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Henry Mahan

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Philippians 2:1-8
Henry Mahan • December, 15 1991 • Audio
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Message: 1040b
Henry Mahan Tape Ministry
6088 Zebulon Highway
Pikeville, KY 41501
What does the Bible say about grace?

The Bible describes grace as unmerited favor from God, especially in relation to salvation.

Grace in the Bible is fundamentally God's unmerited favor towards humanity, particularly shown in salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes that we are saved by grace through faith, a gift from God, not of our works. This means that salvation is solely the work of God, and recognizing our own guilt deepens our appreciation of this grace. Spurgeon brilliantly stated that the greater glory of God's grace is only experienced by those who are well acquainted with their guilt, illustrating that an awareness of our sin leads to a greater love for God's grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Corinthians 5:17

How do we know we are in Christ?

We know we are in Christ by the evidence of the Spirit and a transformed life.

The assurance that one is in Christ comes through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. A life marked by genuine faith, evidenced by walking in the light, and bearing good fruit supports our assurance. Paul also writes that if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans 8:9). This transformation is both a covenantal act and a direct result of God’s grace implemented in our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:9

Why is the love of Christ important for Christians?

The love of Christ is vital as it demonstrates God's commitment and is the foundation for our faith.

The love of Christ is paramount for Christians because it is through Christ's love that we experience genuine transformation and redemption. Paul expresses the significance of this love in his writings, indicating that knowing the depth of love from God influences our relationship with Him and others. In the example of the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, her great love was a response to the immense forgiveness she received (Luke 7:47). Therefore, understanding the magnitude of Christ's love not only shapes our faith but compels us to demonstrate love and mercy towards others.

Luke 7:47, Romans 5:8

What does the Bible say about walking in the Spirit?

Walking in the Spirit means living in alignment with God's will and truth.

Walking in the Spirit refers to a Christian's daily conduct being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16 encourages believers to walk by the Spirit so they will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. This means keeping in step with the Spirit’s guidance, which is aligned with God's Word. Such a walk manifests in fellowship with God and produces the fruits of the Spirit in a believer's life. John’s writings affirm that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, indicating that our interactions are also transformed.

Galatians 5:16, 1 John 1:7

Why is humility important in the Christian life?

Humility is crucial in the Christian life as it reflects Christ's character and fosters unity.

Humility is essential in the Christian life as it embodies the character of Christ, who demonstrated ultimate humility in His incarnation and sacrificial death. Philippians 2:5-8 illustrates how Christ humbled Himself, serving as a model for believers. Embracing humility allows us to put others before ourselves, promoting unity in the body of Christ. Paul emphasizes that true Christian fellowship cannot exist without a humble spirit, highlighting that strife and division are contrary to the example set by Christ. Recognizing our dependence on God also fosters an attitude of humility, leading to deeper relationships within the church.

