The Greatness of Christ: Part 4

The Father’s Pleasure in the Son and the Call to Hear God’s Word

Wonderful thought that that is, that the Father is always pleased in His one and only Beloved Son. Well, as we work our way through John chapter 5, there's much more here for us to see. Please bow with me in prayer as we seek the Lord in His face, as we now hear from Heaven from His Word.

Our Father, as we speak about the greatness of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we truly honor You and glorify You as we honor the Son the Father is honored. Father, save us, I pray, this morning from apathy.

Oh God, apathy is like a deadly spiritual cancer. It eats away at freshness. We pray that Your blessed Holy Spirit, Lord, would do His work upon our hearts today. And as the psalmist prayed, deal bountifully, Lord, with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your Word.

Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. It's the prayer of each and every child of God that we bring and offer before You now as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. We pray, O Lord, that You will be glorified in all things through Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we ask this for Your honor and glory. Amen. Amen. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In today's world, with computer-generated images and photo editing and applications and etc., etc., etc., seeing is no longer believing, is it?

But in Jesus' day, there was no photoshopping. When we look back into the Old Testament, the children of Israel literally saw God, by the power of His right hand, with a strong and mighty arm, take out the children, His own people, literally out of Egypt, as God worked through the ten plagues and brought judgment upon Egypt.

Then, they saw it. They witnessed it. They witnessed right before their very eyes the parting of the Red Sea. And these events, yet, was in the midst of all these... What God wrought was a miracle after miracle, a judgment after judgment.

They literally saw. And yet, there was many of the children of Israel, that generation, had a heart of unbelief. They had a heart of unbelief. And as we read this Gospel of John, let us keep in mind that John was an eyewitness of what we are reading here in this wonderful Gospel.

The Jews also saw Jesus' miraculous works, and yet they didn't believe. In this particular section of the book of John chapter 5, as you turn there, we are going to continue to work our way through it.

We are actually made aware that Jerusalem was a walled city with many gates. By one of those gates, called the Sheep Gate, which we looked at, there was a multitude of people that were waiting to be healed.

Jesus comes to this place. He comes in His providence, in His goodness and in His mercy. And by His grace, He selected one man out of the crowd. One man. Such grace. It's on the Sabbath day, as we read.

This one man had been lame for over, up to 38 years, and he wanted to be healed. Jesus told him, get up, rise, pick up your mat and walk.

Walk.

And instantly he walked. In that very moment, this man was healed. By the Word of the Son of God. He got up and carried his mat. Sadly, never to follow Jesus. Never to commit to Him and to love Him and give thanks to Him.

But rather, he goes to the synagogue where these self-righteous Jewish people were, and he reports Jesus to these religious Jews. So instead of giving joy and praise to God, to these religious leaders, because of the miracle that happened on the Sabbath, but the Jewish leaders reprimanded this man who had been healed.

They reprimanded him. And asked, who is this that told you to do this? They were more concerned about their rules and legalities being broken rather than what good that God did on the Sabbath. Keep in mind that the religious leaders, as we looked at on the day of the Sabbath, they have made 39 additions to the fourth commandment.

They added to God's Word, their traditions, rules, regulations. The commandment to keep the Sabbath day sacred. Breaking the Sabbath on that day, and of course, throughout the Old Testament, was always punishable by death, as far as they were concerned.

However, Jesus didn't violate the Sabbath, did He? He's the Lord of the Sabbath. Instead, He was healing on the Sabbath and did nothing but good works of mercy. God working in mercy and goodness. But, the religious leaders couldn't see because of the blindness of their hearts.

They couldn't see past their legalistic rules. They couldn't see because of their additions they made to the fourth commandment. And they could not see the goodness of God in the miracle that Jesus had wrought.

Beloved, the enemy of faith has always been unbelief. And it still is today. Unbelief. Unbelief. A hardened heart. That's the sin of all sins, beloved. A hard heart of unbelief. This sin will rob us of everything good from God.

It will rob us of all the good and perfect gifts that come from God. Now, as I mentioned that in the introduction, we have been working our way through this section, and it's John chapter 5, and it's a very powerful section.

John 17 through 30. Still going to take us several weeks, Lord willing, to get through this, but there's much more that's here. It's really an incredible, important section for us. It gives us the evidence of who Jesus is and His authority.

He speaks of His own testimony. Keep in mind that the very purpose of the gospel of John, as you've heard me say this time and time again, is that you may believe that by believing you might have eternal life.

