“WE CANNOT DENY IT!”

Acts 4:13-20                             (ESV)

“13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. AND THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.

14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another,

16 saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and “WE CANNOT DENY IT”.

17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name."

18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of JESUS.

19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of GOD to listen to you rather than to GOD, you must judge,

20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."”

There was a post on a social media site recently that stirred my interest.  It seems a Believer was criticized simply because they let it be known that they Believed in JESUS CHRIST as the SON OF GOD?  The criticism is not something new, rather it has been around since JESUS walked among us.  Now the period of time Acts 4 was written about was approximately 32 AD.  Peter and John were telling what they had experienced while they were with JESUS, but the “priests and the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed...” that they were speaking TRUTH!  

“This world” cannot tolerate TRUTH, and no matter what they are clothed in, they will oppose it with everything they have.  These men said in verse 20 “for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."  Eyewitness accounts are the most devastating to lies (John 8:44) and “the enemy” wants to silence TRUTH!  When the “priests and the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees” conferred with each other, they determined “WE CANNOT DENY IT”, THE MESSAGE is TRUTH! 

Once again, “this world” cannot permit even a tiny bit of JESUS in it, so they squelch even the mentioning of HIS Name.  It was this way during the first century and it is not getting any better!  Christians were martyred then, and they are martyred today.  Why should we expect to be left alone to worship our SAVIOR?  The ending sentence of Acts 4:13 says “AND THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.”  We may do a poor job of reflecting HIS Spirit in our lives, but HIS Spirit is recognized by the enemy rather abruptly, and is usually attacked with a lie and fear!  That is the enemy’s character (John 8:44)!

When JESUS is “high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1) HE will be Glorified.  The enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy all of HIS Glory that he can.  The enemy has NO DOUBTS of WHO CHRIST really is.  He had no response for HIM in the first century, and still “WE CANNOT DENY IT” today!  The only hope the enemy has is making we Believers tremble with fear and not proclaim what we have seen and heard by HIM!