0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible radio
0:09 featuring best-selling author and
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher
0:14 Warren where's being now we join our
0:16 hearts in prayer as we open the Word of
0:20 God father it is indeed with reverence
0:23 that we come to your word realizing that
0:25 it is not the word of man it is in truth
0:29 the Word of God help us to receive it as
0:31 the Word of God and then to appropriate
0:33 it to make it a part of our lives and
0:37 then to apply it to our everyday life as
0:40 we study now may the word encourage us
0:43 and give us the guidance that we need I
0:45 pray in the name of our Lord Jesus
0:50 Christ amen during these difficult days
0:52 if we're going to serve the Lord we need
0:56 the toughness of the athlete in first
0:59 Timothy chapter 4 paul writes to young
1:02 Timothy and tells him how to be a tough
1:04 minister how to keep on going when the
1:07 going is tough first Timothy chapter 4
1:12 verse 7 but reject profane and old wives
1:14 fables be careful what you eat
1:17 intellectually and spiritually and
1:19 exercise yourself rather to godliness
1:23 for bodily exercise profits a little but
1:26 godliness is profitable for all things
1:29 having promise of the life that now is
1:32 and of that which is to come he says
1:33 Timothy if you ought to be a tough
1:37 athlete who you exercise we need
1:40 spiritual disciplines today without
1:42 spiritual discipline I fear we're not
1:45 going to get much done if we would put
1:49 into our ministerial work the same kind
1:52 of discipline and devotion and
1:55 determination that athletes put into
1:57 their work we would all have better
1:59 churches and we'd all be better pastors
2:03 the discipline of sleep and getting up
2:04 in the morning the discipline of
2:07 spiritual exercise the discipline of
2:09 keeping the rules it's rather
2:12 interesting what Paul wrote to Timothy
2:18 in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5
2:20 but look at this verse in your New
2:23 Testament 2nd Timothy 2:5 and also if
2:26 anyone competes in athletics he is not
2:29 crowned unless he competes according to
2:32 the rules and the rules are given to us
2:33 in the Word of God we need the toughness
2:36 of the athlete secondly we need the
2:41 trustworthiness of the steward in verses
2:43 3 through 6 he talks about his
2:45 stewardship first he says our
2:48 exhortation our message did not come
2:49 from deceit
2:52 now there's the message or uncleanness
2:56 there's the motive nor was it in guile
3:00 there is the method a steward must be
3:05 faithful in his motives his message and
3:08 his method that's 1st Thessalonians
3:12 chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 we need the
3:15 trustworthiness of the steward that's
3:18 verses 3 through 6 and now verses 7
3:22 through 12 we need the tenderness of the
3:25 parent in verse 7 Paul writes but we
3:28 were gentle among you just as a nursing
3:31 mother cherishes her own children and
3:36 then down in verse 11 as you know how we
3:39 exhorted and comforted and charged every
3:42 one of you as a father does his own
3:45 children so here we have the Apostle
3:48 Paul comparing ministry to the work of a
3:50 mother and a father and the key thought
3:54 here is that of tenderness and affection
3:56 you see the athlete is interested in
3:58 winning the prize he's out there on the
4:02 racetrack he's running and we've got to
4:05 obey the rules and we've got to stay in
4:08 the lane God assigns to us we need the
4:11 toughness of the athlete just to keep
4:14 ongoing ministry is not easy ministry is difficult
4:15 difficult
4:18 I have pastored three churches I have
4:20 ministered on mission fields though I
4:23 myself have not served as a foreign
4:26 missionary I have sat on mission boards
4:30 ministry is tough I've taught Sunday
4:31 School classes
4:33 have been involved in radio ministry and
4:35 writing ministry and itinerant ministry
4:39 and ministry stuff we need the toughness
4:41 of an athlete to keep on going the
4:44 trustworthiness of the steward but we
4:46 also need the tenderness of the parent
4:50 an athlete can be cold and detached a
4:53 steward can be so wrapped up in pleasing
4:57 his master that he forgets he's working
5:00 with people we have to be have the
5:02 tenderness of the parent now he talks
5:05 about the mother in first Thessalonians
5:08 2 7 and 8 and he's talking here about
5:10 the motherhood of God and the motherhood
5:14 of ministry this is not to deny the
5:16 Fatherhood of God this is not to deny
5:19 that Paul said I was among you as a
5:22 spiritual father rather there's a
5:25 balance here God has ordained that
5:27 babies come into the world through
5:30 mothers and fathers they come into
5:33 families where there are loving parents
5:35 to receive the baby and then to nurture
5:38 the baby and so it is with God's people
