Let us turn to God's Word. Our
text is found in the first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians
chapter 2 and verse 7. First Thessalonians chapter 2
and verse 7. But we were gentle among you
even as a nurse cherisheth children, but we were gentle among you,
even as a nurse cherisheth her children." As we turn to this
particular verse of Holy Scripture, I want to take up the subject
of Paul as he here speaks of himself as a nursing mother. these words then in the second
chapter of the first epistle that he writes to the Thessalonians. In the context he is saying something
about the nature of his ministry amongst the Thessalonians. It's
a remarkable epistle, one in which we see something of the
tender and pastoral heart of the Apostle. and so here in these
verses at the beginning of this chapter he reminds them of the
manner of his entrance amongst them, we read of that in the
portion that we were reading in Acts chapter 17 how Paul had
known something of persecution, grievous persecution there at
Philippi Beta and then put into the hands of the cruel jailer
who would put him together with Silas in the inner prison and
bound the hands and feet and yet God had granted a remarkable
deliverance. In fact such a mighty work of
God wherein the jailer and his house were brought to Saving
Faith but then Paul had been urged on to depart and he'd gone
on to Thessalonica and he reminds them of these things here in
verses 1 and 2 yourselves brethren know our entrance in unto you
that it was not in vain, but even after we had suffered before
and were shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, we were
bold in our God to speak unto you the Gospel of God with much
contention. There were those unbelieving
Jews also at Thessalonica who opposed him and sought to stir
up the people against him. without Paul was faithful in
exercising his ministry, he was not there to please men. He says here at verse 4, as we
were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even
so we speak, not as pleasing men, didn't matter about the
opposition of men as they despised him and his message, not as pleasing
men he says, No, he wanted to please God who tries the hearts
of men. In fact, he preached down man and he preached up God. That's
how he ministered the Word of God. As he says in verse 5, neither
at any time use be flattering words As you know, nor a cloak
of covetousness, God is witness. He didn't seek to flatter men.
He told men the truth concerning their condition by nature. He spoke of the total depravity
of men. We see that in the writings of
Paul in these various epistles. how he speaks of the natural
man who receives not the things of the Spirit of God because
they are foolishness to him he reminds the Ephesians how their
minds were so darkened they were alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that was in them because of the blindness
of their hearts. How he is constantly preaching
man down. He says the carnal mind, the
natural mind of man is enmity against God. It's not subject
to the law of God. Neither indeed can be. Always no flatterer of men this
apostle. He preaches man down. But he
exalts God and he exalts the grace of God. speak so plainly
of the divine sovereignty in the whole matter of the salvation
of sinners. We see it here in this chapter.
Verse 13 he says, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of
us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in
truth the word of God. which effectually worketh also
in you that believe." Oh, he spoke of that efficacious grace
of God, that there is a call in the Gospel, not just a general
call, but there's also that effectual call, how that God takes the
Word and applies the Word and brings the Word home into the
soul of the sinner. He reminds these Thessalonians
then how they had received God's words. Those words that we have
back in the opening chapter at verse 5. He says, Our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. As you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. And he became followers of us
and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction,
with joy of the Holy Ghost." Well, this is a man then who,
in his ministry, is so faithful, he's not there in any way to
flatter men. He doesn't seek to serve himself.
He's not a self-server. It's God, it's the glory of God,
it's the good of souls. He says here at verse 6, Nor
of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when
we might have been burdensome. As the apostles of Christ, this
word that he uses, burdensome, from the word that means awaits,
He seems to be referring to his authority, the dignity that he
should be afforded, really, as one who is truly the Lord's servant. He is the apostle of Jesus Christ. We might have been burdensome,
he says, as the apostles of Christ, but no, that's not Paul's way,
that's not the manner of Paul's ministry. So we come to the words
of the text, you see. But we were gentle. this is how he ministers God's
word with such gentleness we were gentle among him even as
a nurse cherishes her children how tender he was as he seeks
to exercise his ministry in spite of all the opposition that he
is meeting with all the persecutions that meet him in every place
where he goes as we read there of those apostolic journeys recorded
in the Acts of the Apostles. There is a contrast here, you
see. Not burdensome, not waiting, not using authority, as the margin
indicates, as the Apostles of Christ. But, we were gentle among
you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children. speaking then of himself in a
sense under this figure as a sort of a nursing mother. He uses it on other occasions
with regards to his ministry, sometimes even when he comes
to rebuke certain churches. Remember how he is always concerned
for the babes, as it were, but right into the Corinthians he
says, "...and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and
not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither
yet now are ye able." He's rebuking them in a sense. They should
have grown, they should have developed, but we're so tender, you see.
