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Henry Mahan

Shall I Die Like a Dog or a Man?

Psalm 49
Henry Mahan • October, 9 1988 • Audio
1,528 Articles 3,940 Sermons 760 Books
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Henry Mahan
Henry Mahan • October, 9 1988
1,528 articles 3,940 sermons 760 books
Message: 0887b
Henry T. Mahan Tape Ministry
6088 Zebulon Highway
Pikeville, KY 41501

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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Now, I want you to look at the
last verse in Psalm 49, which reveals to us the importance
of this psalm, the great, great importance of this psalm. It
says in verse 20, Psalm 49, man that is in honor. Now, that honor
can be the honor of a father, the honor of a community leader,
honor of a pastor, the honor of a deacon, the honor of a foreman,
the honor of a neighbor, any kind of honor. There's not anybody
here that is not without a place, position, and honor, and that's
just so. Everybody here has a position
of honor, a mother, a wife, somebody special to somebody, the honor
of this world, a man that is in honor, a special person. Everybody's a special person
with a special place, there's no question about that. And that
person understands not, and understands not. He's like the beast that
perishes. No matter how much honor or position
or power prestige, influence, special we are here in this world. Yet if we are without understanding,
without understanding, we do not understand the redemptive
glory of God in Christ. Now, that's what we're talking
about. That does not understand. The redemptive glory of God in
Christ, well, He's just like a beast that perishes, that John
tells us in 1 John 5, we know that the Son of God has come
and given us an understanding. Understanding comes from God,
and it comes through Christ. The Son of God has come and given
us an understanding that we may know God, that is true, and this
is the true God, and this is eternal life. And regardless
of who the person is, if he has not understanding, the wisdom
of God and the truth of God and the redemptive glory of God,
he's like a beast that perishes. That's just so. You see, now
watch this, this is true. Understanding spiritual truth,
understanding the wisdom that is of God and that comes from
God, is really the only thing that makes a person different
from a beast. what he's saying here. Isn't
that what he's saying? Understanding. He says a man that has honor,
position, and power, but he doesn't have understanding, he dies like
a beast. So the only thing that separates a man from a beast
is understanding. Isn't that what he's saying?
That's what I see here. Understanding. If a man will
not follow the wisdom of God, but like the beast. And what
does the beast do? The beast finds they're all only
in this world, in this life. The beast eats, and sleeps, and
mates, and goes his way, and he finds his satisfaction, pleasure,
and everything simply in the physical material world, does
he not? That's what the beast does. He grazes in the field,
and he walks through the pasture, and he bears other beasts, and
then he dies. And what I'm saying is, if men
will not follow the understanding and wisdom of God, but like the
beast, find their all only in this life, then their end will
be like the beast, the paragon. That's what he's saying. Man,
the goddess of his honor, but if he understands not, he's like
a beast. And here's what we're saying,
here's what he's teaching. From the loftiest place, the loftiest
place of honor and eternal glory conforming it to the image of
Jesus Christ, and an air of God's glory from that lofty, unspeakable
place of glory to the uttermost depth of shame and death is only
a step. It's only a matter of hearing
and understanding and believing the truth of God, the wisdom
of God. That's the only difference. That's the only difference. For a man, now watch this, for
a man with no worldly honor at all, no outstanding honor Just a simple man in a simple
place who knows God, who really knows God, who understands the
wisdom and knowledge of God. He's higher than the angel. He's
higher than the angel, for he is a joint heir with Jesus Christ
and seated at the right hand of God. The most simple person,
the most simple farmer or coal miner, or whatever. who understand, who know God,
is higher than any. He is higher than any. But the man in this world who
has the greatest prestige, richest wealth and power, yea, barely,
the ruler of a kingdom, without the true knowledge and understanding
of the gospel, they're lower than the beast, the dog that
dies on the highway." Now, that's exactly what he's saying here. He said, but you're getting an
awful lot out of that. There's an awful lot in that. There's
an awful lot in that. A man, that's what it says, that's
in honor, and understands not? Understands not? He's like the
beast that perishes. lower than the beast. Mr. Spurgeon said, we're so much
like beasts that we never know that we are
beasts until God shows us that we're beasts. We just don't find it out. We
just wallow around in that ignorance and darkness and foolishness,
and we never learn to be true men. true meaning until we learned
that we were a beast. That's right. We never learned
that it's true meaning, being created in the image of God Almighty,
until we learned that we were a beast. And notice it says here
in verse 20, Psalm 49, man that is in honor. And we all at one
time or other think we're something. That's right. and he doesn't
understand. He's like the beast that perished.