5:42 we're born again into the family of God
5:45 and the local church is God's nursery
5:49 for receiving the the babies and helping
5:53 them to be nurtured and to grow up I
5:56 want to say that I appreciate and thank
5:59 God for faithful pastors and faithful
6:01 local churches this is the day when a
6:04 lot of people are criticizing the local
6:06 church somebody is always starting a new
6:08 ministry because the local church is not
6:11 doing its job well there are many local
6:13 churches that are doing their job they
6:15 would do a better job if people would
6:17 cooperate more with each other with the
6:19 pastoral leadership and do what the
6:22 Bible tells us to do but when I was a
6:25 young Christian I was a part of the
6:27 local church where people prayed for me
6:30 they disciplined me they encouraged me
6:33 they gave me opportunities I recall the
6:35 first Sunday I stood up in front of a
6:38 congregation and read scripture publicly
6:41 I was frightened but it did me good one
6:43 of the men in the church said all right
6:44 you're a Christian and you planned to be
6:45 a preacher
6:48 you better get started reading the Word
6:50 of God publicly I remember the first
6:53 time I had to pray publicly in a service
6:55 and then the first time I preached all
6:58 of these memories flood back into my
7:01 mind going to the rescue mission under
7:03 the authority of the local church and
7:05 preaching the gospel standing out on
7:07 street corners preaching the Word of God
7:10 what an encouragement the local church
7:11 was to me
7:15 we need the tenderness of the parent
7:17 it's rather interesting in verses 7 and
7:19 8 he compares himself to a nursing
7:22 mother but we were gentle among you just
7:25 as a nursing mother cherishes her own
7:28 children imagine Paul the great Apostle
7:31 Paul comparing himself to a nursing
7:34 mother here we have now the motherhood
7:36 of God and the motherhood of the
7:38 ministry was Paul saying he was a
7:40 weakling of course not he was showing
7:44 his strength we were gentle among you
7:48 gentleness takes strength anybody can
7:51 knock something down it takes gentleness
7:54 to work with living material and to help
7:58 that living child of God grow in the
8:01 Lord were gentle among you you'll notice
8:02 in the New Testament there is an
8:06 emphasis on gentleness the servant of
8:09 the Lord must not strive but be gentle
8:12 to all people gentleness the fruit of
8:15 the Spirit is gentleness we ought to
8:18 have the gentleness of the mother as
8:22 well as the the exhortation and the
8:24 encouragement of the father we were
8:27 gentle among you just as a nursing
8:29 mother cherishes her own children this
8:30 is an interesting picture
8:33 he says the pastor is like a nursing
8:37 mother what does this mean it means this
8:41 just as the mother eats food and she
8:43 turns that food into milk and then she
8:47 nurses the baby imparting her own life
8:50 to that baby so the pastor feeds on the
8:54 Word of God and he grows and he is
8:57 nurtured by the Word of God and then
9:01 imparts that spiritual milk to others
9:04 and that others might be able to grow
9:07 I'm being rather autobiographical today
9:10 but I know my life better than I know
9:12 somebody else's life I recall shortly
9:14 after I was saved a group of people in
9:19 our area started a home Bible study I
9:21 meet people who say oh we have a new
9:23 thing in our church home Bible study we
9:27 had that 40 years ago home Bible study
9:29 and this man who was a good teacher of
9:30 the Word of God
9:33 oh he was a fine dedicated teacher was
9:34 teaching the book of Hebrews could you
9:36 imagine being a young Christian a
9:39 teenager and your first spiritual diet
9:42 is the book of Hebrews I didn't
9:43 understand all that was going on but I
9:45 got enough out of it to be encouraged
9:48 and to get an appetite for Bible study
9:51 and I praise God for those who were
9:56 gentle with me who imparted their very
9:59 lives to me and shared the Word of God
10:02 now let me say a word to preachers and
10:05 teachers and missionaries you can't give
10:08 to others what you don't have yourself
10:13 the nursing mother has to be there with
10:16 the baby in her arms holding that baby
10:18 close to her heart
10:22 oh what a picture of preaching now you
10:25 don't get on a roller coaster with the
10:29 baby and try to nurse the baby because
10:31 the baby has to be held with gentleness
10:33 and confidence
10:35 I fear there have been times in my
10:38 pastoral ministry when I've gotten into
10:40 the pulpit and I was not gentle I know
10:42 there are times we have to discipline
10:45 but even that must be done with love and
10:49 tenderness I was not always gentle I did
10:52 not always show affection notice verse 8
10:56 so affectionately longing for you we
10:58 were well pleased to impart to you not
11:02 only the gospel that's evangelism but
