For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. - Philippians 1:21
My Lord Jesus is the giver of life. He is the sum and substance of life. He is my hope of life eternal. My hope is to see him, to be like him, and to be with him forever. Therefore, for me “To die is gain.” I will be released from age and pain and gain a perfect body; I will be free from this sinful flesh and gain sinless perfection; I will be free from every trial, every heartache, and live in perfect rest and joy; I will enjoy perfect knowledge, immortality, and everlasting peace. “gain” is a weak word to describe such glory!
What is it, then, that makes us so fearful of death and so reluctant to part with this world? We may give a lot of reasons and feel that we are sincere and our reasons valid; but to be perfectly honest, our problem is the weakness of our faith in him and his word. Our Lord said, “O ye of little faith, wherein do you doubt?” Wherein do we doubt? His love for sinners? He gave himself for us! The efficacy of his blood? It cleanseth us from all sin! The reality of heaven? “If it were not so, I would have told you!” The awesome miracle of being changed from the image of the earthy to the image of the heavenly? Is anything too hard for God? Here is where Abraham found righteousness: “He believed God and was persuaded that what God had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Life eternal in Christ for those who believe is what he has promised; and he will perform! “Sirs, I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” Welcome death, for with death comes life eternal.
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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