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Henry Mahan

Amazing Grace

1 John 3:1-5
Henry Mahan • January, 23 1977 • Audio
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Message 0239a
Henry Mahan Tape Ministry
6088 Zebulon Highway
Pikeville, KY 41501

Sermon Transcript

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1 John 3, my message will be
dealing with the first five verses of 1 John 3. Verse 1 begins with the word,
Behold! Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. When the prophet Isaiah wrote
of the coming Redeemer, in Isaiah 7, verse 14, he began that announcement
with this word, Behold, a virgin, a young girl who had never known
a man, shall conceive and bring forth a child unheard of, amazing,
supernatural. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel,
God in human flesh. Behold, amazing. When the shepherds
were keeping their sheep on the Judean hillside, that eventful
night when our Lord was born when that virgin brought forth
that son. Suddenly a light shone about
those shepherds, and a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared to
them, and they began their announcement with this word, Behold, behold,
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior. a
Savior, Christ the Lord, has come to this earth. Behold, amazing,
unheard of, God clothed in human flesh, God Almighty walking the
earth in the flesh, in the form of sinful flesh, God on earth. Behold, amazing. When John the
Baptist was standing one day by the River Jordan delivering
his message about the Messiah, the Messiah will come. Moses
wrote of him. Moses said, Behold, the Lord
will raise up from among you a prophet like unto me, and him
you shall hear. The Messiah shall come in righteousness,
in power, in holiness. Isaiah wrote of him, a root out
of dry ground, a tender branch, despised and rejected of men,
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. John the Baptist
was delivering that message to a people who had come out to
hear him, including one Herod, a ruler. And suddenly he looked
and pointed to a carpenter, an ordinary man, a carpenter, a
son of Mary and Joseph, whose brothers and sisters we know.
Is not this the Nazarene, the Galilean? Is not this the carpenter's
son? John the Baptist turned and pointed
to him and began his announcement with that word, the Lamb of God. There He is. There's the Prophet,
there's the Priest, there's the King, there's the Messiah, there's
the Redeemer. Behold! Amazing! Astounding! Unheard of! Behold the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sin of the world. And the Scripture
says over and over in the book of Revelation, one of these days,
the heavens will roll back The trump of God shall sound, and
the voice of the archangel shall cry, Behold, behold, he cometh,
he cometh, and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced
him shall look upon him and mourn, as for an only son. Behold, he
cometh. Well, our text begins with that
word. If you'll take a concordance
sometime and go through the word of God, I don't have time to
do it in this brief message. But amazing announcements, startling
announcements, unheard of announcements, God sent announcements, are all
preceded with this word. Behold, a virgin shall conceive. Behold, thou shalt call his name
Jesus. Behold the Lamb of God, behold
He cometh. And here in our text there is
a behold that is no less amazing, you may think so. It doesn't
get your attention like the behold He cometh or behold the Lamb
of God or behold we bring you glad tidings of great joy or
behold a virgin shall conceive. But look at this text, behold
what manner of love, what manner of love. what great quality,
what greatness, what depth. Who can understand the length
of it, the breadth of it, the depths of it, the sacrifice of
it? Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us. We didn't love Him, but He loved
us. We didn't seek Him, but He sought
us. We didn't cry after him, he called unto us. Behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we, that
we, you and me, sons of Adam, rebels, sinners, lawbreakers,
that we should be called the sons of God. Behold. It goes
right along with these other announcements. It's no less amazing
And really, if you could see who he is, if you could understand
just a little bit, we see through a glass darkly and dimly now,
but if we could just see dimly, I don't think most of us see
at all. If we could just see dimly or even see darkly or even
understand in part the holiness of God and understand something
of our own guilt and sin and unholiness, If we understand
something of the majesty and splendor and greatness of God
and what worthless earthbound worms we are, we don't see that. But if we could just understand
something of his sovereignty, of his unparalleled, immaculate
righteousness and our manipulations, and our unrighteousness and our
selfishness and injustice. If we could just see the distance
that's between us, then we'd be able to say, behold my soul,
what manner of love. How could he love someone like
that? I had a preacher friend. He's
dead now. His wife is dead. And I'm not being humorous, believe
me, I'm serious. It was years ago I went to hold
a meeting for him. He was a handsome man, a fine
man, a talented man. But he had the ugliest wife I've
ever seen in my life, believe me. There wasn't a bone of beauty
about her in any shape, form, or fashion. But he chose her,
