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Henry Mahan

Look to Christ

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Henry Mahan • June, 9 1993 • Audio
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Message: 1107b
Henry Mahan Tape Ministry
6088 Zebulon Highway
Pikeville, KY 41501
What does the Bible say about looking to Christ?

The Bible emphasizes the importance of looking to Christ as our source of faith and strength, particularly in Hebrews 12:1-2.

The Bible teaches that looking to Christ is central to the Christian faith. In Hebrews 12:1-2, the author encourages believers to lay aside every weight and sin that hinders them and to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. This perspective reminds us that all our strength and justification come from Christ alone. As believers, our lives must be centered on Him—learning who He is, what He accomplished, and maintaining a continual focus on His grace. Paul reiterates this in 1 Corinthians 2:2, where he states, 'For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.' Therefore, looking to Christ not only reinforces our faith but ensures our perseverance in the race of life.

Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 2:2

How do we know the gospel is true?

The truth of the gospel is revealed through God in Christ, as emphasized in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, where faith is established not on human wisdom but on God's power.

The gospel's truth is confirmed through divine revelation, not human reasoning. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Paul explains that his preaching was not based on persuasive words or human wisdom, but rather in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. This aligns with the Reformed view that faith should rest not on human intellect but on the power of God. In Romans 1:16, Paul further asserts that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Therefore, the authenticity of the gospel is in its divine origin and the transformational power it holds for sinners. The effectiveness of the gospel in transforming hearts and lives provides a practical testament to its truth.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Romans 1:16

Why is simplicity of the gospel important for Christians?

The simplicity of the gospel is crucial as it focuses believers on Christ rather than complicated doctrines or human wisdom.

The simplicity of the gospel is vital for Christians because it directs our focus solely on Christ and His redemptive work. Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:3 that believers can be led astray from the simplicity that is in Christ. When we complicate the message with human philosophies or excessive intellectualism, we risk diluting the core truth of the gospel. The gospel speaks plainly about man's sinfulness, the necessity of repentance, and the sufficiency of Christ's atonement. Therefore, when believers embrace the simplicity of the gospel, they are grounded in the essential truths of their faith, which empowers them to live out their calling as witnesses for Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

What does it mean to preach Christ and Him crucified?

To preach Christ and Him crucified means to proclaim the central message of the gospel focused on Jesus' sacrificial death for sinners.

To preach Christ and Him crucified is to center the message of Christianity upon the significance of Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection. Paul states this in 1 Corinthians 2:2, wherein he deliberately chose not to focus on human wisdom but to declare the testimony of God regarding Christ's atoning work. This means that our preaching should highlight the necessity of the cross—where Christ bore our sins, satisfying God's justice and providing reconciliation. This message is not only transformative but underlines the gospel's power, driving believers to rely on Christ alone for salvation. It encompasses our need for repentance, grace, and the hope found in His resurrection, thus shaping the entirety of a believer's identity and purpose.