And notice, he didn't say like this beast or that beast, like
the noble lion or like the gallant horse, but he said he's just
like a beast. Take any beast, just any beast. The worst of beasts, the vilest
of beasts. And the man that understands
not the true wisdom of God like that beast, any beast. And I take the dog." And you
know, Peter did too. He said, a man that has heard
the gospel and turns from it is like what? A dog returning
to his vomit and a sow wallowing in the mire. That's what Peter
said. A person who hears this glorious wisdom and turns from
it and does not believe it and receive it and walk therein is
like a dog that turns to his own vomit, and that's the most
sickening thing you can experience, or like a sow that just loves
to wallow in the mire. Well, when I looked at that and
got to thinking about this, man that's held in honor and esteem
and place and does not understand does not enter into and love
this wisdom of God. He's like a dog that dies on
the highway. Somebody shovels him up and throws
him over in the ditch. Well, what is this understanding?
What is this wisdom? Now that's the thing that I thought,
what is this, that which separates man that has this understanding
of higher than the angel and a man who doesn't have it is
lower than the beast. What is this understanding? Well, I've
jotted down five things here and I believe I've got hold of something
here. What is this understanding? What
is this understanding? Well, first of all, it's an understanding,
number one, if you want to write these five things down, do so
and look at them later, but I believe, first of all, this understanding.
And Brethren, believe me, it's not religious tradition, it's
not some experience you had one time when you walked an aisle
and decided for Jesus. It's not, I know I'm saved because
I was there when it happened. It's to have an understanding, an understanding, some spiritual
wisdom. And first of all, it's an understanding
of the purpose of God. The purpose of God. What is the
purpose of God? The counsel of God. That which
took place before the world began. God's will, God's eternal will
and good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. He said in his work,
I've purposed it, I'll bring it to pass. Well, this eternal
purpose of God is just this. God will have a people from Adam's
race, from every tribe, kindred, nation, and tongue under heaven.
God has decreed and determined that in Jesus Christ he's going
to have a people, made like unto his Son, brought unto himself
by his Son. He's going to have a people.
That's God's eternal purpose. Turn with me to Isaiah 46, and
see if that's not what he's saying here. Isaiah 46. I understand
that God has not left all things to chance, that Almighty God
has determined and decreed that he will have a people. He's going
to have a new heaven and new earth, for he indwelleth like
this earth. He's going to destroy this old earth This old universe
is going to melt with the fervent heat, it's going to pass away,
and all things will be made new. And there'll be a people like
Christ. Now look here at Isaiah 46, verse 9. Now remember the
former things of old, I'm God, and there's none else, and I'm
God, there's none like me. I've declared the end from the
beginning. And from ancient times, things
that are not yet done, saying my counsel. This is an unchangeable
counsel, it's an eternal counsel. It'll stay, and I will do all
my pleasure, even calling a ravenous bird from the east, and the man
that executed that counsel, my counsel from a far country, yea,
I've spoken it, I'll bring it to pass, I've purposed it, I'll
do it." Now that's where wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. The beginning of wisdom is the
fear of the Lord. It's giving God his rightful
place as the sovereign ruler, the sovereign king over all things. He, God Almighty, has a purpose. Let me show you a couple other
scriptures, Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1, listen to
this. And I said on television this morning, this thing of election,
predestination, particular God's eternal purpose? People say,
that's Presbyterian doctrine. No. Well, that's primitive Baptist
doctrine. I know those primitive Baptists
believe that. Well, so what? It's not Presbyterian doctrine
or primitive Baptist doctrine, it's just the Word of God. It's
just the truth of God. It doesn't matter to me who believes
it or who doesn't believe it. It's the truth of God. God reigns.