Philippians 2:5-8, James 4:10

Sermon Transcript

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All things are possible to him
that believeth. So if you can believe, all of
these mercies are possible, if you can. Again, our Lord said
this to his disciples, if you love me, you'll keep my words. Assuming that this is true, that
you do love me, assuming that you do in fact love me. He asked
Peter that, he said, do you love me? We said, yeah, then feed
my sheep. Assuming this to be true, then
the results will be determined. If you do, you will. He said
to the woman at the well, he asked her for a drink of water,
and she said, why is it you being a Jew ask
me, a Samaritan, for water? Don't you know that the Jews
don't have any dealings with the Samaritans? He said, if you
knew the gift of God, if you only knew the gift of God. And who it is, is talking to
you, if you did, assuming that that were true. I'll tell you
what you'd do. You'd ask me, and I'd give you
living water, if you'd hear. If you knew the gift of God.
Paul uses that little word quite often. He says in 2 Corinthians,
he said, if any man be in Christ, by covenant grace and by effectual
call and by substitution. If any man is in Christ, dwells
in Christ, he is, in fact, a new creature. If these things be
true, then he's a new creature if he's in Christ. That's just
so, no doubt about it. And he said this also, he said,
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of grace
and the Spirit of faith and the Spirit of Christ, then he's none
of his, if he doesn't have the Spirit of God. If this be true,
that he does not have the Spirit of Christ, then he doesn't belong
to Christ. John used this way. This is frequently
used in the Scripture in this way. John said, if we walk in
the light, if we walk in the light, the light of his word,
the light of his will, then we'll have fellowship with him. But
if we walk in darkness, there's no fellowship. But if we walk
in the light, the tenor of our lives and bent of our wills and
the direction of our lives, if it's in the light of God's truth
and word and will, we'll have fellowship with him, if we do. And then he talked about folks
that had left the gospel, John did. He said, if they had been
of us, if they had been one with us, they no doubt would have
continued with us. They couldn't leave. Man can't
leave breath. He can't leave life. He can't
leave that which is vital to him. So if they hadn't been of
us, they no doubt would have continued with us. If, if certain
conditions do really exist, if certain things are really true,
the results are never in doubt. That's just so. That's what this
is going to be all about this morning. If certain conditions,
we may claim them to be so, or feel them to be so, or profess
them to be so, but if these things be true, if these conditions
do in fact exist, then the results are never in doubt. For example,
I read a sermon by Mr. Spurgeon a few days ago. in which
he made four statements that really were a special blessing
to me. He made these four statements. He said, the glory, the glory
of God's grace, the greater glory of God's grace, the enjoyment
of it, the appreciation for it, the glory of God's grace is only
experienced by those who are well acquainted with guilt. Do
you reckon that's so? The greater glory of God's grace
is only really experienced and enjoyed and appreciated by those
people who are acquainted with their own guilt. The hymn writer
put it this way, O to grace, how great a what? Detour. Daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter
bind my wandering heart to thee, prone to leave thee, prone to
wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's
my heart, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. The
greater my guilt and the realization of it, the greater my love for
the grace of God." Real sinners need real grace. I tell you the
man that unashamedly and clearly and plainly will preach salvation
is of the Lord is the man who knows salvation is indeed of
the Lord. Isn't that right, Tom? I tell
you the man who without hedging and boldly will make known to
his congregation that It's the grace of God and the
grace of God alone that saves the guilty. It is the man who
knows that he was saved by that very grace. Somebody came here one time years
ago and was shocked when I made the statement that I'm a sinner. That person said to me, I never
heard a preacher call himself a sinner. I heard a preacher
on television talking this morning about his pre-Christian days, the things that existed in his
pre-Christian days. Listen, here is a sinner that
was a sinner when God chose him, and a sinner when God died for
him, and a sinner when God called him, and he'll be a sinner when
God takes him home. But then he won't be a sinner
no more. saved totally and completely by the grace of God. So your
love for and appreciation for God's grace is determined by
your understanding of your need of God's grace. Is that not true?
If you're in need, you're welcome grace. Here's the second thing
he said. The joys of love, the love of
Christ. Paul talked about the love of
Christ, constraineth me. The joys of that love The love
of Christ are only experienced by those to whom much is forgiven. Those are the folks that never
get over the love of Christ. They never get over it. There