1 Corinthians 2:2

Sermon Transcript

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1 Corinthians 2. Now the Apostle Paul preached
in Corinth. I told you a short time ago that
he preached there for about 18 months. And he loved those people. He
labored and worked hard. While he was preaching down there,
he made no demands on the people. He made tents for a living. He
worked hard, worked with his hands so he wouldn't be chargeable
to them, so they wouldn't have any reason to think that he had
any objective except the glory of God and their good. And after
he departed, some false teachers crept in and some covetous preachers,
seeking to lead disciples after themselves. They came in and
they disturbed the Church. And the Church fell into factions
and divisions. He said, you are acting like
carnal, natural men. There are divisions among us. And then there became a misuse
of the gifts. And then some people became careless
about their conduct and their behavior. And even questions
arose about the resurrection of the dead. But some flaunted their learning, their human wisdom, their intellectualism,
their philosophy. And they led the people away
from the gospel of Christ, from the simplicity of Christ. They departed from the simplicity
of Christ. If you look at 2 Corinthians
chapter 11, Paul talks about this. In 2 Corinthians
11, verse 1, he said, Would the God you could bear with me a
little in my folly. And indeed, you do bear with
me, for I am jealous over you, with a godly jealousy. For I
have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste
virgin to Christ. But I fear, I fear, lest by any
means, as a serpent beguiled Eve through his craftiness and
subtlety, So your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity,
from the singleness Christ and Him crucified. That's what was
happening down here. Human wisdom, intellectualism,
philosophy, the people being led away from the gospel and
the simplicity of Christ. You know the gospel of Christ
does not need the wisdom of men. It doesn't need the defense of
men. We don't need to try to explain the gospel, we must proclaim
the gospel. Like Spurgeon said one time,
don't try to defend the lion, turn it loose. The king of the
jungle doesn't need my defense. Just turn him loose. And the
same thing is true of this gospel, just turn it loose. Preach it. Don't try to explain it, proclaim
this gospel. And our text tonight deals with
this. deals with the matter thoroughly
and oh that we might learn this lesson. Learn it and learn it
well. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. What did Paul
say over there in Hebrews? Let me read you this over in
Hebrews chapter 12. He said in verse 1 of Hebrews
chapter 12, Wherefore seeing that we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let's lay aside every weight
And leave aside the sin which doth so easily beset us, the
sin of unbelief, and let us run with patience the race set before
us, looking unto Jesus, looking unto Jesus. One old-timer said
these three words, looking unto Jesus. In these three words is
the whole secret of life of preaching, of faith, of perseverance. Look into Jesus. Nowhere else. Look into Jesus. Keep your eye
on Him. Look into Jesus. Look into Jesus
in the scriptures to learn who He is, what He did, why He did
it, where He is now. Just look into Jesus. Don't take
your eyes off Him. Don't put your eyes on me. Look
to Christ. Look to Christ in the scriptures.
Look to Christ incarnate, our representative, our substitute,
our federal head, our servitude, our high priest, our prophet,
our king. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. Look to Christ crucified to find
in his blood your ransom, your pardon, your peace with God.
Look to Christ. Looking unto Jesus risen again
to find in him our righteousness. which alone justifies us, which
alone permits us, unworthy as we are, to approach with assurance
in his name, him who is his father, and by grace my father, his God
and my God. Looking to Jesus. Looking to
Jesus glorified. To find in him our high priest,
our heavenly advocate, our intercessor, appearing even now for us. before the presence of God and
supplying all the imperfections of our persons and our prayers,
making our prayers accepted, our persons accepted, our tears
accepted, our repentance accepted, our faith accepted by the efficacy
of His holiness, which the Father looks upon and accepts, and me
in Him, looking unto Jesus. I tell you, when your eyes get
diverted for whatever cause or reason, away from Christ, you're
in trouble. Because everything's in Him,
all things are in Christ. Looking unto Jesus, and not to
my faith. For it's not from my faith that
strength comes, it's from Christ. Looking to Jesus, and not to
my look. It's by looking to Jesus. And
not to my strength or my weakness. It doesn't matter whether I'm
weak or strong. It's looking to Christ. Not to
my guilt, and not to my grief, and not to my meditations, and
not to my devotion, and not to my brethren, and not to my enemies.
It's looking to Christ. It's looking unto Jesus Christ
alone. It's looking unto Christ again,