11:05 also our own lives that's edification
11:08 that's building people up because you
11:10 had become dear to us
11:15 was here emulating his Lord now I can't
11:18 think of a more tender picture of
11:20 preaching and teaching than this one
11:23 there are people out there who need to
11:25 be just lifted up gently and held close
11:27 to your heart and they need to be
11:30 encouraged and I need to impart my own
11:34 life Oh a message is not just an outline
11:37 it's not just a lot of material on paper
11:44 it has to come from our lives now I
11:47 can't think of a more tender picture of
11:49 preaching and teaching than this one
11:52 there are people out there who need to
11:55 be just lifted up gently and held close
11:57 to your heart and they need to be
12:00 encouraged and I need to impart my own
12:04 life Oh a message is not just an outline
12:06 it's not just a lot of material on paper
12:12 it has to come from our lives far too
12:14 much preaching and teaching his second
12:19 hand look in your Bible at Isaiah 49 and
12:25 verse 15 Isaiah 49 15 here's what it
12:29 says God is speaking can a woman forget
12:33 her nursing child and not have
12:37 compassion on the son of her womb surely
12:40 they may forget yet I will not forget
12:43 you God is comparing himself to a
12:47 nursing mother and this nursing mother
12:50 says how can I forget my child I carried
12:53 that child in my womb I delivered that
12:56 child now I am nursing that child I'm
12:59 imparting to that child a very part of
13:03 my life and that child is depending upon
13:07 me this is God God takes his children
13:10 whom he has begotten through the gospel
13:12 God takes his children holds his
13:15 children close to his heart this is the
13:18 motherhood of God this is God in His
13:21 gentleness and God in His compassion
13:24 saying I will not
13:28 forget you how can I ever forget my own children
13:30 children
13:34 in fact in Isaiah 49 16 he says see I
13:37 have inscribed you on the palms of my
13:39 hands I don't just have a birth
13:42 certificate in the strongbox down at the
13:45 bank I have written you on the palms of
13:47 my hands that reminds me of my Lord
13:50 Jesus he says you are wondering do I
13:53 love you do I want to care for you look
13:57 at my hands wounded for you oh the love
14:01 of the Father look at Isaiah chapter 66
14:08 verse 13 Isaiah 66 13 as one whom his
14:11 mother comforts so I will comfort you
14:14 and you shall be comforted
14:18 in Jerusalem the comfort of the mother
14:21 all of us can recall when we were just
14:24 little youngsters getting hurt we fell
14:27 off the bicycle or we did something we
14:29 shouldn't do and we come running in and
14:31 we're crying and who is there to help us
14:34 mother not always that way today but
14:37 that's the way it was thank God when I
14:40 grew up mother was there to to wash the
14:43 wounds and to hug you and to say well
14:46 maybe it's time to have some cocoa and
14:49 cookies the comfort of the mother our
14:52 Father in heaven is not ashamed of his
14:56 motherhood he is like a mother who
14:59 consoles us and comforts us and this is
15:02 what Paul did Paul took these dear
15:05 children spiritual children whom he
15:09 loved so much and he held them to his
15:13 heart and he imparted to them the very
15:17 life that God had given to him now
15:19 that's not an easy job
15:22 anyone who has raised children knows
15:24 that raising children is not an easy job
15:27 nor is it an easy job to raise spiritual
15:30 children I can recall in the churches
15:32 I've pastored oh my there were days I
15:35 felt just like Moses did you ever notice
15:37 Moses in numbers
15:41 after 11 the people were complaining
15:43 they wanted something to eat they were
15:47 sick of the manna all Moses heard was
15:51 complaining and weeping and what does
15:56 Moses do well verse 10 of Numbers 11 a
16:00 very human thing here now Moses heard
16:01 the people weeping throughout their
16:04 families everyone at the door of his
16:05 tent and the anger of the Lord was
16:08 greatly aroused and Moses also was
16:11 displeased you know sometimes we as the
16:14 people of God bring real heartache to
16:17 our spiritual leaders I have wept over
16:20 people there are things you can't talk
16:22 about you go to church and you smile and
16:24 you pray and you preach with oh there
16:25 are people there just breaking your
16:27 heart I wonder today are you breaking
16:29 your pastors heart
16:32 are you breaking your elders hearts your
16:34 Sunday school teacher or maybe your
16:36 parents I don't know your grandparents
16:39 if they knew what was going on in your
16:41 life would they be heartbroken here's
16:45 Moses Moses says to the Lord in numbers
16:49 chapter 11 verse 11 why have you
16:53 afflicted your servant why have I not
16:55 found favor in your sight that you have
17:01 laid the burden of all these people on
17:06 me did I conceive all these people did I