He's aware of those who are but by ace who don't have the marks
of grace that he would perhaps desire to see amongst them. That's
how he writes to the princes at church where he meets so much
opposition but when he writes also to those of the Hebrews
who have been brought to faith we see something quite similar
in the language which he employs in Hebrews chapter 5 There, at the end of that chapter,
verse 12, when for the time ye ought to be teachers, he says,
ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles
of the oracles of God. And I become such as have need
of milk, and not of strongmeat. For every one that useth milk
is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is babe. This is the sort of imagery that
he often uses here. Now he is aware of different stages of spiritual growth, some
are babes John speaks of those who are children or young men
or fathers there is such a thing as growth in grace, but see Paul
using this figure in regard to his own ministry, the way in
which he is so gentle he is mindful of the God that he serves and
we have some wonderful language employed with regards to God's
tender and compassionate and gentle ways with sinners. Think of that language that we
find back at the end of the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 66. That
she may suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolation.
That she may milk out and be delighted with the abundance
of her glory. All the good things in the Word
of God. It's like that that the babe
will receive at his mother's breast. And here is Paul, and
he uses this sort of imagery in the words of our text. He
speaks of himself then. He's a nursing mother to these
Thessalonians. We were gentle among you, even
as a nurse cherisheth her children. Well, coming to the verse, first
of all, I want to say something of Paul's travail. We come to the fact that he will
travail in birth, as it were, using the imagery of the verse.
But Paul also travailed in another sense, It reminds us of that
in verse 9, that he had to work. He didn't live of the gospel.
He applied himself to that trade that he was familiar with. He was a tent maker. And we see
from what he says in the opening verses of Acts 18, that he would
give himself to that particular trade in order to make provision
for himself. And what does he say here at
verse 9? Do you remember, brethren, our labour and travail? For labouring
night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of
you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. He does it all
freely. He does it all freely. And He
will remind these Thessalonians. He does so in the second epistle. And there in the last chapter,
chapter 3 and verse 8, neither did we eat any man's bread for
naught but wrought with labor and travail night and day that
we might not be chargeable to any of you. As he goes about,
as he ministers the Word of God, as he preaches and people experience
the grace of God and sinners aside, sinners are converted
and churches are established he does it all freely, he works
with his hands he says as much when he departs from Ephesus
in the 20th chapter of the Acts we have the record of him calling
for the elders from that church as he will bid them farewell
and He reminds them. There in Acts 20 verse 33, I
have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves
know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them
that were with me. Oh, what a man was this, what
a ministry this man exercised. although he was someone who was
really at full liberty to live of the gospel. He was not obliged,
as he ministered to them spiritual things, they were really obliged
to minister temporal things to him. This is what God himself
has ordained, And we see how Paul reminds the Corinthians
of that simple truth, that those who preach the gospel are able
to live of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, and
there at verse 13, Do you not know that they which minister
about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they
which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar." That's how it
was in the Old Testament. The priests had their portion
of the sacrifices that were brought to be presented to the Lord.
They lived of the altar. Even so hath the Lord ordained
that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. So
he was under no obligation to behave as he did, and to labour
and travail with his own hands. He was at liberty to receive
temporal things from them as he ministers God's Word to them. And that's what he says there.
We referred just now to those words in the second epistle,
in chapter 3 at verse 8, but he continues. Neither did we
eat any man's bread for naught, he says, but wrought with labour
and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to
any of you. Not because we have no power,
but to make ourselves an example. That's what he's about. He wants
to be a pattern, an example. that they might follow Him, that
they might practice what He does. Oh, what a man is this! He travails,
he labours in order to make provision for himself. He's not concerned
for himself, really he's concerned for those that he is ministering
to. But as we said, Paul also knew
spiritual labour and spiritual travail. Agony is in his own
soul as he ministers the Word of God. He wants to see some
fruit in the lives of those to whom he is ministering. He says
to the Galatians, my little children of whom I travail in birth again
until Christ be formed in you. He uses this imagery, you see,
of the mother, the nursing mother, prevailing to bring birth, to
bring that child in her womb to the birth. Isn't this the
way of God? Isn't this what God does? When
the sinner is born again, there's a great work that takes place.