John chapter 20, verse 30 and 31, is really, I believe, no doubt, the key verses of this entire gospel. Let me read it to you. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

That's the key verses, no doubt, to this awesome gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, as we've been working our way through this particular section, we've seen the evidence, first of all, of His person, His works, His miracles, Jesus healed by a spoken word in which I briefly mentioned.

We've already looked at that. This sparked the beginning of Jesus' persecution from the religious Jews to the point that the Jews were pursuing Jesus, and somewhat like a lion as a prowler that pursues its prey, they went after Him with vengeance and hate.

They were pursuing Him to stop His message, but also sought the Moor to kill Him, because in verse 18, therefore the Jews sought all the Moor to kill Him because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

And we see this in verse 17, which says, but Jesus answered them, My Father, that's the key right there, and He deliberately said this to them, My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.

Much is said right there because He's speaking that He's equal with God, He's one with God the Father. Jesus declared a unique relationship with God by calling Him His Father. So the very first time Jesus made this claim, by the way, it's not the first time He mentions this, the very first time we've already looked at it, but we see this in John chapter 2, that was when He was cleansing the temple.

But the Jews knew exactly what He was saying. Jesus also said that the Father was working, and He was also working. Literally the grammar points that this is a linear action, meaning that the Father was working even now, though through the Sabbath day, though it would be the Sabbath day, since there is a unique special relationship between Jesus the Son and God the Father, Jesus was also working through the Sabbath, for He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

He's the Lord of the Sabbath. He was healing on the Sabbath. Now up to this point, we have seen this, that now we are working our way through, and to this point, there is an earth-shaking, shattering claim that Jesus makes.

And we've been looking at this. Verse 17 and 18, we have seen the background that Jesus claimed equality with God the Father. Last Lord's Day, we looked at proof number 1 and proof number 2, which was His perfect obedience, His perfect obedience to His Father and His great works.

Now in verse 19 and verse 20, we will look at, and 21, today, our attention will be on verse 20 and 21, that Jesus Christ has the power to quicken the dead. He has the sovereign power to raise up the dead.

To verse 22, His deity and His judgment, let's look at it. Verse 21 says this, Jesus says,. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

In other words, what our Lord is saying as Jesus asserts His equality with God the Father, Jesus has equal claims. He has equality with the Father. Equal claims that He had the parallel power with God the Father in unity to raise the dead.

Equal parallel power. That's awesome. This is the third proof that Jesus was equal with the Father, was His power to give life. First of all, we see here that God gives life and only God can give life.

But as the Father gives life, and He's the source of all life, because life comes from Him. But it's also equal with God the Son, for God the Son is God as well. John 1 verse 3 and 4 says this,. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Therefore, if He wills to take a dead body and give life to it, that means He can do it, right? There's nothing impossible with God, and nothing's too hard for God.

For God, all He has to do, being the source of life, for life and energy is all in of Himself, all He has to do is speak the Word. By faith, the worlds were made by, really, the Word of God. The sheer power and energy of the power of God.

And we read in Hebrews that all things is upheld by the power of the Word of God. He is the life giver. In giving life and raising the dead, God is sovereign and He's acting fully as He alone wills to act.

Isn't this awesome? Awesome power to create all the substance and the matter with the sheer power of His Word. That's the power of the Word of God. That's in God the Father and as Christ being the Word.

It's not constrained, nor is He restrained. He alone has all the power and all authority to do so. Jesus said that in Matthew 28, didn't He? He said, all authority is given to Me, He said. Not some of it.

All authority, all power. But He is Lord and He's the sovereign Lord. He alone exercises His sovereignty. He exercises His perfect love. He exercises justice, righteousness, and wisdom. And He knows exactly what He is doing and nothing takes God by surprise.

Isn't that a great comfort for you and me this morning? That we can rest in God and all that He is, in His omniscience, His omnipotence, and His omnipresence. And He does everything perfectly. Next thing we'll see is the Son Jesus Christ gives life to whom He wills, to whom He wills, to whom He chooses.

That's humbling, isn't it? We cannot make that happen. God makes that happen. Just as God the Father does, so Christ does. Because Christ is one with the Father. Therefore Christ is equal with God the Father in giving life and raising the dead.

This refers to the physical and the spiritual, by the way. Now, I briefly mentioned creation. That God, through the Son, created all things, by the sheer power of His Word in creation. But it's the physical realm, but also the spiritual realm.