He reigns. It's like Nebuchadnezzar said,
God reigns in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. God reigns. God has a purpose. Look at Ephesians
1, verse 9, "...having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself."
that in the dispensation of the fullness of time, when all things
are completed and all things are wound up, he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven
and which are on earth, even in Christ, in whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will. that we should be to the praise
of his glory who first trusted in Christ. For that second, this understanding,
this wisdom that separates men of God from beasts of the feast,
is not only to understand the purpose of God, it's to understand
the power of God. He's able to accomplish that
purpose. He will do it. I turn to Numbers
23. This is a scripture that ought
to be marked in your Bible, Numbers 23. Now listen to this, Numbers
23. I'm reading verses 19 and 20. Numbers 23, 19 and 20. Now listen to this. This is some
of Balaam's problems, difficulties, but this is true. Even Balaam
knew this. Verse 19 of number 23, God is
not a man. Now the God I hear preached today
is scarcely more than a man, and I'm weary of hearing of an
impotent God. I am so weary of it. I'm so weary
of hearing what God can't do. But God is not a man that he
should lie, neither the Son of Man that he should change or
repent. As he said, and shall he not
do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall
he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment
to bless, and God hath blessed it." And I can't reverse it,
and nobody else can reverse it. Almighty God, is anything...
You know, when God came to Abraham and said, You'll have a son,
and Sarah laughed, and the angel of the Lord said, Is anything
too hard for God? Is anything too hard for God?
This understanding, this wisdom, and I know the... I was watching
the debates the other night, and Mr. Quayle spoke, and Mr. Benson spoke, and all of them,
they both had this summary, and they both rounded up with a minute
talk, and they both rounded up with one thing. God bless you. Everybody I know is religious.
And I thought to myself, which God? Which God? Don't you think about those?
We talk about the little, impotent God of today, the God who wills
and can't, the God who has a plan and can't put it into operation,
the God that wants to save and can't save. We're talking about
the omnipotent, unchangeable, infinite, almighty, eternal God
who reigns and rules, and can even say to a Pharaoh, for this
purpose I raised you up to show my power. This is the understanding, the
purpose of God, secondly, the power of God, and thirdly, the
providence of God. The providence of God. Brother
Mann, what do you mean by the providence of God? I mean that
the falling of a sparrow is not without the hand of God, what
the Lord Jesus He said, not a sparrow falls to the ground without your
father. I mean the falling of a hare from the hill is known
unto God and marked by God. I'm saying that there's not a
speck of dust out yonder behind the tractor riding through the
field that is not under the absolute control and dominion of my heavenly
Father. That's what I'm saying. The very
hares of your head are known. God directs and controls all
things, all events, and all actions of all creatures for his glory
and to accomplish his will. Nothing can take place in the
life of any person, save the law, without the permission of
Almighty God. And I don't know how to say this,
either his directive will or his permissive will. I do know
that Satan could not touch Job without God's permission, and
I know Satan could not touch Peter without God's permission,
and I know even the devils that were in that man in the tomb
could not go into the pigs without Christ's permission. Now, that's
what the Scripture says. They said, suffer us to go into
those pigs, and he gave them leave. Turn with me to 1 Samuel 1. Now,
Hannah knew this. Now, brethren, this is wisdom.
This is the understanding. And David said, a man without
this understanding dies like a dog. For a man with this wisdom and
understanding, you know, eternal life's to know God. I know eternal
life, yes, is to believe on Christ, to rest in Christ, to trust Christ.
to be bathed in the blood of Christ, to be redeemed, to know
Christ. But I'm talking about the Christ
of God, the Christ of God, the Christ of the Sovereign God.
That's who we're talking about, all right? Hannah knew the providence
of God. She understood 1 Samuel 2 verse
1. And Hannah prayed, and she said,
My heart rejoices in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies because I rejoice in
thy salvation. There's none as holy as the Lord.
