For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6
It is a fact there was a child born of woman, made under the law to redeem sinners. It is a fact that a Son is given. As the Son of God, he is not born but given! He is begotten—not made. But the question is, “Is this child born to us? Is this Son given to us?”
1. He is born to us if we are born to him. Let no man say that Christ is his redeemer if he has not been born again of God’s Spirit. Only regenerated persons can claim a union with this child.
2. He is given to us if we are given to him. “All that my Father giveth me shall come to me” (Jn. 6:37). “Behold I and the children which God hath given me” (Heb. 2:13). God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. He chose us in Christ. He chose us in Christ because he would populate heaven with a people like Christ, and all of this according to the good pleasure of his will (Eph. 1:3-5).
3. This Son is given to us if we are sons. The Son of God is not mine to enjoy, to love, and to delight in if I am not a son of God, too. If you can call God “Father” you can lay claim to a joint-heirship with Christ (Jn. 1:12).
About Henry Mahan
Henry T. Mahan was born in Birmingham, Alabama in August 1926. He joined the United States Navy in 1944 and served as a signalman on an L.S.T. in the Pacific during World War II. In 1946, he married his wife Doris, and the Lord blessed them with four children.
At the age of 21, he entered the pastoral ministry and gained broad experience as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker, and evangelist. In 1950, through the preaching of evangelist Rolfe Barnard, God was pleased to establish Henry in sovereign free grace teaching. At that time, he was serving as an assistant pastor at Pollard Baptist Church (off of Blackburn ave.) in Ashland, Kentucky.
In 1955, Thirteenth Street Baptist Church was formed in Ashland, Kentucky, and Henry was called to be its pastor. He faithfully served that congregation for more than 50 years, continuing in the same message throughout his ministry. His preaching was centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, in full accord with the Scriptures. He consistently proclaimed God’s sovereign purpose in salvation and the glory of Christ in redeeming sinners through His blood and righteousness.
Henry T. Mahan also traveled widely, preaching in conferences and churches across the United States and beyond. His ministry was marked by a clear and unwavering emphasis on Christ, not the preacher, but the One preached. Those who heard him recognized that his sermons honored the Savior and exalted the name of the Lord Jesus Christ above all.
Henry T. Mahan served as pastor and teacher of Thirteenth Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky for over half a century. His life and ministry were devoted to proclaiming the sovereign grace of God and directing sinners to the finished work of Christ. He entered into the presence of the Lord in 2019, leaving behind a lasting testimony to the gospel he faithfully preached.
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