was a woman who was a great sinner, according to the scriptures,
and she came to where our Lord was having a meal in the home
of a Pharisee. She was a great sinner. a noted
sinner, well-known sinner. And she came there into the home
where he was having the meal with some dignitaries. And she slipped in and bowed
at his feet and began to wash his feet with tears and kissed
them and anointed them with precious ointment and dried them with
the hair of her head. And some fellow said, If this
man were really a prophet, he wouldn't let a woman like that
touch him. And our Lord looked up at him and said, I have a
question for you. I have something to ask you. He said, if two men owed a man
a debt, one owed him a great deal of money and one owed him
a small amount, and he forgave both of them. which one would
love him the most. And the man answered and said,
well, I suppose that the man to whom he forgave the most would
love him the most. He said, you've well spoken.
You've well spoken. He said, I came into your house.
This man felt no guilt and no sin. and therefore experience
no forgiveness. And he said, I came into your
house and you didn't give me a kiss of greeting and you didn't
have anybody wash my feet and you didn't anoint my head with
oil. And since I came in, this woman has not ceased to bathe
my feet in tears and kiss them and dry them with her hair of
her head. And I say unto you, her sins, which are many, are
all forgiven." And that was the end of what he said. He never
said, and yours which are few, did he? He just says, hers which
are many. To whom much is forgiven, they
love much. If these conditions exist, if
they do, then the result is never in doubt. Where there's great
guilt, there'll be great appreciation for grace, and a great love for
the grace of God. and a willingness to declare
and contend for the grace of God, and where much is forgiven
when we remember the pit from which we were dug, and remember
the pit and the dunghill from which he lifted us, and remember
what we still have in us and what we're capable of and the
potential that's there were we not hedged about by the grace
of God. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. And by the grace of God, I'm
not what I could be. Is that true, Dale? By the grace
of God, I'm not where I would be and what I could be, but I
am what I am. Now, if we ever understand that
and get a hold of it, we'll love him. There won't be anybody who
has to twist your arm and get you to love Jesus and praise
Jesus and accept Jesus and believe on Jesus Christ. Well, here's
the third thing. The preciousness of Christ. One
of my boys gave me a birthday present one time. I appreciate
it as much as any present I have received. Just wrapped it up
in a piece of paper as a little board, a little carved board,
and written on that little board was these words, unto you that
believe, he is precious. He is. He is precious. And I'll
tell you, those, Spurgeon said, the preciousness of Christ is
only valued by those who have nowhere else to go. Is that true? Christ is precious. One day, our Lord preached, had
fed and preached to thousands of people. There were thousands
of the thing. And when he got through preaching,
when he preached who he is, who he is, who he truly is, and what
he truly came to do. And he talked to them about,
all that my father giveth me will come to me. This is in John
6. And no man can come to me except my father which sent me
drawing. And he talked about his sovereignty and salvation.
He talked about his people. He said, well, you see, and they
were offended. He said, well, when you see the
Son of Man ascend up where he was, it disoffends you. If the
simple declaration of God's power and glory and sovereignty and
might is offensive, boy, will you see it? Will your eyes behold
it? You know, if you read the book
of Revelation chapter 6, you'll find a strange prayer meeting.
There was a prayer meeting, and Revelation 6 is the strangest
prayer meeting I ever read about. And the folks that attended that
prayer meeting was the were the kings and princes and chief captains
and great and mighty of this whole world. Did you know they
all got together for a prayer meeting in Revelation 6? Really?
But you know the thing about, that's who was there, but you
know, and it was an outdoor prayer meeting. But they didn't pray
to God, they prayed to the rocks and mountains. Do you remember
reading about it? They didn't pray to God, they
prayed to the rocks and mountains. And they didn't pray for life,
they prayed for death. They prayed that the rocks and
mountains would fall on them. And they didn't pray that they
might see God, they prayed that they might be hidden from God
and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne. So our Lord said to these people
that if the simple declaration, this is what I think about these
preachers today and religious folks that are offended. by the
grace of God, and offended by the sovereignty of God, and offended
by the majesty and glory of the triune God. Wait till they see
him ascend up where he was. So when he said that, they began
to leave, and leave. And they all left, and finally
there was no one there but the twelve disciples. And he turned
to them and said, would you also go away? Will you go away? And Peter spoke
up and said, Lord, to whom shall we go? There is no water but the water