it's looking unto Christ always, it's looking unto Christ today
and tomorrow, it's looking unto Christ until He comes again and
I see Him in person, looking unto Jesus. Oh my, how easy it is to get
sidetracked, to get, not looking to the doctrine, it's looking
to Christ. For the doctrine is the doctrine
of Christ. Not looking to the church. It's his church. It's
his body. Not to the body, looking to the
head. Looking to Christ. Look at verse 1 of chapter 2. And Paul said, I brethren, when
I came to you, I didn't come to you with excellence of speech
or of wisdom. human wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God." What's the testimony of God? It's the
gospel. It's the report that God had
given concerning His Son. That's the testimony of God.
He said, when I came to you, I didn't try to impress you.
I didn't try to influence you. I didn't come to you with eloquence
or human wisdom, declaring unto you the gospel of Christ. Now
my friends, we don't discount or make light of education. We're thankful and rejoice in
the fact that we have so many teachers and college professors
in this congregation. We don't discount or make light
of education or scientific explorations or advancement in medicine or
communications or discoveries which make our lives more comfortable.
I'm thankful for every one of them. I'm thankful for Novocaine.
I'm thankful for aspirin. I'm thankful for every advancement
that makes our lives more comfortable. Never put a premium on ignorance.
That's not what Paul's talking about here. Never put a premium
on ignorance or laziness. Let me tell you this. But the
mind of God, the mysteries of God's grace and salvation how
God can be just and justify, these things are never discovered
by human wisdom, and never by education, and never by human
logic. They're revealed by God to the
heart in Christ through the Word. That's right. Can you by searching find God?
What's higher than the heavens? What can you do? Deeper than
hell? What can you know? Secular education, listen to
this, secular education equips a man for spiritual truth only,
only, as it enables him to read the Word of God. That's right, secular education.
Get all of it you can or want to for your other jobs and for
your other pursuits in life and to accomplish what you seek to
accomplish. But all your education and your
bachelor's and your master's and if your Ph.D., there's only
one way it'll help you to know God and that's enabling you to
read his word. That's why I didn't run. Only
way. You'll never discover God in any book but this book. You
never find God in any person but Christ. No man has seen God
at any time. The Son hath revealed him. No
man knows the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will
reveal him. So Paul says, when I came to you, and don't let
us ever be persuaded or influenced in any way to try to doctor up
the gospel with excellence of speech or oratory or any human
wisdom Or verse 2, watch this, verse 2. For I determined, I
determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and
him crucified. Why would Paul have to determine
that? Well, I tell you, Paul was a
well-educated man. Paul was a man educated in Jewish
learning. He said, I sat at the feet of
the greatest scholar of my day, Gamaliel. I was a man educated
in Hebrew. You remember when he spoke Hebrew
and the people were amazed? I heard him speak Hebrew and
everybody got quiet. Educated in Greek literature and in government.
Let me show you a statement that a fellow made about him back
in the book of Acts chapter 26. Acts 26. I often think what Paul could
have done had he been tempted to do so. I imagine Bob is a
debater, logician or whatever, he could put some folks under
the table. Whatever he did, he did 100%. And here in Acts 26
verse 24, this fella, there was Agrippa and Felix and Festus,
that's these rulers, men sitting on the thrones. And this guy,
this fella Festus, listen, as Paul thus spake for himself,
Festus He just broke out and cried with a loud voice, Paul,
you're beside yourself, you're crazy, and much learning hath
made thee mad. You've studied too much, you've
cracked up, that's what he's saying. So the Apostle Paul could
have known some other things. He said, I'm determined, I am
determined not to know. Anything among you say Jesus
Christ, named crucified. His subject matter at all times
was Christ. All times Paul's subject matter
was Christ, even among the learned Greeks. In Corinth, even on Mars
Hill, it was Christ. Christ. Oh, he could have challenged
them to debate on many subjects. But Paul, knowing the character
of God, Paul knowing the need of the
sinner, Paul knowing the terrors of judgment, Paul knowing the
riches of his grace, determined to preach Christ. A while ago when Brother Chuck
was reading, starting at verse 18, down there through verse 21, I want to read that to you in
the Amplified Bible. I asked Marty to put this in
the bulletin for Sunday. This Amplified version of that
particular passage, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18, the preaching of
the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness. Let me