There's none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God.
Now don't you talk any more proudly, let not arrogance come out of
your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions
are weighed. The bowels of the mighty men
are broken, and they that stumble are girded with strength. And
they that were full have hired themselves out for bread, and
they that were hungry have ceased to be hungry. And they that are
barren have borne seven, and she that hath many children is
whacked feeble, because the Lord heals, and the Lord makes alive.
The Lord brings down to the grave, and the Lord brings us up. And
the Lord makes poor, and the Lord makes rich, and the Lord
brings us low, and the Lord lifts us up. And the Lord raises up
the poor out of the dunghill, and lifts the beggar from the
dunghill, the poor out of the dust, and the beggar from the
dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the
throne of glory. the pillars of the earth are
the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them." In other words,
the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and
all that dwell therein, he is Lord. That's what I'm saying.
Job understood the providence of God when everything the man
owned and everything the man had was swept away. He said,
well, the Lord gave it and the Lord took it away. He didn't
blame the east wind, He didn't blame the devil, he didn't blame
the forces of evil, and he didn't blame God, but he did attribute
it to the Lord. Eli understood the providence
of the Lord when his two sons were killed. He said, well, it's
the Lord. Let him do what seemed good to
him. Paul understood the providence of the Lord when he was sitting
down in prison in Rome. He said, I'm the prisoner of
the Lord. I'm not the prisoner of the Roman government, I'm
not the prisoner of Caesar's empire, I'm the prisoner of Almighty
God. And their shackles and their
bonds cannot remain only one second longer in God's ordainment. That's what, that's wisdom. I am what I am by the grace of
God. You understand? That's understanding. Wisdom and understanding is to
know the purpose of God. He has a purpose. Whom he foreknew,
he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Whom
he predestinated, he called. Whom he called, he justified.
Whom he justified, he glorified. What shall we say to these things?
If God be for me, who can be against me? That's wisdom. That's
what separates a true man from a dog. And the power of God,
he can do what he will. It's the Lord, let him do what
he will. The leper fell at the feet of Christ and said, if you
will, you can make me whole. Is anything too hard for God?
That's wisdom. And then the providence of the
Lord. There are no accidents with God, and there are no accidents
in the lives of his people. I don't understand the ways of
the Lord, and you don't either. I cannot answer why. People come,
they always come in saying, why? I don't know why, but I know
who. I don't need a God I can understand.
I don't want a God I can comprehend, do you? No, I don't understand
why, and I do not know why, but I do know that God moves in mysterious
ways his wonders to perform. And he plants his footsteps on
the sea, and he rides upon the storm. He has all power. He'll do what he will, when he
will, with whom he will, for his glory. And bless your heart,
like Ronnie said in his prayer, we don't know what the future
holds, but I know who holds the future. Now, and he's got to
hold it. He's got to. And he does. And
he hasn't turned it over to anyone else. And I understand the providence
of the Lord. I understand that it's all in
his good providence, and it's good providence. It's good providence. I was, I had a first cousin,
beautiful woman. In fact, she was Miss Something
down there in Alabama when I was a a teenager, she was Miss something,
I forget what it was, Alabama College or something. She married,
she was my cousin by marriage, she married my cousin who was
adopted. And they had three children. She got polio. The polio vaccine
came out just before she caught polio. And this doctor, this
cousin of mine, had it in his office, but he did not give it
to his family because he didn't want to give it to them before
he gave it to the other people. He said everybody gets it at
the same time. He didn't have sufficient vaccine. That was a noble gesture. His
wife got polio and never, ever walked again. And I was down
there after that. In fact, Rebecca's middle name
was named for her. Isn't that a beautiful woman? That's a charming person. I was
down there shortly after that. And they found out what I believed.