and he loved her, and he married her. And I thought to myself
when I met them, I came to understand more about it later, but when
I met them, I thought to myself, how could he love someone like
that? How could he be attracted to
someone so absolutely unlovely? Well, my friends, infinitely
greater is the mystery, infinitely greater is the amazing mystery
of how God could love me and you. But we think we're charming. We think we're lovely. We don't
see our corruption. Christ said you make the outside
of the cup clean, but I know what's on the inside. Christ
said you're like a whited sepulchre, you're like a grave. that someone
has manicured the lawn and planted the flowers and whitewashed the
marker, and you appear beautiful unto men, but on the inside,
you're full of dead men's bones, and God sees that. Now, my preacher
friend had an ugly wife on the outside, but she had inward beauty,
and he loved her, and I understood that later. I saw her compassion
and her understanding and her dedication, her loyalty and her
love for the gospel. And the outward appearance was
all I could see. I had to become better acquainted
with her to find out there was something on the inside. But
man looketh on the outward countenance, God looks on the heart. And God
Almighty still loves us. Behold what manner of love, how
great! But God, who is rich in mercy,
even when we were dead in sin, loved us. God commended his love
toward us in that while we were yet sinners. God sees your thoughts
and your attitude and your motive and your self-righteousness and
your guilt. God sees your heart. And that's
what makes this so amazing. It's no less amazing than, Behold,
a virgin shall conceive. It's no less amazing than, Behold,
God is come to the earth in person. It's no less amazing than, Behold,
he cometh. Behold, God loves sinners. There's a foolish dream of men
which is so deceptive, but that's the way Satan operates. He is
deceptive. He's subtle. And the heart is
deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it? We have a little
saying, if I know my heart, well, that's one thing you don't know.
And a few things you do know, but that's one thing you don't
know. And the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and Satan
is deceptive, and he has led men into a terrible error. And
it is an error, and that is the fatherhood of God. It's not true. Men who are unbelievers are children
of wrath, not children of God. That's what Scripture said. If
we're to go by the Word of God and not by our own thoughts,
If we're to go by the Word of God and not by our own imaginations,
the Scripture says, Behold what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed on us, believers, redeemed ones, that we should be called
sons of God. All men are not called sons of
God. You say, but God created all
men. He's the Father by creation.
He is the Creator. He created the snakes too, but
He's not their Father. He created dogs, too, but he's
not their father. Turn, if you will, to John 1,
and listen to this. John 1, look at verse 12. There's a difference. There's
a difference. In John 1, verse 12, as many,
listen to this, but as many as received him, that is, believed
on Christ, trusted Christ, bowed to him as Lord and Master, Redeemer,
to them gave he power. And that word power is the right
or privilege to become sons of God. We become sons of God by
faith. We become sons of God by faith. We're not born into this world
sons of God. We become sons of God. To him
that believes, he becomes a son of God. He has the right. To
him is given the privilege. And what a privilege! Behold,
what manner of love! Turn to 1 John 5. Listen to this. 1 John 5, just a page over from
our text, verse 1. Listen to this. Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. That's the person born
of God. That's the person that's a son
of God. When we say son of God, we mean those believing women,
too, and believing young girls, mothers. It's speaking of all
who believe. We are sons of God. But that
any man should be called a son of God deserves a behold, as
much as any announcement in Scripture. Our Lord said, I go to my father
and your father. We cry, Abba, Father. He said
when you pray, say, Our Father, which art in heaven. All men
can't say that. Those who are sons of God, those
who are born of God, behold what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed on us, that we, and if it ever ceases to be amazing
to you, if it ever ceases to be a mystery to you, If you ever
find in your heart or in your life or in your own righteousness
any reason to merit God's love, there's a good possibility you've
missed God's love. Because the children of God,
even in the full growth of maturity, even in the sunset years, are
still made to cry, Behold what manner of love that God should
make me his son, that he should love me and make me his own. Look at verse 2, Beloved, Beloved,
now are we the sons of God. You think about that, a son of
God, a son of God. With all our frailties, and how
many do you have, with all our infirmities, And with all our
faults, we are sons of God. Right now. Not going to be. Right
now we're sons of God. Right this moment. We're sons
of God by divine adoption. How do you get to be a son of
God? You just decide you're going to be a son of God? How do you
get to be a son of God? Well, first of all, by divine
adoption. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1.