read that to you in the Amplified. You just look up here and listen
to it. We'll try to read both of them at the same time. Listen
to this. And the message of the cross
of Christ is sheer nonsense and foolishness to those who are
perishing. But to us who are being saved,
it is the manifestation of the power of God. For it is written,
I will battle and render useless and destroy the learning of the
learned. the philosophy of the philosophers,
the cleverness of the clever, and the discernment of the discerner. Where is the wise man? Where
is the philosopher? Where is the scribe? Where is
the scholar? Where is the logician of this
present age? Has not God shown up the nonsense
and folly of this world's wisdom? For when the world, with all
its earthly wisdom, failed to perceive, recognize, and to know
God, and they didn't, and they don't. He, He, God in His wisdom, was
pleased through the preaching, through the foolishness of preaching.
the preaching of salvation in and through Jesus Christ to save
those that believe. The living God is only known
in Christ and Him crucified. If I could sum up 42 years of
preaching the gospel, 43 years now of preaching the gospel,
it is My message has been, is now,
and by God's grace will be, Christ in Him crucified. Christ Jesus. Nothing else worth preaching.
Nothing else. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
1. Hebrews chapter 1. This is, this
is our message. In Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1,
God, who at sundry times and in different manners spake in
time past unto the fathers of the prophets, hath in these last
days spoken to us by son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness
of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.
And I would say to all men everywhere, if you would know God, if you
would know the living God, leave your degrees at the door and
come to Christ. Leave your diplomas which hang
on the wall to impress visitors and your doctorates at the door
and come to Christ. I would say to all men, leave
your religious traditions and ceremonies, leave your training
and theology at the door and come to Christ. That's right. I would say to all men, leave
your professions and your decisions and your baptisms and your dedications
and rededications and your experiences and your works at the door and
come empty-handed to Christ. And like Mary said at His feet, Nicodemus stood before Him and
wanted to reason. Mary sat at His feet and heard
Him preach. She came to know I would say
to all men, leave the rags of your righteousness and your morality
and your piety at the door. And come to Christ like that
harlot. And weep, weep, weep, and wash his feet with tears
of repentance. And take the alabaster box of
precious ointment and just empty it on him. Come to Jesus. Isn't that right, John? When
you get 83 years old, just come to Jesus. just as if you were
a little boy, a teen, just as if you'd never lived a life of
dedication and preaching and studying and witnessing and traveling. Just come to Him like a beggar,
a citizen. It's taught all over. Hard to
do, isn't it? Hard for old knees to bend. It's
hard for stiff necks to bow. It's hard for proud sinners to
come down. Oh boy, I'm somebody. Did you know that? Yeah, but
not with him. I'm just a sinner saved by grace. I say to all men, leave your
thoughts of God at the door. Leave your ideas of the way of
life, leave your opinion of eternal life at the door, and look to
Christ as a little child. Because except I'm converted
and become as a little child, I'm not going into the kingdom
of God anyway. Look to Jesus Christ as a sinner. He came to save sinners. Is anybody
here tonight ungodly? He died for the ungodly. Come to Christ as a penitent.
For except you repent, you'll perish. Come to Christ as a beggar. He asks and you'll receive. Keep
on asking. Keep on asking. Keep on knocking. And come to Christ continually.
To whom? Look back at the text, 1 Corinthians
2, at the preacher himself, and what he talks, what he says about
us, he says about himself. He said, verse 2, I determined
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And he said, I was with you in
weakness. He said, who's weak that I'm
not weak? Unless you identify with people,
you can't preach to them. You just can't preach to them, unless you can identify with
them, unless you want to. Angels would make poor preachers
of the gospel. That's right. It takes a man
who's experienced the grace of God to preach the grace of God.
It takes a man who's experienced mourning and grieving and repenting
over sin to preach it. It takes a man who's looking
to Christ to preach on looking to Christ. That's the reason
so few do it. He said, I was with you in weakness.
Who's sufficient for these things? He said, I was with you in fear.
Fear? Did Paul fear men? No way. He
didn't fear what men would do to him. He said, I know how to
be a bastion. I know how to abound. I've learned
in whatsoever state I am to be content." He said, well, I'm
in jail. I'm the prisoner of Jesus Christ. But this fear is
the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. I watched