They found out what I believed. You know how relatives are. They
put your back against the wall. And my aunt, who was very special
to me all my life, who helped raise me, she looked at me and
she said, you don't believe that genes kill me. You think God will, do you? I knew we were split. And I said,
yes, ma'am, I do. I do. I said, and this lady's
there. She's one of the leaders of the
Baptist church. Watch as she died. I said, yes, ma'am. I do. I don't think anything
happens to any of his children or anybody else without his will. God controls all things. I said,
don't you believe that? Oh, she said, no, I don't believe
that. I don't believe God has anything to do with this. Nothing.
I said, what do you believe? She said, I believe Gene was
in the wrong place at the wrong time and ran into the jungle. David said, Lord, whether shall
I flee from thy presence, if I ascend into heaven, dark If
I make my bed in hell, if I take the wings of the morning and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, where was Jesus? Where God wasn't? I just don't
know about that. And then when my son was killed
in Vietnam, I passed across again. And she said, now what do you
do? I said, I believe just what I
believed back then. I believe God's on the throne.
Do you? For if he's not who he is, that's what I am. And if
he's not, where is your comfort? Where's your strength? Where's
your hope? Tell me where it is if he's not on the throne. You see, this is what separates
me from beasts. I don't care whether religious
beast or preaching beast, but they're dogs. And that's what
Isaiah called the preachers who didn't believe God's purpose
and providence. Dumb dogs. You read it, Isaiah 56. Let this
gentleman, let you read it. Isaiah chapter 56. Isaiah 56. All right, here it is. Isaiah
56. Verse 10, is Wattsman or Blanton? They're ignorant, they're dumb
dogs. They cannot bark or they won't.
They won't warn people, they won't bark. The thief is at the
door and they won't bark. They're sleeping, lying down,
loving to slumber, and they're greedy dogs. You furnish them
a place to live and a car to drive and food to eat, and sending
their kids to school, and they're not going to shake the boat.
They're greedy dogs that never have enough. They're shepherds
that don't understand. They look to their own way, everyone
for his own gain, from his own quarter. That's who they are,
dogs that die in the street. And a man that does not understand
is like a beast of things. Doesn't understand the purpose
of God, and the power of God, and the providence of God And
then what's this? He doesn't understand the presence
of God. Now here we are. Here's where
it is. God was in Christ. That's where you meet God in
Christ. That's how you know God in Christ.
Preacher, where'd you get this wisdom? In Christ. Where'd you
get this understanding? In Christ. The Son of God has
come and given us an understanding that we may know God. And that
we're in God. And this is the true God, and
this is eternal life. All I know about God, I learned
in Christ. And tonight we read it back in
the study, Jim Eccles read it. Turn to Proverbs 8. Oh, I jotted
this down because it fits so perfectly in what I'm preaching
tonight. You know, they asked our Lord, they said, show us
the Father. He said, he that has seen me has seen the Father.
seen me or seen the Father. God was in Christ. All right,
watch this, Proverbs 8. Look at verse 8 and 9. All the
words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing forward or perverse
in my words, and they're plain to him that understandeth. Do
you understand? And they're right to them that
find knowledge. Now watch verse 14. counsel is mine, and sound
wisdom I am understanding." Whose understanding? I am, he said.
I am understanding, and I have strength. Now, verse 33, "'Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the
man that heareth me, that watcheth daily at my gate, and waiteth
at the post of my door.' For whosoever findeth me, findeth
life, wisdom, understanding, and shall obtain favor of the
Lord. But he that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul. All
that hate me love death." Well, who is me here? All right, look
at verse 24 through 29. I'll read this quickly. When
there were no deaths, I was brought forth. there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the earth, when he prepared the heavens, I was there. When
he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established
the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
he gave to the seas his decree that the water should not pass
his commandment, he appointed the foundation of the earth,
I was by him, as one brought up with him, I was daily his
delight, rejoicing always before him. Who is that? That's Christ
the Lord. Glorify me with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was. That which separates a man, a
man of God, a man exalted yea above the angels, from a beast
that is understanding who Christ is, what Christ did, why Christ
did it, and where Christ is now. Do you understand that? Well,
boy, if you do, thank God. Thank God. And the fifth thing
is to understand the promises of God. The promises of God. I tell you, the promises of God
are called precious promises. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians
1. The promises of God are precious
promises, but where are those promises? Where are they? Where
are the promises of God? The promises of God are... You
know the second Corinthians? The promises of God are in Christ
Jesus. Yes. Second Corinthians. Second Corinthians, chapter one.
