Sunday Evening Worship Service - Guest Speaker: Alan Grace - 6/7/26

Good evening.

>> It's good to be here with you all this

evening. It's uh it's been a good day.

It's been a little crazy day for me, but

it's all right. I'm here. I am glad I

made it. I honestly thought I wasn't. Um

my wife and I, we took our son camping

this weekend and uh got in the car to to

head back and lo and behold, my battery

was dead. So, it was it was a little

stressful getting here, but I'm glad I'm

here and glad I could be with you all

this evening. Um Kyle texted me on

Wednesday night and asked me if I could

come and and speak before you and I was

like, "Four days, that's all I get?"

No, thank I'm always thankful for the

opportunity and and I uh I'm thankful

for you all.

Pressing on to maturity

over at Southside.

That is our theme for the year, our

theme of pressing on to maturity.

And and this evening I just want to at

that with you and bring to you three

quick points that can help cultivate

maturity in our walk with God.

Pressing on. First,

mature Christianity is intentional. If

you will turn over with me to the book

of Hebrews, chapter 5.

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 5

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

and we're going to begin reading in

verse 12. But before I read, I just want

you to notice that when the writer of

Hebrews

when he wrote this, he is concerned

about the spiritual condition of the

reader.

Okay? The book is directed towards

Christians that had been believers long

enough that they should they should have

been teaching others by now.

But turns out that they're just

struggling with just the ba the basics.

So let's begin reading in verse 12 of

chapter 5.

For though by this time you ought to be

teachers, you need someone to teach you

again the basic principles of the

oracles of God. You need milk, not solid

food. For everyone who lives on milk is

unskilled in the word word of

righteousness since he is a child. But

solid food is for the mature, for those

who have their powers of discernment,

trained by constant practice to

distinguish good from evil.

Therefore,

let us leave elementary doctrine of

Christ and go on to maturity, not laying

again a foundation of repentance from

dead works and of faith toward God.

My son Garrett, who is

almost two, we'll just put it that way.

He turns two in September.

Each and every day, we notice that he's

just growing more and more independent.

He he's getting into everything,

but he's full of life and and and full

of joy.

And my wife and I, we've gone through so

many stages of growth with him.

so many memories I have and and so many

first of the things that he's gone

through. I love thinking about just, you

know, the first time he crawled, the

first time he walked,

first time he said, "Da" for the first

time.

But when I reflect on his growth, it's

also hard because I'm reminded that he's

growing up. He's not a baby anymore, but

he's a toddler.

That's what babies are supposed to do.

They're supposed to develop an age and

grow up to become a blessing to the

local church and to the Lord.

They're to mature.

Peter writes in 1 Peter chapter 2 of

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

verse two, "Like newborn infants, long

for the pure spiritual milk, that by it

you may grow up into salvation."

When we obey the gospel and giving our

lives to Christ in baptism,

we begin as babes in Christ.

babes who who start from ground zero in

their knowledge and in their foundation.

But God never intended for us to remain

that way. God wants us to develop

discernment,

wisdom,

and strength through consistent reading

and studying in his word.

And to develop these traits, we must be

intentional about it.

It isn't something that just happens,

right? This is this is a daily act of

self-examining ourselves.

So, I want to ask you

and I asked myself this,

are we still needing to be spoonfed

the most basic truths of the Bible?

Or can you truly say that you're

maturing in God's word?

Hebrews chapter 6 and verse one. As we

Hebrews 6 · chapter mention

just said, it doesn't say let us coast

or let us hope.

It says let us press, let us go on.

And the term press on is defined as to

continue steadily despite difficulties.

And there will always be difficulties in

this wicked world and we will never

reach that peak of maturity.

The King James version

uses the word perfection in place of

maturity.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:48, "You

Matthew 5:48

therefore must be perfect as your

heavenly father is perfect."

But perfection is unachievable.

That there was only one man

perfect to ever walk this earth

and that man died for you and for me.

But just because it's unachievable,

it doesn't mean that we can't be

intentionable intentional

about pressing on towards it.

Are you intentional in your everyday

life with pressing on to maturity?

Are you intentional each day about your

daily Bible reading, your prayer life,

service to others,

active obedience?

Are you putting spiritual things above

anything that is of this world?

Where are you when the doors open to

meet with the brethren?

Do you make exceptions?

Do you value worldly things above

heavenly ones?

Or are you intentional about keeping up

with everything and everyone else in

this world?

It is time for a self-examination

because mature Christianity is

intentional.

A secondly,

mature Christianity spends its time

strengthening others. Turn over with me

to Titus chapter 2.

Titus 2 · chapter mention

Titus chapter 2.

Titus 2 · chapter mention

Maturity isn't it isn't just for our own

benefit, right? God builds us up so that

we can edify and strengthen the body of

Christ. So, if you will read Titus

Titus 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, we're going to read the first

eight verses.

But as for you, teach what accords with

sound doctrine.

