Hang tight while we fetch the video data and transcripts. This only takes a moment.
Connecting to YouTube player…
Fetching transcript data…
We’ll display the transcript, summary, and all view options as soon as everything loads.
Next steps
Loading transcript tools…
Warren Wiersbe - Leaving the Nursery - 5 of 20 | Back to the Bible | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Warren Wiersbe - Leaving the Nursery - 5 of 20
Skip watching entire videos - get the full transcript, search for keywords, and copy with one click.
Share:
Video Transcript
Video Summary
Summary
Core Theme
The message emphasizes that effective ministry and Christian living require a blend of the toughness of an athlete, the trustworthiness of a steward, and the tenderness of a parent, all rooted in a deep personal connection with God's Word and a commitment to spiritual growth.
[Music]
welcome to back to the Bible radio
featuring best-selling author and
internationally known Bible teacher
Warren where's being now we join our
hearts in prayer as we open the Word of
God father it is indeed with reverence
that we come to your word realizing that
it is not the word of man it is in truth
the Word of God help us to receive it as
the Word of God and then to appropriate
it to make it a part of our lives and
then to apply it to our everyday life as
we study now may the word encourage us
and give us the guidance that we need I
pray in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ amen during these difficult days
if we're going to serve the Lord we need
the toughness of the athlete in first
Timothy chapter 4 paul writes to young
Timothy and tells him how to be a tough
minister how to keep on going when the
going is tough first Timothy chapter 4
verse 7 but reject profane and old wives
fables be careful what you eat
intellectually and spiritually and
exercise yourself rather to godliness
for bodily exercise profits a little but
godliness is profitable for all things
having promise of the life that now is
and of that which is to come he says
Timothy if you ought to be a tough
athlete who you exercise we need
spiritual disciplines today without
spiritual discipline I fear we're not
going to get much done if we would put
into our ministerial work the same kind
of discipline and devotion and
determination that athletes put into
their work we would all have better
churches and we'd all be better pastors
the discipline of sleep and getting up
in the morning the discipline of
spiritual exercise the discipline of
keeping the rules it's rather
interesting what Paul wrote to Timothy
in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5
but look at this verse in your New
Testament 2nd Timothy 2:5 and also if
anyone competes in athletics he is not
crowned unless he competes according to
the rules and the rules are given to us
in the Word of God we need the toughness
of the athlete secondly we need the
trustworthiness of the steward in verses
3 through 6 he talks about his
stewardship first he says our
exhortation our message did not come
from deceit
now there's the message or uncleanness
there's the motive nor was it in guile
there is the method a steward must be
faithful in his motives his message and
his method that's 1st Thessalonians
chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 we need the
trustworthiness of the steward that's
verses 3 through 6 and now verses 7
through 12 we need the tenderness of the
parent in verse 7 Paul writes but we
were gentle among you just as a nursing
mother cherishes her own children and
then down in verse 11 as you know how we
exhorted and comforted and charged every
one of you as a father does his own
children so here we have the Apostle
Paul comparing ministry to the work of a
mother and a father and the key thought
here is that of tenderness and affection
you see the athlete is interested in
winning the prize he's out there on the
racetrack he's running and we've got to
obey the rules and we've got to stay in
the lane God assigns to us we need the
toughness of the athlete just to keep
ongoing ministry is not easy ministry is difficult
difficult
I have pastored three churches I have
ministered on mission fields though I
myself have not served as a foreign
missionary I have sat on mission boards
ministry is tough I've taught Sunday
School classes
have been involved in radio ministry and
writing ministry and itinerant ministry
and ministry stuff we need the toughness
of an athlete to keep on going the
trustworthiness of the steward but we
also need the tenderness of the parent
an athlete can be cold and detached a
steward can be so wrapped up in pleasing
his master that he forgets he's working
with people we have to be have the
tenderness of the parent now he talks
about the mother in first Thessalonians
2 7 and 8 and he's talking here about
the motherhood of God and the motherhood
of ministry this is not to deny the
Fatherhood of God this is not to deny
that Paul said I was among you as a
spiritual father rather there's a
balance here God has ordained that
babies come into the world through
mothers and fathers they come into
families where there are loving parents
to receive the baby and then to nurture
the baby and so it is with God's people
we're born again into the family of God
and the local church is God's nursery
for receiving the the babies and helping
them to be nurtured and to grow up I
want to say that I appreciate and thank
God for faithful pastors and faithful
local churches this is the day when a
lot of people are criticizing the local
church somebody is always starting a new
ministry because the local church is not
doing its job well there are many local
churches that are doing their job they
would do a better job if people would
cooperate more with each other with the
pastoral leadership and do what the
Bible tells us to do but when I was a
young Christian I was a part of the
local church where people prayed for me
they disciplined me they encouraged me
they gave me opportunities I recall the
first Sunday I stood up in front of a
congregation and read scripture publicly
I was frightened but it did me good one
of the men in the church said all right
you're a Christian and you planned to be
a preacher
you better get started reading the Word
of God publicly I remember the first
