleep debt is to settle it immediately. Similarly, if we owe a monetary debt, the ideal approach is to clear it immediately without delay.
Therefore, if we incur a sleep debt, we must repay it promptly. For example, if we sleep only 7 hours instead of 8, we should sleep 9 hours the following night. Xian Sheng stressed that we must not delay, as accumulated sleep debt leads to pathological sleepiness while driving—proof that the debt remains unpaid. This understanding is crucial.
Nevertheless, humans possess a peculiar mechanism, a biotechnology in the body that regulates sleep. Although we may intend to repay a sleep debt by sleeping an extra 2 hours, our circadian rhythm—an internal body clock—will wake us at our usual time, say 6 am, even if we wish to sleep longer. There are however exceptions. Xian Sheng shared a personal experience: after watching an engaging movie at night, he fell asleep due to eye fatigue and overslept the next morning.
(D) Xian Sheng wakes up at 6 am to pray to the CREATOR.
Xian Sheng mentioned that this morning, he woke up early at 6 am, prayed to the CREATOR, and then exercised.
He became so absorbed in his exercise that he forgot about the Sunday meditation until someone knocked on his door to remind him. He instructed the followers to proceed with their morning meditation on the garden lawn at the back, while he would meditate upstairs in his house.
He reiterated that he was so engrossed in his exercise that he had entirely forgotten about the morning meditation. He explained that if someone is hyperfocused on one thing, they may overlook another.
(E) The two times you are most alert in a day.
Xian Sheng reminded everyone that they must get a full night’s sleep to recover, but they should also try to settle their sleep debt as soon as possible.
However, it is not easy for everyone to repay their sleep debt, as they would automatically wake up at their usual time.
According to studies, a normal person’s internal clock has two waves of alertness per day, peaking at 9 am and 9 pm, when the body is in its most alert state.
Xian Sheng asked the followers to recall whether they feel most alert during those times. While we may not have researched this matter ourselves, Dr. William has confirmed that 9 am and 9 pm are the peak hours when a person’s body is generally most alert.
Conversely, 3 pm is the time when most people’s alertness is at its lowest. Xian Sheng reiterated the two waves of our biological clock. (The Promise of Sleep, p. 83)
(F) You’ll get sick if you lack sleep.
Some people rely on an alarm clock to wake up, as without it, they would struggle to rise on time.
Take university students, for example. Despite suffering fatigue in the afternoon or late evening due to lack of sleep, they push through by entering a state of mental arousal—heightened alertness—fuelled by the pressure of keeping up with their studies. Xian Sheng pointed out that students frequently get only a few hours of sleep each night, between studying, completing assignments and preparing for exams. Many rely on alarms to rouse them as early as 4 or 5 am for extra study time. Xian Sheng then posed a crucial question: What happens when sleep debt keeps piling up? How can they ever repay it?
The body’s natural way of dealing with sleep debt is to make us ill. When we become sick, our body naturally demands more sleep – sometimes as much as 18 hours without waking. If we keep ignoring our need for sleep, eventually we will get sick. This is simply our body’s method of forcing us to repay our sleep debt. Xian Sheng then asked the followers if any of them had ever become ill from not getting enough sleep.
Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system, leaving the body no option but to fall ill. Once sickness takes hold, there’s no alternative but to sleep it off. When patients visit doctors hoping for a speedy recovery, they’re often prescribed drowsiness-inducing medication, ensuring the patient gets more sleep to quickly recover from illness.
(G) Sleep deprivation leads to an early grave.
Dr William mentioned that over time, our brains can forget the exact amount of sleep debt accumulated from chronic sleep deprivation. Xian Sheng clarified this with an analogy: just as creditors might forget the total monetary debt owed after partial repayments over a long time, the same can happen with sleep debt.
However, long-term accumulation of sleep debt inevitably damages health. Those who persistently ignore their body’s need for sleep will eventually develop various illnesses.