some of what we call worship services today on television.
I don't see any fear of the Lord. I see an unholy familiarity with
an impotent God is what I see. Paul said, I was with you in
fear. I fear while preaching others,
I become a castaway. Preaching to others, I become
a castaway. I fear that men will depart from the simplicity of
Christ. I fear lest the promise being
left us of entering into that rest, we should come short of
it. Anybody here fear that? All of you. I fear it. I fear
presumption. I fear indifference. I fear covetousness, I fear selfishness."
And he said, I was with you in much trembling. Old Mr. Spurgeon said, if the
burden of the Word of God is not a burden now, it will be
at the judgment. And he said in verse 4, my style
of preaching. My speech and my preaching was
not with persuasible words of man's wisdom. I didn't preach
psychology and eloquence and persuasion and appealing to the
flesh. That's not what I did. Seems
to me that's what most preaching is today, appealing to men and
trying to get them to do something for God. Our preaching ought to fall upon
the hearts, the ears and minds and hearts of men and bring to
sue God for mercy, like the publican in the temple. God be merciful
to me, O Senator. Does our preaching shut men up
to the demonstration of the Holy Spirit? Listen, my speech and
my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Paul said about
those Thessalonians, I know that you're God's elect because our
gospel didn't come to you in word only, it came to you in
power. Power. Last night we were coming home
from making the television program up at Channel 13 studio. And
Darcy and I were driving to our house after we let Ronnie off And I said to her, I said, uh, somebody was hearing me tonight.
And when I say somebody was hearing me, I meant when it's played
Sunday. When I was making those tapes
last night. You see, a promise of God is the same thing as a
accomplishment, purpose of God. It doesn't matter. Time, there's
no time with God. So when I was preaching last
night, I wasn't preaching to tape, I was preaching to that
audience. I was preaching to somebody out there. And somebody
was hearing me. Somebody was hearing me. How did I know somebody
was hearing me? Because the message was flowing,
Ronnie. My heart was in that message.
My life was in that message. Soul was in that message. God
was in that message. I knew somebody was here. You know what I'm talking about?
Well, I preached thousands of sermons. Literally thousands
of sermons. And once in a while, I preach
one. Once in a while. And you know when I know it? I'm communicating with somebody.
You see, when God has a unit, He'll give Philip the message.
When God has a Lydia, He'll give Paul the message. When God has
a Cornelius, Peter won't be stumbling around. He'll be preaching. He'll have his preaching butches
on. He won't be stumbling around. He'll be flowing like an old
man river. And that's the way sometimes
when we preach, a hearer. Somebody's hearing, Tom. I know
somebody's hearing. That's the difference. I'm not
out here trying to see how many volunteers I can get to stand
up for Jesus. I'm out here preaching a glorious
gospel, a testimony of God. And once in a while, I encounter
one of his sheep. One of his sheep. One for whom
he died. whom he gave to Christ before
the foundation of the world, one that God intends to glorify,
whom he foreknew, he predestinated to be like Christ, whom he predestinated
to be like Christ, he called, how did he call him? Through
the preaching of the gospel. You see your calling, brethren,
in whom you trusted after you heard the word of truth, you
heard it. Now what is this? Junior, you
heard this gospel a thousand times with these ears. And one
day, you remember? You heard it. Mike, that's two
of you. Isn't that true, Paul? One day. Heard it. I grew up
on preaching and preachers. Our home was headquarters for
preaching. My mother made biscuit and gravy for every preacher
from Texas to Florida. I heard them all. Hyman Appleman,
Jesse Jesse Henley, Joe Henry Hankins, all the rest of them,
Lee Robinson, E.J. Daniels, John R. Rice, you name
them. They came through our town, preached. One day, I heard the gospel. And I was easy. I heard it with
my heart. It came in the power of God.
Ralph Barnard came along and preached the gospel. It flowed,
it flowed from heaven's throne through that preacher out of
his mouth into my heart and broke my heart. You know, Bob, you
experienced it. That's what he's talking about.
I speak in my preaching, verse 4, it's not with enticing words
of man's wisdom. Oh, he's a good preacher. No,
no, he's not. Not unless something's happening
when he preaches. Not a good preacher. And I don't mean noise
either. I mean the noise of a sob and
a broken heart and a commitment to Christ. He's a preacher. When he doesn't make folks stand
up and holler, when he makes, his message brings them to fall
down, bow down and weep. No, he's not a great preacher
who can get folks flocking to the front making decisions. He's
a great preacher. who can shut sinners up to the