of life. There is no bread but the bread
from heaven. There is no refuge but the rock
of ages. To whom shall we go? Thou hast
the words of life, and we believe and we're sure that thou art
the Son of the living God. I've got no place to go. I tell
you this, when you have no place to go, it's precious. To you that believe, it's precious.
And then fourthly, Spurgeon said this, and mercy, mercy. Boy, that's a powerful word,
isn't it? And mercy will be shown and demonstrated in proportion
as mercy has been received. In other words, be ye kind, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God, for Christ's sake, forgave you.
To whom much is forgiven, he'll love much. But to whom much is
forgiven, he'll demonstrate love and mercy. That's right. There's
no one that will be outdone in mercy and forgiveness like that
person who daily experiences the mercy and forgiveness of
God Almighty. In other words, in spiritual
matters and things pertaining to God, where there's a general
heart work, where God has performed a genuine heart work, then the
results are never in doubt. Now let me give you an illustration
of that. I was preaching last Sunday on
Zacchaeus and the effectual call, the effectual call. Zacchaeus,
God dealt with him and God called him to Christ. Zacchaeus was
a son of Abraham and our Lord called him down. And when I finished
my message, I went back to the back and was standing there shaking
hands or standing there when Mike was given the benediction
or something, but this occurred to me. And I wondered why I didn't
present this in the message. Why it didn't occur to me until
I got back to the door, and it was too late then. But I thought
about this. Two men, both very wealthy. Both very wealthy. And they both
came to the Lord. In other words, there was a rich
young ruler. Remember the story? The rich young ruler, everybody
talked about him, preached about him and all. But anyway, he came
to the Lord. And he said to the Lord Jesus,
he said, good master, he said, what good thing shall I do to
inherit eternal life? Now, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life? Now, I'm not preaching on that
this morning, so I'm not going to do any explaining. And the
Lord Jesus just said to him, he said, you're very wealthy.
He said, go and sell what you have. and divided among the poor. Show mercy, show kindness, show
forgiveness, show grace, show love, do something for others.
Well, he didn't do it, did he? The Lord told him to. He instructed
him to do these things, to do them, to demonstrate love and
mercy and kindness and generosity to the others. Do this, you go
do this. Well, he didn't do it. He wouldn't
do it. He went away sorrowfully. He
had many riches. He went away clutching them to
his bosom. But last Sunday I read you a
scripture in the book of Luke where our Lord came under a tree.
And there was a man up there named Zacchaeus who also was
very prosperous. It says that. And he was very
rich. And we are too. Do you know we
have more than kings did 300 years ago? I'm very rich. I'm
not talking about people who've got great savings. I'm talking
about every one of us are rich. Compared to the way people live. Compared to the way you lived
when you was a boy. They can have the good old days. I'm not
interested in them anymore. I bathed in the last number nine
zinc tub I had to choose to bathe in. And drawn the last drop of water
out of a well. People talk about going out camping
and roughing it. I've roughed it all I want to.
A holiday inn is roughing it enough for me. You know what
I'm talking about. We're kings. We're rich. This
Zacchaeus was rich. And our Lord came under the tree
and he said, Zacchaeus, you make haste and come down. I'm going
to your house. Now, our Lord never said a word
to him about helping anybody, did he? He never said a word
to him about selling what he had given to the poor. Did he,
Charlie? Not a word. He never instructed him to do
anything. But as soon as his feet hit the
ground, he looked at the master and said, I'm going to give half
my goods to feed the poor. He said, if I've wronged anybody,
I'm going to restore them fourfold. What's going on here? What's
the difference? I'll tell you the difference.
The rich young ruler came to Christ on the basis of what he
could do in exchange for eternal life. Zacchaeus was a man in
whom God had already done a work of grace in his heart. He was
smitten in his heart, he was convicted in his heart, the Lord
Jesus Christ did a work in his heart, and he didn't have to
tell him anything. If you love me, you will. This is the thing about religion
today, where they've missed the whole thing. They've missed it
totally. They're not even close to the
target, let alone the center of it. Everywhere this morning,
they're going to have stewardship Sunday, they're going to pass
out cards, they're going to try to get people to give something
to Jesus and wish him a happy birthday, they're going to pass
out business cards, get somebody to come back next Sunday, they're
going to fight to see how many they can have in Sunday school,
they're going to beg people to come to prayer meetings, they're
going to beg people to... You're wasting your time. Our
Lord said to the rich young ruler, sell what you have and give to
the poor. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't do it. Zacchaeus,