That He gives life to the dead. To the physical realm and the spiritual realm. Jesus Christ is able to raise the physically dead. Moreover, He has the power to give spiritual life to the spiritually dead.

As God is the source of life, as I've already mentioned, so Jesus Christ is the source of life. And He said that to His disciples, I am the truth, I am the way, the truth and the life. As we shared the gospel yesterday to these poor souls out there, I couldn't help but think, these are walking dead people.

You know what I'm talking about. To whom you witnessed the gospel, they were literally walking zombies. And I told these, I had the opportunity, as well as Ben and Brother Keith did, that I thank God for the opportunity.

And these three I was speaking to as the rain was pouring down and how good God was, the rain on their parade. And God gave us the opportunity and the door opened. And the folks I was talking to was very receptive.

They were not hostile toward me. And we prayed that. And I actually, in the course of the conversation, I went to 1 John 2 and I started asking them questions. And I said, how would you perceive love?

What is love to you? And I started there as a foundation. Then I went to the love of the Father and the love of the world. And if you love the world, the love of the Father does not abide in you. And then basically worked my way.

And I said, you know, you think of it, God desires you to have life and have it more abundantly through Jesus Christ. And they're just looking, wow. And I said, think of it, you know, all people are spiritually dead until Christ comes to make a life.

Because He is that life. I said, spiritually walking dead. And that kind of got their attention. I said, haven't you heard of The Walking Dead? Oh yeah, a very familiar thing, a series on TV. Walking zombies and dead.

They can really talk all about that. And I said, you know, in real life, you and all people are walking dead people until Christ comes to make you alive. Praise God. God is the one that chooses when He is to give life.

So does the Son that chooses in perfect agreement with the Father. Because Jesus is one with the Father. In perfect agreement, in perfect unison. The truth that's illustrated, the salvation of sinners is found in Ephesians chapter 2.

Go with me to Ephesians chapter 2. And you know where I'm going. Because Ephesians chapter 2 speaks about how spiritual life is given to the dead. Let me read just a few verses here. The original says, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Actually, some translations will say, and you He made alive. But the He made alive is added. But it could go either way. And you He made alive. Or, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins. In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince and the power of the air.

The spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh. Means the desires of our flesh. The desires of our flesh. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

And were by nature, we're born that way. Nature children of wrath. Just as the others. Notice how He mentions we. We were all there. He was once there. That's the way we were. Children of wrath by nature.

And don't you love the transition in verse 4. But God, there's an intervention. The sovereign God intervenes by His power and His grace. Who is rich in mercy. Rich in compassion. Because of His great love with which He loved us.

Even when we were dead in trespasses. Made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. By God's sheer favor. God has given us favor through Jesus Christ. In verse 6. And raised us up together.

And made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come. He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. And His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith.

That not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus for good works. Which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

That's the practical application. That we should walk in them. So anytime we are justified and we are regenerated. And we are raised up from the dead. And God gives us new spiritual life through the new birth and regeneration.

It always leads to sanctification. That we walk in them. But it is God that raises up the dead. That He does the miracle that no one can do. And we cannot do ourselves. Not even going to an altar and saying a prayer.

Can bring spiritual life. It is through the sheer power of God. Through regeneration. Through the Spirit of God that makes us alive in Him. Who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wow. Isn't that a great miracle?

How God brings spiritual life to the dead. That we were dead. Completely dead. A dead man can't make a decision for Christ. A dead man can't choose to come to Christ.

He is dead. He is dead.

God has to bring the life. God has to take the initiative. God has to bring the life to the dead soul. And as He will to the dead soul spiritually. He will also bring life to those that are in the grave one day.

When He comes back in power and glory. And all He has to do is speak the word. And Jesus said that at the sound of the voice of the Son of God.

They will all rise.

Thus is the promise of the resurrection. John 17 .2. Jesus prays to the Father. He says, as thou hast given Him power. That means authority over all flesh. That He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him.

Romans 8 .11. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you. If He dwells in you. The Spirit of God dwells in you. He that raised up Christ from the dead. Shall also quicken you.

Make alive your mortal bodies. By His Spirit that dwells in you. The Spirit of God quickens and makes alive. All whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world. To give to the Son will come to Him.

And He will not reject not a one of them. That's a sheer promise from the word of God. John 6 .37. All that the Father gives me. Jesus speaking. All that the Father gives me will come to me. And the ones who come to me.

