Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: - Hebrews 3:8
Harden not your hearts.
There is a natural hardness of heart with which we all are born. The heart of all natural sons of Adam is like a stone; destitute of life.
There is an acquired, voluntary hardness of heart to which men arrive by mocking the word of God and ignoring the warnings and words brought by God's, servants. Pharaoh is a good example. “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice;” and so, “Pharaoh hardened his heart and hearkened not to Moses.”
There is a hardness of heart (referred to here) to which people are liable who claim to be God's people (as Israel did), who give mental acceptance to the word, who often hear the word preached and go about the outward forms of worship and religion, “Who try me, prove me, and see my works, yet err in heart and do not know nor walk in my ways” (Heb. 3:9-10). The old-timers called it “gospel-hardened.” Heart and hand, faith and walk, thoughts and ways; these are to be attended to now, while it is called today.
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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