God does it. He says, shall I bring to the
birth and not cause to bring forth? Shall I cause to bring
forth and shut up the womb, saith the Lord? And it's not improper
then that Paul should use this sort of figure in speaking of
his own ministry. He was not a professional nurse. Coming to the words of our text,
where he speaks of a nurse cherishing her children. He's not a professional
nurse, he's more than that. He is the real mother of the
child. And the mother gives herself
wholeheartedly to her children. And this is what Paul did. We
were gentle among you, even as a nurse. Some here are nurses,
and they're devoted to their profession, and they care for
their patients, and they seek to cherish their patients, but
they don't have the relationship that the mother has. But this
is what Paul is liking himself to, to a nursing mother. So being
affectionately desirous of you, he says, we were willing to impart
it unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls,
because you were so dear unto us. Can we not see here something
of the great love that the Apostle bears? towards the Thessalonians. It's not just a question of labor
and travail with regards to this man and his ministry, but they're
sacrificing. They're sacrificing. And so in
the second place, let us seek to observe something of that
sacrificial spirit. He was not one who was cold and
detached in his ministry. No, he is warm-hearted. and wholehearted as a real care
for these people. So being affectionately desirous
of you, it says at the beginning of verse 8. It's interesting
in John Wycliffe's translation, of course that predates the Reformation,
I know it's a translation not of the original Greek, it's a
translation of the Latin Vulgate, but when Wycliffe renders it
there in his version It reads like this, desiring you with
great love. That was poor, you see, it's
love. Desiring you with great love. Here we have the word affectionately,
being affectionately desirous of you. But it's love that is
the motivation. And that love is a sacrificing
love. That's what he says to the Philippians.
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of
your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all, he says. Well,
what is it that constrains him to be prepared to give himself,
to sacrifice himself? What he says as much to the Corinthians,
it's love, it's the love of Christ. The love of Christ constraineth
us. Oh, He served God, and He served
God whose love is such a great love. In a sense, we have to recognize
that love is an attribute of God. It's often spoken of in
those terms, one of God's attributes. Really, love is more than an
attribute in God. Love is the very character of
God. God is love, says the Apostle John. And what is that love of God?
Why, it is greater than any human love. I would say that the greatest
of all human love is the love that the mother bears to the
child that she has carried in her womb for some nine months
and then prevailed and labored to bring to the birth what a
bond there is between the mother and her child and yet we sang
just now that lovely hymn of cupus and in many ways is it
not based on what we read concerning God and the love of God there
in the book of the prophet Isaiah In Isaiah 49, 15, can a woman
forget her sucking child? That she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will
I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon
the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before
me. Well, this is the love of God,
you see. He has graven the names of His children upon the palms
of His hands. It speaks to us, does it not,
of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and that great love that He has
to all those that the Father gave to Him in the Eternal Covenant. And we see it in type there in
the Old Testament, those names that were to be upon the the
breastplate of the high priest, those names also upon the shoulders
of the high priest. But in the fulfilment so much
greater than what we see in the Old Testament type way, in the
Lord Jesus engraved on the palms of his hands, those palms that
were pierced when he comes to make that great sacrifice for
his people. or greater lot hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, says the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he's speaking to his disciples
there in the Gospel. They are his friends. They're
the ones whom he has called out. They're the ones he's been ministering
to. And he's going to offer himself as a great sacrifice for them
in their room and in their stead. They're his friends. but they
were not his friends by nature. No, they are those who by nature
were sinners and they were ungodly as we see in what is recorded
there in Romans chapter 5 again speaking of that great sacrifice Romans 5 verse 6 when we were
yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly for
scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet for adventure
for a good man some would even dare to die but God commended
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died
for us. Who does Christ die for? He died
for the ungodly says Paul While we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Here is that great love of God. And this is the God that the
Apostle is serving. He serves the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's his calling. He is called to be an Apostle.