In the 1950s, the American Cancer Society conducted a massive study involving over one million Americans across all counties and parishes in the United States. The goal was to understand the factors that predict mortality, including lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise, smoking, and sleep. (The Promise of Sleep, pp. 260-261)
The key finding showed a strong correlation between sleep deprivation and increased mortality rates. Xian Sheng illustrated this by stating that individuals who consistently sleep fewer than seven hours nightly may shorten their lifespan by nearly six years. He remarked wryly that if anyone wishes to die sooner, they need only reduce their nightly sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation compromises immune function, ultimately leading to a shorter life.
Xian Sheng re-emphasised that this six-year study of one million Americans demonstrated that those maintaining eight hours of nightly sleep enjoyed longer lifespans, while chronic under-sleepers consistently showed reduced longevity.
Repeating his point in English, Xian Sheng concluded that people who habitually sleep fewer than eight hours per day over extended periods may shorten their lifespan by up to six years.
(H) Excessive sleeping also leads to an early grave.
The six-year study of one million Americans concluded that those who slept more than 10 hours or longer would also die prematurely.
The study reveals that we should avoid excessive sleep (hypersomnia)—defined as sleeping over 10 hours daily—as it increases the risk of early death.
Since both insufficient sleep and excessive sleep are linked to higher mortality, we should aim for the optimal duration of eight hours, which demonstrates the lowest mortality rate and promotes longevity.
Xian Sheng emphasised that we should neither oversleep nor undersleep, but instead strive for the right amount of sleep. He found it peculiar that experiments were being conducted on people’s sleeping habits.
(I) Sleep deprivation affects moods and vitality.
Xian Sheng referenced another comprehensive study on partial sleep deprivation conducted by David Dinges and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania. Volunteers who slept only four and a half hours per night experienced impaired cognitive skills, including diminished attention, memory, problem-solving, reasoning, perception, communication, and executive functions such as planning, organising, prioritising, and multitasking (The Promise of Sleep, pp. 273–274).
Sleep deprivation also reduces physical performance, as individuals lack the energy to carry out daily routines.
The experiments conclusively demonstrated that those who get less than a full night’s sleep feel significantly less happy, experience greater mental stress, suffer from increased physical frailty, and are mentally and physically exhausted as a result.
Xian Sheng clarified that he was referring specifically to those with accumulated sleep debt, not just occasional sleep deprivation. He added that research suggests reducing sleep debt can lead to improved well-being, greater happiness, and enhanced vigour and vitality.
(J) Sleep 8 hours plus an additional 10-15 minutes to repay sleep debt.
In 1998, Tom Roth and his team at the Henry Ford Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Centre and research lab in Detroit conducted a study involving a group of people and found that most of them still feel sleepy in the morning despite having slept for 8 hours. They did not feel refreshed. (The Promise of Sleep, p. 65)
When their daytime alertness was tested the next day, more than 80 percent actually were not optimally alert, as shown by low MSLT scores. Only 1 in 10 were actually at peak alertness.
Some people consistently feel sleepy even after a full 8-hour night’s sleep due to accumulated sleep debt.
Therefore, the most effective way to recover from sleep debt is to practise sleep-smart. The author outlines a comprehensive and personalised approach to sleep smart, which involves sleeping 8 hours nightly while monitoring whether we still feel sleepy during the day, while driving or after lunch.
Xian Sheng admitted that he often feels sleepy in the afternoon after lunch. However, when he skips lunch, the drowsiness does not occur. He asked for a show of hands to see how many others experience similar sleepiness after their midday meal. Apparently, this is quite common.
If we discover that we are getting 8 hours of sleep per night but still feel sleepy during the day, we should add 10–15 minutes to our sleep duration to assess whether alertness improves.
Xian Sheng urges the followers to adopt this sleep-smart approach by taking personal note of daytime sleepiness and adjusting sleep time accordingly. Before going to bed, we should set the alarm for 8 hours and 10–15 minutes.
Xian Sheng advised that it is better to sleep early the night before than to wake up late the next day. He outlined the two options: sleeping early and waking early versus sleeping late and waking late.
Xian Sheng reiterated that if we have accumulated sleep debt based on personal records and experience daytime drowsiness, it is more beneficial to repay the debt by sleeping early rather than sleeping late and waking late, while maintaining a total sleep duration of 8 hours plus the additional 10–15 minutes. These are the conclusions drawn from the studies conducted.