I will by no means cast them out. He promises to take them in.

That's the third proof.

Much more can be said of that. How God is the source of life. Jesus Christ the Son of God is the source of life. He's one with the Father. And He basically has the power. For even as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them.

Even so the Son gives life to whom He will. The fourth proof is that Jesus was equal with God. That His claim is equality with God the Father. Was that His control over the whole judicial process. In other words He has not only the authority to give life.

But He also has the authority to judge the entire world. The entire world. Verse 22. For the Father judges no one. Listen carefully. But has committed all judgment to the Son. So really the judgment is going to be the Son.

The Son of God will be the judge of the entire earth. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? As Abraham prayed and asked. As he was pleading over Sodom and Gomorrah. But Jesus Christ is God. And the authority has been given to Him by the Father.

To be the judge of all the earth. Because it says it right here. Jesus says Himself. The Father judges no one. But has committed all judgment to the Son. Let's look at this. This is incredible. Jesus' authority to grant spiritual life to whomever He chooses.

Is by the way very consistent with His authority to judge all men on the last day. He will be the judge of all the earth. Jesus Christ. Look with me to John chapter 3. Just a couple chapters back. We looked at this earlier.

Several months ago. Verse 18 and 19 of John chapter 3. Jesus speaks to Nicodemus. And back up. Let me go to verse 17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. But that the world through Him might be saved.

So He came as a Savior. He came to seek and save the lost. This is at His first coming. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already. They're already condemned.

Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And in verse 19 says this. And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world. And men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

Pretty much says it. Condemnation is already abiding on those non-believers. And we know there's a lot of non-believers out there. By the way, the majority of the entire world are non-believers. It's the broad road to destruction.

And those that are on the narrow road are the believers. John 12 verse 48. Another verse. Jesus says, He who rejects Me and does not receive My words has that which judges him. The word that I've spoken will judge him in the last day.

Did you hear that? The word, Jesus says, will judge him on that last day. The word of God. God the Father has given all judgment to the Son. This is what this is saying. All the judgment is given to the Son because Jesus Christ will be the judge of all the earth.

God the Father has given all judgment to the Son. This truth attests to the Christus deity. MacArthur, Pastor MacArthur notes right here. Because their wills are in perfect harmony, all judgment can be given to Christ in the assurance that His judgment will be, in fact, the very same as the Father's judgment.

Although judgment was not the primary purpose of Christ's first coming to earth, it remains the inescapable, final result of rejecting the salvation that He offers. So in other words, what the word of God is saying, if Christ is not your Savior in this life, and Lord, and He is Lord, but He must be your Savior by faith, faith alone, He will surely be your judge if He is not your Savior.

He will surely be your judge. Now, there is a lot of confusion about the judgment because the believers will be judged according to the works. We will be judged according to our works. But what He is speaking of here is the judge of all the earth.

And we will go to it in just a few minutes. We will look at several verses from the word of God. But what He is referring to those is the judgment of condemnation. This is very, very important because the believers will be judged according to their works in Jesus Christ.

But there is also a judgment of condemnation that will take place at the day, the final day, at the great white throne judgment. No believer will be at the great white throne judgment. That is where it says in Scripture that the sea gives up the dead.

Basically, kind of like a jail cell, they are going to be sentenced to prison, so to speak. Go with me very quickly to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Let's look at this. This will be the first place. And by the way, a footnote to speak about 2 Thessalonians.

A lot of people go to the book of Revelation to study end time prophecy. But you know 2 Thessalonians? 1 and 2 Thessalonians has a great deal to say about end time prophecies. Notice what it says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.

God's final judgment and glory. Let me start with verse 3. He speaks to the believers at Thessalonica. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting. Because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other.

So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith and all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. Which is manifest. Which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer.

Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.

Now listen to this.

He brings this out. That there's going to be a severe judgment come to this world, folks. In verse 8, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction.

Let me stop right there. That does not sound like annihilation, does it? Straight from the word of God, these will be punished with everlasting destruction. From the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

This is serious, isn't it? This is what's going to happen when Christ comes back in power and glory. He says it here in verse 10, when He comes, speaking of His second coming, in that day, in that day, to be glorified in all in His saints, to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

How important it is to truly believe. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, in you.

That's sanctification. And you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So that's by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ that it all ends to that one great end. Chief end is to glorify God.