Older men are to be sober minded,

dignified,

self-controlled, sound in faith, and in

love, and in steadfastness.

Older women likewise are to be reverent

in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to

too much wine. They are to teach what is

good. And so train the young women to

love their husbands and children, to be

self-controlled, pure, working at home,

kind, and submissive

uh submissive to their own husbands that

the word of God may not be reviled.

Likewise, urge the younger men to be

self-controlled.

Show yourself in all respects to be a

model of good works. And in your

teaching, show integrity, dignity, and

sound speech that cannot be condemned so

that an opponent may be put to shame,

having nothing evil to say about us.

Paul also writes in second Timothy, he

says, "And what you have heard from me

in the presence of many witnesses and

trust to faithful men who will be able

to teach others also."

But sure Christians teach sound

doctrine.

They model godly living and they invest

in a younger generation.

We need to have older men and women who

are thriving in the faith.

Men and women who are encouraging the

young and strengthening the weak.

We don't need to look down on someone

who is struggling. We We need to pick

them up.

We're called to bear their burdens and

to help them grow in their faith.

about three weekends ago,

the men at Southside, we we always have

an opportunity twice a year to meet up

for for a men's breakfast that's funded

by some of the individuals and and

organize so that we can do this very

thing so that the older men can teach

the younger men.

It is a chance for the young men to just

sit at the table with older men and

listen to them and listen to their

knowledge and their wisdom on a certain

subject.

Let me tell you, we need more of this.

We need more of it in every congregation

with men and women so that the younger

people can sit with the older and learn.

Being a mature Christian and being a

mature church, it it doesn't mean that

we won't go without problems, but it it

does mean that we will press on

and that we will help others to do the

same even in the struggles and trials of

our own lives.

Mature Christianity, it spends time

strengthening others.

And third, and finally, mature

Christianity is keeping your eyes

focused on Jesus.

Turn back over to Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 12, and read the first

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

three verses with me.

Hebrews 12, beginning in verse one.

Therefore,

since we are surrounded by so great a

cloud of witnesses, let us also lay

aside every weight and sin which clings

so closely. And let us run with

endurance the race that is set before

us. Looking to Jesus, the founder and

perfector of our faith, who for the for

the joy that was set before him endured

the cross, despising the shame, and is

seated at the right hand of the throne

of God. Consider him who endured from

sinners such hostility against himself

so that you may not grow weary or

faint-hearted.

The mature believer has has learned to

fix their eyes on Jesus.

No matter what, when the trials come,

when temptations arise, and when the

world is pulling at us, we will look to

Christ.

There's a song by Praise and Harmony

called The Goodness of God.

And I don't know if you've ever heard

that song. If you haven't, I highly

recommend it. But it is so powerful in

so many ways.

And I just want to read the chorus to

that song.

And the chorus reads,

"Because all my life you have been

faithful, and all my life you have been

so, so good.

With every breath that I am able,

I will sing the goodness of God."

And as that song goes on, it comes to

the bridge of the song. And the bridge

says, "Your goodness is running after.

It's running after me.

With my life laid down, I surrender now.

I give you everything, oh Lord.

It's easy to to sing that song or to

read those words when everything's going

right, when everything is good, nothing

is going wrong, everything is

is perfect.

It's easy to sing those words,

but what about when everything's going

wrong?

What about when Satan is throwing

everything at you and you feel like you

can't escape?

What will you do?

Are you mature enough

to believe in those words,

to believe in your your goodness is

running after me?

My sister-in-law wrote a book called If

Not, Is He Still Good?

And it's a study of God's goodness

through the lens of a miscarriage.

And after reading it, I all I could

think to myself was, how is she still

able

to sing his praises?

How could something so crushing

as several miscarriages

not make her give up hope?

It was God

and it was his goodness that allowed her

to remain hopeful.

And as that song goes on,

the goodness of God was running after my

sister-in-law.

The goodness of God that's running after

you.

No matter the situation, no matter the

trial, he is there.

He is always there.

The psalmist writes in Psalm 73 and

verse 28, "But for me it is good to be

near God. I have made the Lord God my

refuge that I may tell of all of your

works."

In all situations, we must be looking to

Jesus.

As the Hebrew writer writes,

"Mature Christianity is keeping your

eyes focused on Jesus.

Tonight we've looked at what mature

Christianity looks like. Mature

Christianity is intentional,

spends time strengthening others,

and it has its eyes fixed on Jesus.

If you aren't a Christian and you want

to start your journey with the Lord,

well, now is the time to come and

confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior

and be baptized for the forgiveness of

your sins.

And our walk with Christ, it starts with

baptism, but it doesn't end there.

So this walk is continual.

We are constantly working to grow in the

Lord and Christ calls you to now to come

and start your journey with him.

Or maybe you're a child of God and you

need prayers of strength to grow more

mature in your walk.

Well, we're here and ready to pray for

you. Because now is the time. Don't

delay.