That is a messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ. and so he wants
to manifest something of that same spirit he will give himself to this
ministry so great is his love, it's that
love that is in Christ that is communicated to him, it's that
love of Christ that is constraining him in all that he has to do,
all that he has to say in his ministry amongst the Thessalonians
also gentle. Gentle among you, He says, even
as a nurse cherishes her children. So being affectionately desirous
of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel
of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto
us. He will travail for them, like
a mother in labour bringing forth her child, he will give himself
in his ministry even to the point of sacrifice but then we come
to this in the third place how gentle this is a great emphasis
that is laid before us in this particular text we were gentle
it says and the figure as I said is that of a real mother a mother
with her little children she is born And as she has borne them, so
she nurses them. She lays them in her bosom. She hugs them in her arms. This
is the way of a mother, is it not? She warms them, she cherishes
them. She feels for them. These are
her very offspring. And here is Paul, you see, speaking
of his ministry. a minister of the Lord Jesus
Christ and in all of this he is conscious of the Lord Jesus
Christ as that one who is the great pattern of his own ministry. Does he not have the example
of God, the example of Christ before him? It's interesting how the Lord
is spoken of in scripture we go back to the Old Testament
and there in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 32 how the Lord likens himself to an
eagle as an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her
young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them beareth them on her
wings. So the Lord alone did lead him
at his Israel, and there was no strange God with him. He made him ride on the high
places of the earth. And so on. For this is the work
of the Lord, like that eagle stirring a nest, fluttering over
her young, spreading her wings, bearing her young, This is a
sort of imagery that he set before us. These are the figures that
are being used in Holy Scripture concerning the great love that
God bears towards his children. He's like that mother eagle.
He's like that kind, compassionate father, like as a father pities
his children. So the Lord pities them that
fear him. Says David, you know with our frame, He remembereth
that we are thus. Paul's pattern. And he will exhort the Corinthians
to be followers of him even as he is a follower of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We made reference just now to
the language that we find at the end of the book of the prophet
Isaiah. We only quoted one verse there
in that concluding 66th chapter. But it's interesting to see the
context of what we actually quoted. We quoted the words in verse
11, but how does it continue? And again, look at the words,
Isaiah 66, 11 following, that ye may suck and be satisfied
with the breast of her consolations, that she may milk out and be
delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith
the Lord, behold, I will extend peace to her like a river. and
the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream, then shall
ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon
her knees, as one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort
you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." Oh, it speaks
of that relationship of the mother as she nurses her child. not
only giving suck to the child but as the child grows she she dandles her upon her knees
she comforts the child and this is how Paul will exercise his
ministry because this is the the one that he is serving he
is serving that God who is so kind and so compassionate and
so gentle in all his dealings with his children The Lord, we're told, is very
pitiful and of tender mercy. These are the sort of things
that we find recorded in Holy Scripture concerning the character
of the God that we come to worship. We remember, rightly remember,
that He is the High and the Holy One, that He is a God of eyes
too pure to behold iniquity, a God who cannot look upon sin.
We don't lose sight of that. we're to remember all of those
things concerning him but we're also to remember how pitiful
he is or he doesn't deal with us after our sins he doesn't
reward us according to our iniquities how long-suffering God is, how
kind God is how we see it in the ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ a bruised reed it says shall he not break nor quench
the smoking flame so tender and Paul you see ministering the
Word of God he must be a pattern of these things we were gentle
among you even as a nurse cherishes her children oh he is the servant
of the Lord Jesus Christ and he is conscious of that and he
knows how that servant is to conduct himself Again, listen
to his language, writing in 2 Timothy 2, the servant of the Lord must
not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. If God
put adventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth. That's in the second epistle
to Timothy and the epistles to Timothy together with that to
Titus are what we call partial epistles. He's instructing these
young men with regards to the very character of their own ministry.
They are like Paul to be servants of the Lord. And so they're not
to strive. Like him they're to be gentle.
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. If God,
for adventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth." Oh, what a ministry! Well, might one say, who is sufficient
for these things? That's Paul's language, when
he thinks of the nature of his ministry. He is aware, you see,
that that ministry is such a discriminating ministry that he's exercising,
just as the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was so discriminating. when Christ preaches there is
so much that offends me He causes a division as we are
told several times in John's Gospel a division among the people
because of Him a division amongst them because of His teaching
in John chapter 6 we see how the Lord in the course of His
preaching is so discriminating We are familiar with the content
of that great sixth chapter, that long chapter of John, the
chapter of the great diminishings, the Lord performing the miracle
at the beginning, the miracle of the feeding of the five thousands,
a multitude gathered, they want to make Him a King, and He preaches
to them and He teaches them, and He speaks so plainly of the
sovereignty of God in salvation, it's a great offense to them.