mercy of God and Christ Jesus. And they go home to their closet
and shut the door and weep their hearts out before God and crown
to Him for mercy and grace and come out of that closet committed
to Christ Jesus. And you don't have to get them
to sign a card to give and to pray and to witness. They love
Christ and they'd die for Him. That's a great preacher. And
he's nothing. Because he didn't do it, God
did it. His preaching was in the demonstration of the Spirit.
Listen to verse 5. That your faith, and this is
the reason, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men. Your faith and your confidence
must not be in a man. It must be in the power of God.
Under God, how could any of us draw any comfort from faith in
a man? How could we? Stand in his strength
alone, the arm of flesh, yours, mine, or anyone else's will fail
you. You dare not trust your own,
or my own, or anyone's own, you can trust him. Trust him. Trust him. One of our men told me Sunday,
Cassius' son, Gary, said, I've retired from teaching. 30 years,
teacher in public school. Well, I said, Gary, I didn't
know you'd think about the time. He said, well, kind of 50-50
for a child. But he said that experience we
had out there at the high school when the boy shot the teacher
and then the janitor, he said that convinced me. Dangerous,
deadly dangers all about us. Let me tell you something. I
got an article on this, and I encourage you about this. And I know some
of you, I know you go through this very thing. You're out in
the public, and you are, and some of the rest of you, you're traveling on the highway.
Let me tell you something. Let me impress this upon you.
Nothing, nobody, no one, No demon, no disease, no death can touch
you without your Heavenly Father's permission. And you write that down. I don't
care what the danger is. I care not what the problem is.
I care not how dark the valley. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. I know that's
easy to say. You say, you stand up there and
say that. Come down and stand where we are. I know that. I'm not preaching it because
I believe it. I preach it because it's so. I want to believe it. You understand me? I'm not preaching
it because I'm an example of it. I'm preaching it because
it's so. I want to be an example. I'm not preaching anything because
I do it. I'm preaching it because it's
so. And I ought to do it. Right here. That's what I'm saying.
That's the reason I say you can't preach to people if you can't
identify with them. A thousand will fall at your
side, and ten thousand at your left hand, but it won't come
near you. I promise you, it won't touch you. Because He wills it. Now that's the God of the Bible.
And that's the God of salvation. That's the God and Father of
Jesus Christ. He's not impotent. Nothing's too hard for my God.
Nothing. And old Job, Satan said to God,
I'll tell you the reason I can't touch Job, because you built
a hedge around him. And I'm going to tell you this, tell you this,
whether you live out in the country, 40 miles from nowhere, we used
to say, lonely and dark, you can hear the darkness. You're
just as safe as if you was right here in this building. Is that
right? Just the same. You widows that
live alone, just lonesome, you hear a noise in the back of the
house, you hear the clock tick or something. Run check the door,
you know. Dial 9-1-1. Let me tell you,
this is so. He said, I'll never leave you.
I'll never forsake you. Therefore you can say, the Lord
is my helper. I will not fear. I will not fear. That's so. And our salvation
doesn't stand in the wisdom of men. He stands in the power of
God. The God who had the power to
save me has the power to keep me. And the God who has the power
to keep me has the power to raise me from the dead. And the God
who has the power to raise me from the dead has the power to
take me to glory and make me like Christ. And I'm looking
to Him. I'm not going to preach anything
else, Mike. I'm not going to believe anything else. I'm not
going to join the club of PMA positive mental attitude. Or
some other kind of thinking. My thinking is Christ. That's
my thinking. It's Christ. And it's never failed
me yet. Don't expect it ever will. That's why we preach, Christ
and Him crucified, that your faith should not stand in the
wisdom of men, but in the power of God. In the power of God. And you
know when we talk about power, it's natural for me to raise
a white arm and a fist, your power, black power, some other
kind of power. You know who God's right arm
is? It's Christ. Isn't that what he calls him?
My right arm. At my right hand is power and
glory. So look to Christ. Don't ever
leave that simplicity. Let me say it to me. Pastor,
when you want to impress somebody, don't do it. Preach Christ. Elders,
preach Christ. Teachers of the young, take them
to the cross. Take them to Jesus. All right,
let's sing a closing hymn. I believe we'll sing that 329,
Mike, sitting at the feet of Jesus. Number 329. Let's turn
to that and sing 329.
Henry Mahan
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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