Ephesians chapter 1. We have some families in our
church, and God bless them, that have had the grace and compassion
and love of God enough to bring into their homes children, adopt
them. I think that's one of the greatest
things in all the world. But there was a couple that didn't
have any children of their own. They wanted a child, and they
decided to adopt one. They went down to the orphanage.
Got out of the car, this was back many, many years ago. Got
out of the automobile and the husband came around, opened the
door for his wife and she got out and they were met head on
with a little fella about five or six years old that was a boy,
he was something else. He picked up rocks and threw
at him and the fella reached down to pat him on his little
fiery red head and he kicked him in the shins and stuck out
his tongue Tried to shake hands with him. He wouldn't shake hands
with him. They turned to walk in the building. He did something
else unattractive. And the husband turned to the
wife. He said, have you ever seen a child like that? She said,
I never have. So they went into the office
and the superintendent of the orphanage came and greeted them
and sat down across the desk and said, now, we have some children
that that we'll introduce you to and you can make a choice,
adopt a child. And the father looked at his
wife, and then he looked at the superintendent, and he said,
I'd kind of like to have that little fellow that met me at
the car when I came in. Oh, she said, you don't want
him. He's a holy terror. He's the
disturber of the peace. He's everybody's problem. You
wouldn't want him. And the man said, yes, I think
we do. I think we want him. He needs
us, and we love him. Well, that's what God did. He
came down here in human flesh and He chose me and He chose
you, the worst of the bunch. Paul said, the chief of sinners.
Paul said, less than the least of all the saints. Our Lord Jesus
Christ didn't go up into the tabernacle in the temple and
pick out one of the Pharisees. He went down into the, into the
ghettos of sin and chose a Mary Magdalene. or a Simon Peter,
or a Saul of Tarsus, or a Zacchaeus. And even in his dying hour, out
of all that multitude about his cross, he chose a thief, and
he said, Today thou shalt be with me. You don't understand
that? Well, our Lord said, I've come to call sinners. He said,
the world don't need a physician, it's those who are sick. Go learn
what that means. I will have mercy and not religious
sacrifice. I've not come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. His divine adoption has looked
down through the ages, and by his own purpose and according
to his own will, he has chosen for himself a people. He hasn't
chosen the wise, but the foolish. That's right, that's what he
said. God had not chosen the wise, but the foolish. And he
had not chosen the things that are, but the things that aren't.
He has not chosen the rich, but the poor. That's right. He sent
his love upon those who need him. Do you? Those who need desperately,
desperately need him. Look at Ephesians 1, 5. Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children. by Jesus Christ
to himself according to the good pleasure of his own will. The
superintendent of the orphanage said, Are you sure this is what
you want? This is my will. I want that
boy. I want that little holy terror. I want him. That's my will. That's according
to the good pleasure of my will. I've set my love upon him, and
I won't be satisfied until I get him. And that's what our Father
did by divine adoption. He sent his love upon us. I have
drawn you, he said, with an everlasting love. Oh, you were fewer than any people.