time I had to pray publicly in a service
and then the first time I preached all
of these memories flood back into my
mind going to the rescue mission under
the authority of the local church and
preaching the gospel standing out on
street corners preaching the Word of God
what an encouragement the local church
was to me
we need the tenderness of the parent
it's rather interesting in verses 7 and
8 he compares himself to a nursing
mother but we were gentle among you just
as a nursing mother cherishes her own
children imagine Paul the great Apostle
Paul comparing himself to a nursing
mother here we have now the motherhood
of God and the motherhood of the
ministry was Paul saying he was a
weakling of course not he was showing
his strength we were gentle among you
gentleness takes strength anybody can
knock something down it takes gentleness
to work with living material and to help
that living child of God grow in the
Lord were gentle among you you'll notice
in the New Testament there is an
emphasis on gentleness the servant of
the Lord must not strive but be gentle
to all people gentleness the fruit of
the Spirit is gentleness we ought to
have the gentleness of the mother as
well as the the exhortation and the
encouragement of the father we were
gentle among you just as a nursing
mother cherishes her own children this
is an interesting picture
he says the pastor is like a nursing
mother what does this mean it means this
just as the mother eats food and she
turns that food into milk and then she
nurses the baby imparting her own life
to that baby so the pastor feeds on the
Word of God and he grows and he is
nurtured by the Word of God and then
imparts that spiritual milk to others
and that others might be able to grow
I'm being rather autobiographical today
but I know my life better than I know
somebody else's life I recall shortly
after I was saved a group of people in
our area started a home Bible study I
meet people who say oh we have a new
thing in our church home Bible study we
had that 40 years ago home Bible study
and this man who was a good teacher of
the Word of God
oh he was a fine dedicated teacher was
teaching the book of Hebrews could you
imagine being a young Christian a
teenager and your first spiritual diet
is the book of Hebrews I didn't
understand all that was going on but I
got enough out of it to be encouraged
and to get an appetite for Bible study
and I praise God for those who were
gentle with me who imparted their very
lives to me and shared the Word of God
now let me say a word to preachers and
teachers and missionaries you can't give
to others what you don't have yourself
the nursing mother has to be there with
the baby in her arms holding that baby
close to her heart
oh what a picture of preaching now you
don't get on a roller coaster with the
baby and try to nurse the baby because
the baby has to be held with gentleness
and confidence
I fear there have been times in my
pastoral ministry when I've gotten into
the pulpit and I was not gentle I know
there are times we have to discipline
but even that must be done with love and
tenderness I was not always gentle I did
not always show affection notice verse 8
so affectionately longing for you we
were well pleased to impart to you not
only the gospel that's evangelism but
also our own lives that's edification
that's building people up because you
had become dear to us
was here emulating his Lord now I can't
think of a more tender picture of
preaching and teaching than this one
there are people out there who need to
be just lifted up gently and held close
to your heart and they need to be
encouraged and I need to impart my own
life Oh a message is not just an outline
it's not just a lot of material on paper
it has to come from our lives now I
can't think of a more tender picture of
preaching and teaching than this one
there are people out there who need to
be just lifted up gently and held close
to your heart and they need to be
encouraged and I need to impart my own
life Oh a message is not just an outline
it's not just a lot of material on paper
it has to come from our lives far too
much preaching and teaching his second
hand look in your Bible at Isaiah 49 and
verse 15 Isaiah 49 15 here's what it
says God is speaking can a woman forget
her nursing child and not have
compassion on the son of her womb surely
they may forget yet I will not forget
you God is comparing himself to a
nursing mother and this nursing mother
says how can I forget my child I carried
that child in my womb I delivered that
child now I am nursing that child I'm
imparting to that child a very part of
my life and that child is depending upon
me this is God God takes his children
whom he has begotten through the gospel
God takes his children holds his
children close to his heart this is the
motherhood of God this is God in His
gentleness and God in His compassion
saying I will not
forget you how can I ever forget my own children
children
in fact in Isaiah 49 16 he says see I
have inscribed you on the palms of my
hands I don't just have a birth
certificate in the strongbox down at the
bank I have written you on the palms of
my hands that reminds me of my Lord
Jesus he says you are wondering do I
love you do I want to care for you look
at my hands wounded for you oh the love
of the Father look at Isaiah chapter 66
verse 13 Isaiah 66 13 as one whom his
mother comforts so I will comfort you
and you shall be comforted
in Jerusalem the comfort of the mother
all of us can recall when we were just
little youngsters getting hurt we fell
off the bicycle or we did something we
shouldn't do and we come running in and
we're crying and who is there to help us
mother not always that way today but
that's the way it was thank God when I
grew up mother was there to to wash the
wounds and to hug you and to say well
maybe it's time to have some cocoa and
cookies the comfort of the mother our
Father in heaven is not ashamed of his
motherhood he is like a mother who
consoles us and comforts us and this is
what Paul did Paul took these dear
children spiritual children whom he
loved so much and he held them to his
heart and he imparted to them the very
life that God had given to him now
that's not an easy job
anyone who has raised children knows