That's where... Second Corinthians one. Listen
to this. Where are the promises of...
The rich, precious promises of God, where are they? All right,
let's look at verse 2 Corinthians 1, 18 through 20. But as God
is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay, maybe, perhaps,
for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by
us, even by me and Silas and Timothy, it was not yea and nay,
but in him was yea, for all the promises of God in Christ are
yea. and in Christ are aiming unto
the glory of God. You have an understanding of
the promises of God, the life of God. Abraham did turn to Romans
4. Abraham believed those promises.
He believed those promises. Now watch this, and I'll try
to bring it to a close. Romans 4, verse 20, Abraham staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief. but he was strong in
faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what
God had promised, God was able to perform, and therefore it
was imputed to him for righteousness. Now, this was not written for
his sake alone, that righteousness was imputed to him, but for us
all, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on God who raised
up Jesus Christ from the dead, who was delivered and raised
for our justification. Now turn back to Psalm 49. I
want to do one thing. I want to read it now. And you be patient and listen
and follow while I read this. This is the Psalm David wrote
when he wound it up with, A man that doesn't understand death
is lower than a beast of prey. Now hear this, all you people,
and give ear, all you inhabitants of the No matter who you are,
both high and low, rich and poor together, you listen. My mouth
is going to speak with them. And the meditation of my heart,
the thoughts of my heart, shall be of understanding. I'll incline
mine ear to a parable. I'll open my dark saying, this
mysterious saying, upon the heart. I'm going to sing it. I'm going
to put it to a song. Wherefore should I fear in the
days of evil? when the iniquity of my heels
shall compass me about." I don't fear to speak the truth. Everybody
may oppose it and fight it, and nip at my heels, they shall see
the serpent shall bruise the heel. They that trust in their
wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches,
none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give
to God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their soul
is precious, and it seetheth forever. These who are so great
and famous and wise and powerful, how are they going to redeem
their brethren, redeem themselves? Redemption comes I, or ransom
is I. They can't do anything for a
man. Verse 9, that he should live forever and not seek corruption.
For he seeth that wise men die and fools die. They both die. And the brutish person perishes
and leaves his wealth to others. And the inward thought is that
the houses are going to continue forever. Their members and their
names, always putting their names on things and buildings and football
stadiums and schools and houses and all these things and tombstones. They think their names are going
to continue and their houses are going to continue and their
dwelling places to all generations. They even call their lands after
their own names. They've got a high opinion of
themselves. Nevertheless, man being in honor of God, if not,
he's like the beast that perishes. This, their way, is their following.
And yet, their posterity, their children, they believe it too. They approve of their Satan. You think about that. Their children
even believe the same thing. They're just passing it on down
from father to son, this tradition. And Selah means, you pause and
think about that a while. Like sheep that are laid in the
grave, death will feed on them, death will be their shepherd.
And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and
their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul.
That's true, and God's going to redeem my soul. And the price
of redemption is the blood of his Son. God will redeem my soul
from the fire of the grave. and God will accept me unto beloved,
you'll receive me." Now you pause and think about that. Be not thou therefore afraid
when one is made rich and powerful and much honor and prestige and
so forth, when the glory of his house is increased. But when
he dies, he'll carry nothing away. His worldly glory shall
not descend after him. While he lived, he blessed his
soul and praised his name and lauded his accomplishment. And
men praise thee too when thou do it well to thyself. They praise
you too. But you'll go to the generation
of his fathers, they've never seen the light, and he's never
seen the light, and his children will never see the light. Because man that is in honor
and understandeth not is like the dog that dies. And that's
where he's nice. Am I going to die like a dog?
I trust God I will not.
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.

Broadcaster:
Henry T. Mahan / Zebulon Grace Church
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1co 01v01-02 Christ and Him Crucified.pdf PDF · 0.1 MB
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