You were not lovely. Herein is love, not that we love
God. He loved us and gave himself for us. Christ said to his disciples,
you didn't choose me. I chose you. I chose you. by his divine adoption. And then
turn to John 1, verse 13. We read verse 12, but now listen
to verse 13. It says in verse 12, as many
as received him, to them gave he the power, right to become
the sons of God. Verse 13 tells about not only
their adoption, but that regenerating power that made them sons of
God and gave them God's nature, which were born These people
who believed on him, these people who received him, these people
who became his sons, they were born. And we're not talking about
the first birth. Nicodemus, that religious fellow,
came to Christ one night, and he wanted to talk a little bit,
and the Lord Jesus said, Now, Nicodemus, you can't understand
the kingdom of God unless you're born again. You can't understand
it. You must be born again. Except
the man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That
word see is perceive, discern, understand. You don't know what
I'm talking about, Nicodemus. If I've told you earthly things
and you don't understand, how can you understand if I tell
you heavenly things? You don't have any understanding
powers. Now, Nicodemus, you can understand the flesh. That's
in your... That's in your understanding.
That's in your nature. You were born of the flesh, and
that which is born of the flesh is flesh. And flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It cannot understand the
kingdom of God. It cannot perceive or discern
the kingdom of God. It cannot see the kingdom of
God. And he said, except you be born again, you can't enter
the kingdom of God. The natural man receiveth not
the things of God. What is a natural man? Well,
when I was born the first time into this world, a son of Adam,
right on down the line, I was born a son of my human father.
He gave me human qualities, he gave me a human nature, he gave
me a nature like unto himself. I favor my father. I received,
I received by natural birth the nature of my father. And you
receive the nature of your father and your mother. You look like
them, you've got qualities like them, you've got personalities
Similar to theirs because they gave you a fleshly nature, but
something they couldn't give you was a spiritual nature You
were born alive to the flesh and dead in sin you were born
alive to the flesh and dead to God and These people who received
him and became sons of God were born now. What's this not of
blood that is it wasn't a family inheritance I can't give my children
eternal life. I can give them natural life. When they're born the first time,
I gave them, the seed of man gave them natural life. But I
couldn't give them spiritual life. They have to be born again.
You're not a child of God because your mama was or your daddy was.
You're a child of Adam because your mama and daddy were children
of Adam. But we're born not of blood,
not of the will of the flesh. Not of the will of man. That's
not how the new birth takes place. That's not how the divine nature
comes. Born of God. How does one become a son of
God? First, by divine adoption. God sets his love on him. God Almighty makes him his own
according to the good pleasure of his own will. I don't know
why. Thou hast, our Lord Jesus said,
Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent and
revealed them to babes because, Father, it seemed good in your
sight. I don't understand it, nor do I know who they are. But God knows, Jesus knew from
the beginning who would believe on Him and who would betray Him.
That's what He said. He knows who they are. And by
His divine purpose and His divine adoption, He has made them His
own. But, now watch this. That father
who went into the orphanage can adopt that son. He can make him
an heir. He can make him a resident. He can give him his name. He
can't give him his nature. That boy will never look like
that father because he's a son by adoption, not by birth. That boy will never have the
traits of his father. because he doesn't have his father's
seed in him. He doesn't have his father's
nature. But now when God adopts one into his family, what does
he do? He regenerates him. He makes
a new creature. He gives him a new heart. He
said, I'll take that old stony heart out and I'll give you a
heart of flesh. I'll put my spirit, I'll put
my nature within you. You see what I'm saying? I'll
put my nature within you. And you become more like him.
You know, as a babe, when you have a son in your family, as
a baby, you can't tell what it looks like. I mean who, pardon
me. I'm like Bee Frazier, when she
saw that ugly little baby, she said, God love it. And that's
a pretty good comment. But as that child gets a little
older, He begins to look more like his mother or father. She,
the girl, looks more like her mother and usually the boy looks
more like his father as he gets a little older. You begin to
see more of that parent in that son. And I'm saying some of the
babes in Christ, God love them, but they stumble and fumble and
fail and they have growing pains and they don't look much like
they belong to God. But as they grow a little older
and mature in faith, If they know Christ, you'll be able to
tell who their father is. Because he puts his spirit in
them, he puts his nature in them. And that's what it says over
in Romans 8. Now look here, in Romans chapter 8, he says in
verse 14 of Romans 8, look at it. He says in verse 14, For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby you
cry, Abba, Father. And the Spirit itself, the Holy
Spirit, beareth witness with our spirit that we are children
of God. Children of God by adoption.