that raising children is not an easy job
nor is it an easy job to raise spiritual
children I can recall in the churches
I've pastored oh my there were days I
felt just like Moses did you ever notice
Moses in numbers
after 11 the people were complaining
they wanted something to eat they were
sick of the manna all Moses heard was
complaining and weeping and what does
Moses do well verse 10 of Numbers 11 a
very human thing here now Moses heard
the people weeping throughout their
families everyone at the door of his
tent and the anger of the Lord was
greatly aroused and Moses also was
displeased you know sometimes we as the
people of God bring real heartache to
our spiritual leaders I have wept over
people there are things you can't talk
about you go to church and you smile and
you pray and you preach with oh there
are people there just breaking your
heart I wonder today are you breaking
your pastors heart
are you breaking your elders hearts your
Sunday school teacher or maybe your
parents I don't know your grandparents
if they knew what was going on in your
life would they be heartbroken here's
Moses Moses says to the Lord in numbers
chapter 11 verse 11 why have you
afflicted your servant why have I not
found favor in your sight that you have
laid the burden of all these people on
me did I conceive all these people did I
beget them that you should say to me
carry them in your bosom as a guardian
carries a nursing child to the land
which you swore to their fathers
he said am I supposed to be a nursing
mother to all these Jewish people who
are so critical and they're there
attacking me and God says yes that's
what your job is Moses I confess there
have been times when I have said Lord if
you love me you take this burden off of me
me
now children are a blessing we've had
the joy of raising four children they
are a blessing the grandchildren are a
blessing but anything that can be a
blessing can be a burden any human being
in your life who brings joy can bring
are oh and sometimes parents and
grandparents have heavy hearts because
of the way people live and here is Moses
saying I didn't beget all these children
why should I carry them in my bosom I am
NOT able God said oh I'll give you some
help and God gave him seven the elders
to help him in his ministry well maybe
some preacher right now is feeling like
that you're ready to quit you say I've
got folks on the church and they're like
little children they fight with each
other and they argue with each other
well Paul had that experience 1st
Corinthians chapter 3 in 1st Corinthians
3 Paul tells him you're a bunch of
babies you're babes in Christ I have fed
you with milk I want to give you solid
food but I can't do it your carnal
there's strife and envying divisions one
says I'm for Paul I'm for a policy you
see what the problem is here in the
Corinthian church the church was divided
one group was for Paul and one was for a
palace and one was for Peter they had
not been weaned away all they were so
utterly dependent upon preachers I am
shocked to see how many of God's people
today are so dependent upon preachers
they can't feed themselves they can't
wash themselves they can't clothe
themselves they don't know how to
discipline themselves oh it's such a
hard Hank and Paul is weeping here and
he says why don't you people grow up who
is Paul he's just a servant who's a
palace he's just another servant we're
all just the servants of God why don't
you get weaned away from your spiritual
childhood and grow up I suppose the most
difficult thing in all of ministries
weaning people away
they depend so much on the preacher on
the Sunday school teacher I recall when
I had resigned from one of the churches
I pastored the Lord had led us to do
that and one of the ladies came and I
appreciated her she's a dear precious
soul but
she said all what am I going to do
without you I depend upon you so much
and my answer was well you're going to
find out and the sooner you find out the
better you can't build your spiritual
life on the preacher not even a radio
preacher you can't build your spiritual
life on a Sunday school teacher you've
got to be weaned away and then go out
and help other people to grow how
important it is that we grow in the
Christian life yes the church is a
nursery but it's a nursery where people
should grow up it's not a place to be
coddled it's a place to be matured the
church is not a nursery where we feed
people easily and burp them and
entertain them and protect them and they
never grow up
alas we have far too many people today
who don't know how to feed themselves
from the Word of God all they can do is
come and nurse and take in the milk of
the word and how we need to grow in the
Lord well our God is a nursing mother he
cherishes us and he nourishes us and we
as God's servants our nursing mothers
one of our responsibilities is to take
the children of God and hold them close
to our heart and nurture them and help
them to grow up and then when the right
time comes to wean them away so that
they are not weak little babies living
on milk are you giving your spiritual
parents joy today I hope that you are
well let's pray together father we
realize that as stewards we must be
found faithful and we realize too that
one day we're gonna have to give an
account oh I pray you'll help us to be
able to give a good account when we
stand at the judgment seat of Christ
help us to be faithful even today in
sharing the gospel with others in buying
up every opportunity using our spiritual
gifts I pray in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ amen
if you miss part of the program or you'd
like to listen again just come to back
to the Bible org so be sure to come back
again for more wisdom from God's word
back to the Bible leading you forward in
Click on any text or timestamp to jump to that moment in the video
Share:
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
One-Click Copy125+ LanguagesSearch ContentJump to Timestamps
Paste YouTube URL
Enter any YouTube video link to get the full transcript
Transcript Extraction Form
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
Get Our Chrome Extension
Get transcripts instantly without leaving YouTube. Install our Chrome extension for one-click access to any video's transcript directly on the watch page.