he never said a thing to him about these things. And he came
down that tree doing what God, what God Almighty wanted him
to do, because something happened in him. You see, if this is straightened
out in him, if you love me, now let's read this text here and
just read it for a moment. If, he says, there be any confidence
in Christ. Is there? Is there? If there be any comfort of love,
do we know something about his love? Do we love him? Do we?
How about his faith, hope and love, the greatest of these is
love, love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things. Is that true? If there be? Read on. If there's any fellowship
of the Spirit, is there a family of God? Is there a body of Christ? Is there a kingdom of God's dear
Son? That's what Caesar was talking about while he was on his prayer,
kingdom of life. Is there one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one body, one spirit, one hope of your calling, one God and
one Father of y'all? Is there such a fellowship? Yes,
there is. There is confidence in Christ
and there is comfort of the Spirit. There is a fellowship of the
Spirit. If there be any bowels of mercy, What in the world is
that talking about? We don't use that like that anymore.
What's it talking about? Here's what he's talking about.
Is there any real depth to this thing? You know most, I can listen to
most preachers and tell you they don't believe what they're preaching. I know it, I know it so. I know
it so. But is there any depth to your
affection for him? Is there any depth to your confidence
in him? Is there any depth to your love
for one another? Or is it pretense? Is it play-like? Are we playing church? Is there any confidence in Christ?
Is there any comfort, real comfort in this love business? Is there
really any fellowship of the Spirit? Are we a family? Are
we? Is there any depth, any bowels
and mercy, any depth to your affection then? All right. Verse 2, the results are forthcoming. Fulfill my joy. Fulfill my joy. What's the Apostle's joy? Well,
turn to Philemon a moment. Hold that place there and just
turn to the book of Philemon. The Apostle Paul was writing
to one of his friends, a dear brother who had supported him
and loved him and helped him in the ministry and preached
in his home. Paul wrote to him about receiving
this slave, Onesimus, who had run away and had been brought
to the knowledge of Christ. Paul in verse 19 of Philemon
1 said, I've written to you, Philemon, I, Paul, have written
it with my own hand. I'll repay it, albeit I do not
say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. Yea, brother, listen to verse
20, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. Let me have joy. Refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Having confidence in your obedience, I wrote to you knowing, listen,
that you'll also do, I like this Tom, more than I say. You're
going to do more. You're going to be motivated
by that. You're going to fulfill my joy. I don't know whether
I told you this or not, I may have mentioned it Wednesday night
when many of you were not here. or Thursday night of some time,
but you know I'm spending some time up at Piteville helping
the Zebulon Baptist Church, and I spend quite a bit of time scheduling
services and preachers for them. So they got together down there
recently and wanted to do something special for me, buy a gift or
something like that I suppose. One of the men there, I appreciated
this so much, what a pearl of wisdom, he got up and said, don't buy him a gift or money
or anything like that. You want to do something for
Brother Mahan? Then be present in all these services. When he
and the other men come to preach, that's what he wants above everything. Isn't that true? That's what
Paul is saying here to these Philippians. If there's any confidence
in Christ, if there's any comfort in this business of love, if
there's any real fellowship in the family of God, if there's
any depth to your affection, then fulfill my joy. And this
is my joy, listen, listen, this is my joy. Be like-minded, be
like-minded, having the same love, be of one accord, be in
one mind, Be of one mind in the gospel of God's grace. Be of
one mind in your fellowship and your objectives. Be of one mind. Be of one purpose. Have the same
love. Be in one accord. And I'll tell you, if these things
are so, we will be that way. We will be. And then he says
in verse 3, and let nothing be done through strife or vainglory. Here is two things that ought
never be named among God's people. Don't let anything be done through
strife, quarreling, contention, division. That's not the spirit
of Christ. And brothers ought never be arguing
and divided. You know, one reason why we ought
not be arguing and divided is because we're brothers. And the
second reason is because none of us know anything like we ought
to know it. Step outside a church building and hear two men arguing
over a doctrine. I'm not talking about here, I'm
talking about other places and so forth. Why are they arguing? Neither one of them know anything.
They ought to know it, that's right. We think we do, but we
really don't. If we know we're sinners and
know God's on the throne and know Christ is the Savior and
know that our confidence is in Him, why would we be divided
over these insignificant? Don't ever, don't let anything