We come to the end of that chapter, And what do we see? How the people
begin to depart from Him. His teaching has so offended
them. And maybe, maybe even the twelve
will go away. Verse 65 there in John 6, He
said, Therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto Me
except it were given unto him that My Father or He had told
them He will not come unto them that you might have life He told
them that they had no will to come, man's will is in bondage
man doesn't have free will, he cannot make choice for God he
will never reject God, He will not come unto them that you might
have life no, it is the Father who must do the work No man can
come to me, he says, except the Father which hath sent me. Draw
him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written
in the Prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man
therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh
unto me. The only ones who come are those
who have heard and learned of the Father. And this offends them. And this
is what the Lord is saying at the end of this chapter. Therefore
said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given
unto him of my father from that time. Many of his disciples went
back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the
twelve, Will ye also go away? Or the ministry of Christ so
searching separating, discriminating, offending men as he speaks of
God's sovereignty and salvation. And Paul will be the faithful
servant of Christ. And he knows therefore that that
miniature that he exercises will be to some the saver of death
unto death. To others it will come the savour
of life unto life, as he says at the end of 2nd Corinthians
chapter 2. And then he asks that question, who is sufficient for
these things? Who is sufficient for these things?
Who can exercise such a ministry as this? A discriminating ministry,
yes, we're not to lose sight of that, and yet at the same
time, a tender-hearted ministry, a gentle ministry. the servant of a gracious God.
Although these apostles, not just Paul, the apostles in general,
they knew these things. This is why we see them there
in Acts chapter 6, where we have that dispute concerning the ministry
to the widows. You know how it seems that the
apostles were the only functionaries in the church initially, they
did everything. and distribution had to be made to the widows
and there was some dispute between those of the Jews and those of
the Greeks and we read of how they appoint
the seven, the origins of what we know as the office of the
deacons. But what do the apostles say?
We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry
of the world. This is Paul, you see, he gives
himself to what? To the ministry of the world.
This is what he's been engaged in there at Thessalonica, preaching and seeking to be faithful. Not
there to please men, not just pleasing men, he says, but God
which trieth our hearts. How difficult it was for him
to be a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and yet at
the same time to be a tender-hearted man. And this is how he wants to exercise
his ministry. Are we sufficient for these things? Or we will
give ourselves continually to what? To prayer. Or it's prayer
that comes first. Give ourselves continually to
prayer and to the ministry of the Word. All his sufficiency,
all his enabling must come from God. Here is one then who is
a pattern. Yes, he's a pattern to those
who engage in the work of the ministry, but as he says to those
Corinthians, he's a pattern to all believers. We're all to be
followers of this man only as he is a true follower of the
Lord Jesus. Be ye followers of Moses. and
the word really has the idea of mimicry not in the wrong sense
but that's the basic meaning of the word that he uses the
follower the copier of the Lord Jesus that's what he would be
and they as he follows Christ so they are to follow him be
ye followers of me even as I am of Christ we were gentle among
you," he says, even as a nurse, cherishes her children. He uses
this lovely figure of the nurse, but more particularly the nursing
mother. All the travail that that mother
has known with regards to the child that she has borne. All
the sacrifice that she will make on behalf of her offspring. all that gentleness and tenderness
as she seeks to to nurse the child taking it to her breast,
dandling it upon her knees we were gentle among you, he says
even as a nurse cherishes her children so being affectionately
desirous of you, desiring you with great love we were willing to have imparted
unto you not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls,
because ye were dear unto us. Oh, if we are going to be those
who are true witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ, bearing testimony
to His gospel, it must be not the gospel of God only, but also
our own souls. Oh one, trust one feels the solemnity
of such a word in one's own soul. But might God's word come to
us each tonight and cause us to look to ourselves, to examine
ourselves and to prove ourselves. The Lord be pleasing to bless
his word to us. Amen.