Divine purpose. Back yonder when the morning
stars, before the morning stars sang together, back yonder before
God put the stars in space and the moon in place and hurled
the world into being, back yonder God set his love upon a people and made them his own. My sheep,
my people, my sons. And then one day he came by his
Holy Spirit and put his nature within them. All some of them,
when he found them, were 40 years old, some 30, some 10, some 70. Thief on the cross right in the
twilight hours, 5 minutes to 12, and he gave him his nature. They were born again. I know
the country makes fun of the word because they don't understand
it. When Mr. Carter talked about being born again, It made the
papers and people laughed about it and ridiculed it because they
don't understand it. They understand the first birth,
the birth of the flesh, the birth with a human father, and those
who are born again understand the second birth too. They may
not know when it happened. I'm not saying you have to go
back to time and place. It's not time and place that
saves you, it's God and Christ. You don't have to go back to
an experience. An experience didn't save you. It's God who
saved you. I have to have a birth certificate
to prove when I was born. I don't remember too much about
it, but I know I was because I have life now. And I don't
know when it was that God opened my eyes. I don't know when it
was that he gave me a new nature. I don't know when it was I became
a babe, but I know it happened because of his word and his spirit. Look back at our text, 1 John
3. It says, Now are we the sons
of God. With all our failures and frailties
and infirmities and faults, we are right now the sons of God.
And look at that next line, It doth not yet appear what we shall
be. Now let me make this statement. You listen to me. Though we are
sons of God, We do not now appear to be such. That's right. The world doesn't
know us as such. Don't expect them to. Look down
here at verse 1. It says in verse 1, now listen
to this again. Did you notice it as I read it?
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that
we should be called sons of God? Therefore the world doesn't know
us. It didn't know him. Don't expect
the world. You work with a person and you
go down and tell them you're a son of God. Well, they don't
recognize that. They don't know you to be such.
You know, Satan, when he was tempting our Lord, he said, If
you be the son of God, make these stones into bread. If you be
the son of God, cast yourself off this pinnacle. If you're
the Son of God, come down from the cross. If you're the Son
of God, you said you're the Son of God, let's see if God will
have you now, Son of God. The world doesn't know you as
the Son of God. They didn't know Him as the Son
of God, because it does not yet appear what we shall be. We're
not yet what we're going to be. I'll tell you what'll shock you
sometimes. Doubts fill your own heart. For you see so much of yourself,
and the older you get in Christ, the more you see of yourself.
And you see so much it's not God-like. And not only does the
world put a question mark on your sonship, but sometimes if
you're an honest person, you put a question mark on it. Did
not John Newton write, Tis a point I long to know? Oft it gives
me anxious thought, Do I love the Lord, or no? Am I his, or
am I not? When I turn my eyes within, I
see all is dark and vain and wild, filled with unbelief, and
sin. Can I call myself God's child? You ever have that problem? Don't
be worried if you do, be worried if you don't. If I pray, or hear,
or read, sin is mixed with all I do. You that love the Lord,
be honest, would you? Is it this way with you? It doesn't
appear what we shall be. Beloved, now are we sons of God,
not by merit, by Christ. by divine adoption, by regenerating
grace, by indwelling spirit, we are the sons of God. And it
does not appear what we shall be, but we know this, look at
this next line, when he shall appear, that'll be the day. Oh,
what a day. We're going to be just like him. Just like him. Turn to Philippians
chapter 3. Philippians the third chapter.