That God would be glorified in all of it. And He's going to be glorified when He comes back in power and glory. On that day, in that day, to be glorified in His saints, to be admired among all those who believe.

That's what it's all about, isn't it? Well, that's one text that really speaks much about how the judgment will come and the gauntlet will fall. Look also with me to Acts chapter 17. So familiar is this as Paul goes to Mars Hill.

By the way, the first part of chapter 17, Paul's preaching Christ Jesus at Thessalonica. Isn't that interesting? We just read from 2 Thessalonians. But then he goes to minister at Berea. Then he goes to the philosophers at Athens.

And he addresses them as he sees a very religious town and his burden. And he goes and he preaches the gospel there. Paul stood in the midst of the Arpageus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.

He's speaking to religious people. In verse 22 and verse 23, As I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, To the unknown God. Notice how Paul in the wisdom of the Spirit of God, he takes this and he brings the gospel.

Listen to this.

Therefore the one whom you worship without knowing him, I proclaim to you God who made the world and everything in it. Notice where he starts. He begins at creation. He begins with the general revelation.

Now he's going to go to the special revelation. God who made the world and everything in it. He's the source of life. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth. He's sovereign. He's Lord. He does not dwell in temples made with hands.

Nor is he worshipped with men's hands as though he needed anything. Since he gives to all life and breath and all things. And he has made from one blood in every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth.

And has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. He's sovereign. He's providentially over all. So that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for him and find him.

Though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being as also some of your own poets have said. For we are also his offspring. Therefore since we are the offspring of God.

We ought not to think of that divine nature like gold or silver or stone. Something shaped by art, a man's devising. Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked. But now commands all men everywhere to repent.

That's the message. All men everywhere to repent. To turn from our evil ways. Listen to verse 31. Because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained.

He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. The resurrection. See the resurrection guarantees the judgment. The resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees that there's going to be a judgment.

And that Jesus Christ will judge the entire world. Brother Ben mentioned it this morning. On God's calendar, really on our calendar we should look at it like this. Today, Luther said it. Today and judgment day.

Today is the day of salvation. And be ready for judgment day. You know what was the response? He had some that didn't believe.

Listen to this.

This was the Apostle Paul folks. And when they heard the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. Some mocked. While others said we will hear you again on this matter. So that's the reception that he got.

Some mocked him and some said we will hear you again. The judgment of nations. Go with me to Matthew 25 and let's listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. On this great day of judgment. And I'm telling you folks.

If you don't know Jesus Christ it will be absolutely terrifying. But if we know Jesus Christ it will be glorious. And those who know Jesus Christ long to hear Jesus say, Well done good and faithful servant.

Enter into the joy of the Lord. But to those that do not know him it will be,.

I never knew you.

Depart from me you lawlessness. You that work lawlessness. Look at chapter 25 verse 31 to verse 46. This is the Son of Man will judge the nations. He will judge the nations. When the Son of Man, Jesus says, comes in his glory.

And all of his holy angels with him. He will sit on the throne of his glory. Listen to this. All the nations will be gathered before him. And he will separate them one from another. As a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

And he will set the sheep on his right hand. But the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come you blessed of my father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Notice what he says here. For I was hungry and you gave me food. And I was thirsty. You gave me drink. And I was a stranger. You took me in. It looks like there is obedience here. I was naked and you clothed me.

I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison. You came to me. Then the righteous will answer him and say, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in?

Or naked and clothed you? And Jesus says, Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And the king will answer and say to them, Assuredly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren.

My brethren.

Get that.

You did it to me. It's to the household of faith. Then he also will say to those on his left hand, Depart from me. You curse it into everlasting fire. Prepare for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you gave me no food.

I was thirsty. You gave me no drink. I was a stranger. You did not take me in. I'm naked and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison you did not visit me. And then also I will, Also will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and thirsty?

And a stranger or naked or sick or in prison did not minister to you? Then he will answer them saying, Assuredly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to the one of the least of these, You did not do it to me.

And these will go away into everlasting punishment. But the righteous into eternal life. That's powerful folks. That's so powerful. I remember a story. And you might have seen this before. But it was quite a good size.

It was a mega church. And they had a new pastor come. And they didn't know. They didn't meet the new pastor yet. I forgot where it was and who he was. I believe he made himself anonymously made known.

They didn't know who the pastor was. And everybody was anticipating this pastor to come preach. Well, he comes in stealth. He comes in. He disguises himself as this guy, as a riffraff, a bum off the streets.