be done through this strife. God's not in strife and division
and vainglory. You know, Paul said, he that
planteth is nothing and he that watereth is nothing. Somebody's
got a plant and somebody's got a water but need one amount,
nothing. God gives the increase. And he said, don't let anything
be done through vain glory. What is that? That's a brother
seeking glory and recognition. God's not going to bless either
one. He's not going to bless contention and he's not going
to bless pride. He's not going to bless strife
and he's not going to bless self-seeking. He's not going to bless those
things because he can't be glorified in them. And these things won't
be true if these conditions exist. Isn't that right? If there's
confidence in Christ and comfort of love and fellowship with the
Spirit, there's not going to be any strife in vain, glory.
And then he reads on, And look not every man on his own things,
but every man on the things of others. You know, a man, a woman,
has got to be concerned. Now listen to me a moment. We've
got to be concerned about our relationship with Christ. bear
your own burden in this regard. Have to. I've got to examine
myself, whether I'm in the faith. Make my calling and election
sure. I've got to be, I've got to take care of the right ordering
of my home. That's my responsibility. It's
my responsibility to love my wife and be kind to her and raise
my children and keep my home together. That's my responsibility.
That ain't yours. That's mine. Ain't that right? before God. That's my responsibility.
And also providing a living for my family. That's our responsibility. And seeing that my family worships
God. I don't leave that to others.
That's my responsibility. The discipline of my children
is my responsibility. But we ought not just be anxious
and concerned about these things for ourselves. At the same time
that we are doing these things, let's be concerned for the well-being
and welfare of our brothers." See? See what he's saying? You
look on your own things, but look not every man on his own
things, but every man on the things of others. Not on your
own things only, but make sure everything's all right over there. Is it well with thee? You remember
when the woman came to see the servant, Elijah, and he said,
Is it well with thee? Is it well with the child? Is
it well with him? He's concerned. Is it well with
you? How's things at your house? Can
I be of any help? Do you need anything I've got,
you know? Look on the things of the Lord.
Now watch this. And let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus our Lord. And He's our example. That's
our example in all things. I wish I had the time to take
you through some of these things here, but I'll just briefly mention
them. There's six steps of our Lord's
humiliation when he humbled himself. Verse six, he was in the form
of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Christ
is God. He didn't try to take it by robbery
like Satan and Adam did. It was his. He's his. He's God. But here there are
six steps. I'll give them to you and you
develop them. Number one, he made himself of no reputation.
Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Secondly, he took on
him the form of a servant. Now, this is our example. It's
what Paul's given us. I came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister. Thirdly, he took on himself the
likeness of men. He was literally made what he
was not, flesh. took on himself the likeness
of sinful flesh. Made of a woman, he took the
flesh of a fallen man. He became literally identified. Can we do that, become identified
with one another? Identify. Paul said there's something
about weeping with those that weep and rejoicing with those
that rejoice. Christ, in this is what he did, Tom, he became
identified, numbered with us. and being found in fashion as
a man. He was not only a man in appearance,
he was a man in reality. He knew hunger, and he knew thirst,
and he knew weariness, and he knew grief. He was a man of sorrows,
he knew pain, he was ticked and in all points, he literally was
found in fashion as a man. Not just in appearance, but literally
in reality. And fifthly, he humbled himself. Fourthly, he humbled himself.
This was not forced upon him. It was that which he willingly
took. It was a position he assumed. No man takes my life. I lay it
down. In the next place, he became
obedient unto death. You see, our Lord did not die
as a martyr. He did not die as a reformer.
He did not die as an example. He died as a substitute. For
our sins and for us, he was willing to become obedient unto death. What's this fifth thing or sixth
thing? Even the death of the cross. And while the world, religious
world, tries to dress up that death and make it to be something
that is appealing to the natural eye, that was a horrible, ignominious,
terrible, terrible death. But for our sake, Christ was
willing to go that route. You know what it's saying? So
let this mind be in you, which was in Christ. That same humility,
that same subjection, that same submission, that same willingness
to give yourself. And I'll tell you the results.
Wherefore God highly exalted him. gave him a name above every
name. We supper with him, we reign
with him.
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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