(K) Night Ghost.
Some people are naturally unable to sleep at night. They are referred to as “night person”. The Chinese also have a term, “夜鬼” or “Night Ghost”, to describe those who stay awake at night.
Xian Sheng expressed his view that children who are studying should go to bed by 10 pm. However, he noted that 10 pm to 7 am only allows for nine hours of sleep. After performing a manual calculation, he stated that the ideal bedtime for children should be 9 pm, as this would provide the recommended ten hours of sleep, as advised by Dr William.
Yet, when parents instruct their children to sleep by 9 pm, the children complain that they will not be able to watch any TV shows. Xian Sheng remarked that television has spoiled children.
Some children argue that their preferred Chinese drama airs from 9 pm to 10 pm, while others insist on watching wrestling, particularly WrestleMania, which begins at 11 pm. Xian Sheng commented that he, too, enjoys watching WrestleMania.
Occasionally, Xian Sheng stays up as late as 2 am to watch programmes such as those on the Discovery Channel.
(L) Sleep 1 Hour for 2 Hours of Wakefulness.
Regardless of circumstances, Xian Sheng stated that a person should ideally get eight hours of sleep daily, no matter how they achieve it. Without sufficient sleep, he argued, everything else becomes irrelevant.
He joked that those who wish to live a short life should sleep less, but if they desire to live a long life, they should sleep sufficiently. His underlying message was clear: we should sleep early rather than late.
Xian Sheng warned that accumulated sleep debt cannot simply be repaid by oversleeping the next day. He explained that if someone owed five hours of sleep, they would need to sleep nine hours consecutively for the next five days to fully recover. Only then could they return to a regular eight-hour sleep schedule.
Repaying sleep debt is not as simple as sleeping extra hours in one night—it cannot be resolved in a single day. Even after compensating for lost sleep by sleeping extra-long hours, they would still feel drowsy the following day. He asked whether others had experienced grogginess after sleeping in, admitting that he himself would wake with a heavy head if he slept late into the morning.
The reason, he noted, is that continuing to sleep after sunrise can lead to mild headaches, whereas waking before sunrise avoids this discomfort.
Xian Sheng concluded by emphasising the importance of proper sleep habits, referencing insights from The Promise of Sleep. He urged adherence to its recommendations, as they were based on a six-year study involving one million participants. The book highlights how crucial sleep is for health and longevity.
To live a long life, he advised against extremes—sleeping more than ten hours or too little—as both shorten lifespan. The optimal duration, supported by the study, is eight hours.
He expressed gratitude to the American researchers behind this work, noting that without such studies, misconceptions would persist, such as the belief that oversleeping is beneficial. In reality, excessive sleep leads to negative outcomes, as a balance between wakefulness, exercise, and work is essential.
Ideally, we should sleep one hour for every two hours awake, which is why eight hours of sleep per day is necessary.
Key verses from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) where Jesus states or implies that he acts on behalf of his Father, organised by Gospel:
Matthew
Matthew 10:40: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”
Matthew 11:27: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Matthew 15:13: “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.”
Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.”
Matthew 20:23: “To sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
Matthew 26:39: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”
Mark
Mark 8:38: “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 9:37: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 13:32: “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Mark 14:36: “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet not what I want, but what you want.”
Luke
Luke 4:43: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”
Luke 9:26: “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Luke 10:16: “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Luke 10:22: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Luke 22:29: “And I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom.”
Luke 22:42: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.”
John
John 4:34: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”
John 5:19: “The Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.”
John 5:30: “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
John 6:38: “For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
John 7:16: “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.”
John 8:28-29: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.”
John 10:32: “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?”
John 12:49-50: “I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.”
John 14:10: “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”
John 17:8: “The words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.”
The verses from the four Gospels that mention “children of God” or “children of your/my Father”:
Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Matthew 5:45: “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
John 1:12: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Luke 6:35-36: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
John 11:51-52: “He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also to gather together and unite the children of God scattered around the world.”