Look at verse 20 and 21. Philippians chapter 3, verse
20. Our conversation, that word is,
I believe, citizenship. We are sons of God. Our citizenship
is in heaven. From whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. Immortal? This which is so mortal shall
someday be immortal. This which is so corruptible
shall someday, when he shall appear, and then you'll know
I'm a son of God. You may have doubts about it,
but join the club, I do too. This which is corruptible shall
become incorruptible, and this which is weak shall be strong,
and this which was buried in shame shall be raised in, think
about it, perfection in body, in soul, holy as he is holy,
and in mind. I have always coveted and always
been a little jealous of those who had sharp minds. But someday I'm going to have
one. I'm going to know as I have been known. I'm going to understand
all these mysteries. I'm going to understand and know
as I have been known. I'm going to be able to fathom
the depths and the height and the length and the breadth of
all God's kingdom. I'm going to know. I prophesy
in part I don't preach everything. A man's a fool to try to write
a commentary on the whole Bible or a whole book and think he
can do it. No way. Or even a whole verse. That's right. Someone asked Brian
Fanning, look back at the text a minute. It said, and when he
shall appear, that's when we're going to be like him and we're
going to see him as he is. I'm going to see the Lord. Someone
asked blind Fanny Crosby, they said to her she'd been in darkness
all her life, she'd never seen a human face. Great hymn writer,
great hymn writer. They asked her, somebody asked
her, said, when you get to heaven, How are you going to know the
Lord? You say you're going to see him.
How are you going to recognize him? And this is what she wrote. When my life's work is ended
and I cross the narrow tide, when the bright and glorious
morning I shall see, I shall know my Redeemer when I reach
the other side, and his smile will be the first to welcome
me. I shall know him. I shall know him, and redeemed
by his side I shall stand. I shall know him, I shall know
him by the print of the nails in
his hand. He made me a son of God. He fixed
it so I could be a son of God. He fixed it so God could be just
and justify the likes of me and you. His blood cleanseth me from
all sin. His blood makes for me, on the
mercy seat of glory, a perfect atonement. His blood reaches
down to the deepest, darkest, deadest sinner and makes him
whole. I want to tell you this story
and then I'll quit. I got a letter from a 13-year-old boy this week.
I get quite a number of television letters. I wish it was so that
I could share them with you. Maybe someday we can mimeograph
some copies of them and pass them along. I ought to be doing
that. And I write all of them personally, every letter. I write,
oh, I'd say 40 letters a week, and I try to answer all that
comes. But a 13-year-old boy wrote me.
He's in a church up in West Virginia. Here's a beautiful typewritten
two-page letter. It all had 13-year-old boy mistakes,
you know. I know he wrote it. I could tell.
He told me he's a believer in Christ, and he saw me on TV,
and he loved the message, and he wanted me to answer some questions
for him. I want you to listen to this.
He said, Brother Maine, the church I attend teaches that a person
can be saved and lose his salvation and get saved again and lose
his salvation. said, I can't see that in the
scripture. And he said, what bothers me?
He said there was a man in our church who was a, he called him
a drunkard. He said he was a man who was
a drunkard, not in the church at that time, but he made a profession. He was saved, said he was saved,
and came to the church and said he was very faithful and But
everybody kept watching him, and everybody out here would
say, he won't hold out. He won't stay with it. He won't
this, he won't that. And he said, finally, Brother
Mahan, he did. He fell. But he came back, and
he cried for forgiveness, and he asked the Church to forgive
him. But he said they didn't. They said he's lost, and he'd
have to get saved all over again. This is what he said, he said,
Brother Mahan said, I'm more disturbed about the attitude
of those people who claim that they are saved in the church
than I am about the man who fell. Now you think about them, a 13-year-old.
I'm more disturbed. I'm more concerned. I'm not concerned
about him, he said. But I'm concerned about them,
their attitude. Looks like to me their attitude
and the way they've treated him reveals that maybe he knows the
Lord and they don't. Maybe he knows the Lord and they
don't. Well, sons of God don't always look like sons of God.
It does not appear what we shall be, but when he shall appear,
when he shall appear, The wind of his wrath will blow away that
chaff. Let them grow together, the tares
and the wheat. Don't mess with them. Leave them alone. Don't
try to weed them out. Love them all. And when that great wind
of his presence comes, it'll blow away the chaff because they
have no root. They have no depth. They have
no rock upon which to stand. And the wheat will be revealed.
It'll all be revealed when he comes. I want to lead you in
a song in closing, that song I quoted, 502. Lord, I'll try
to lead this. I don't know whether we've ever
sung this before or not. Number 502, and just try to follow
along. This is that song Fanny Crosby
wrote, My Savior First of All, I Shall Know 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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