17:09 beget them that you should say to me
17:12 carry them in your bosom as a guardian
17:15 carries a nursing child to the land
17:17 which you swore to their fathers
17:19 he said am I supposed to be a nursing
17:22 mother to all these Jewish people who
17:24 are so critical and they're there
17:26 attacking me and God says yes that's
17:30 what your job is Moses I confess there
17:32 have been times when I have said Lord if
17:35 you love me you take this burden off of me
17:36 me
17:39 now children are a blessing we've had
17:41 the joy of raising four children they
17:43 are a blessing the grandchildren are a
17:46 blessing but anything that can be a
17:48 blessing can be a burden any human being
17:51 in your life who brings joy can bring
17:54 are oh and sometimes parents and
17:57 grandparents have heavy hearts because
18:00 of the way people live and here is Moses
18:03 saying I didn't beget all these children
18:06 why should I carry them in my bosom I am
18:09 NOT able God said oh I'll give you some
18:12 help and God gave him seven the elders
18:15 to help him in his ministry well maybe
18:18 some preacher right now is feeling like
18:20 that you're ready to quit you say I've
18:21 got folks on the church and they're like
18:23 little children they fight with each
18:25 other and they argue with each other
18:28 well Paul had that experience 1st
18:32 Corinthians chapter 3 in 1st Corinthians
18:33 3 Paul tells him you're a bunch of
18:36 babies you're babes in Christ I have fed
18:39 you with milk I want to give you solid
18:42 food but I can't do it your carnal
18:45 there's strife and envying divisions one
18:48 says I'm for Paul I'm for a policy you
18:50 see what the problem is here in the
18:52 Corinthian church the church was divided
18:55 one group was for Paul and one was for a
18:58 palace and one was for Peter they had
19:01 not been weaned away all they were so
19:04 utterly dependent upon preachers I am
19:08 shocked to see how many of God's people
19:12 today are so dependent upon preachers
19:15 they can't feed themselves they can't
19:17 wash themselves they can't clothe
19:19 themselves they don't know how to
19:21 discipline themselves oh it's such a
19:24 hard Hank and Paul is weeping here and
19:28 he says why don't you people grow up who
19:30 is Paul he's just a servant who's a
19:33 palace he's just another servant we're
19:36 all just the servants of God why don't
19:40 you get weaned away from your spiritual
19:43 childhood and grow up I suppose the most
19:46 difficult thing in all of ministries
19:48 weaning people away
19:51 they depend so much on the preacher on
19:53 the Sunday school teacher I recall when
19:55 I had resigned from one of the churches
19:58 I pastored the Lord had led us to do
20:01 that and one of the ladies came and I
20:03 appreciated her she's a dear precious
20:04 soul but
20:07 she said all what am I going to do
20:10 without you I depend upon you so much
20:11 and my answer was well you're going to
20:14 find out and the sooner you find out the
20:16 better you can't build your spiritual
20:18 life on the preacher not even a radio
20:21 preacher you can't build your spiritual
20:23 life on a Sunday school teacher you've
20:26 got to be weaned away and then go out
20:29 and help other people to grow how
20:32 important it is that we grow in the
20:34 Christian life yes the church is a
20:37 nursery but it's a nursery where people
20:39 should grow up it's not a place to be
20:42 coddled it's a place to be matured the
20:45 church is not a nursery where we feed
20:47 people easily and burp them and
20:50 entertain them and protect them and they
20:52 never grow up
20:55 alas we have far too many people today
20:57 who don't know how to feed themselves
21:00 from the Word of God all they can do is
21:04 come and nurse and take in the milk of
21:08 the word and how we need to grow in the
21:12 Lord well our God is a nursing mother he
21:16 cherishes us and he nourishes us and we
21:20 as God's servants our nursing mothers
21:22 one of our responsibilities is to take
21:25 the children of God and hold them close
21:28 to our heart and nurture them and help
21:30 them to grow up and then when the right
21:34 time comes to wean them away so that
21:38 they are not weak little babies living
21:42 on milk are you giving your spiritual
21:46 parents joy today I hope that you are
21:50 well let's pray together father we
21:52 realize that as stewards we must be
21:55 found faithful and we realize too that
21:56 one day we're gonna have to give an
22:00 account oh I pray you'll help us to be
22:04 able to give a good account when we
22:06 stand at the judgment seat of Christ
22:09 help us to be faithful even today in
22:13 sharing the gospel with others in buying
22:17 up every opportunity using our spiritual
22:21 gifts I pray in the name of our Lord
22:24 Jesus Christ amen
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