He Didn’t Allow Them To Acknowledge Him

Luke 4:34
“Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are —the Holy One of God!”
Luke 4:35
“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

Luke 4:41
Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

Isn’t it a good thing to be acknowledged? To be recognized for who you are. To be praised. To be celebrated. To be treated like a celebrity. Yet Jesus rejected recognition by these characters. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Demons were formerly angels of God, supernatural in creation, splendor, and power. However, they believed the lie peddled by Lucifer and they joined the rebellion against God. Revelation 12:4 tells us that one-third of the angels followed Satan. That one-third of angels who rebelled against God was thrown out of heaven, Revelation 12:7-9. That one-third of angels who were thrown out of heaven to our earth, Revelation 12:12, is now the demons and evil spirits.

Demons are the evil spirits that roam around this world and torment people. Demons can possess a person and control him or her. Demons are the power behind sorcery, witchcraft, white magic, and black magic. Demons are the ones who haunt people in the image and likeness of departed loved ones. When people interact with dead people they are actually interacting with demons who have assumed the likeness of the dead person. Demons are the power behind miracles, signs, and wonders of many religious organizations.

Revelation 16:13-14 tells us that spirits of demons have gone out throughout the world to perform miracles and deceive the people of the world. The deception is based on the fact that people think anything supernatural is from God, yet satan through demons is doing it. If all you need is a miracle, sign, and wonder, the devil will hook you fastest for that is His specialty. That is why in Matthew 16:4 and Matthew 12:39 and Luke 11:29 Jesus said that it is a wicked generation that seeks miracles, signs, and wonders. Jesus refused to give credibility to His ministry using miracles, signs, and wonders, for satan too can do that.

In their former lives in heaven, the demons used to meet and interact with Jesus and other heavenly beings. That is why when Jesus wanted to cast out demons, they would loudly acknowledge Jesus because they knew Him. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Demons left heaven and their assignment as holy angels because they were opposed to Jesus and His ministry. Therefore their acknowledgment of Jesus was fake and dishonest. There are people who are opposed to us and once in a while they would seem like they are siding with us as they acknowledge us. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Demons acknowledged Jesus hoping that He will do them a favor. The acknowledgment was in self-interest and not a love of Jesus. Many fake friends will acknowledge us because they want some benefits from us. They acknowledge us in self-interest but not in a genuine manner. The moment their needs are met, they will turn against us. Jesus knew that the acknowledgment was designed to fool Him to do them a favor. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Jesus came to set an example for us, 1 Peter 2:21. Jesus set an example at this point by not letting acknowledgment distract Him. Be careful that acknowledgment does not distract you from achieving your goals. Acknowledgment can cause us to be proud and blind to our shortfalls. Jesus set an example by silencing these false acknowledgments. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Luke 19:35-40, Jesus allowed people to praise Him. When Pharisees told Jesus to stop the people from praising Him, He refused, Luke 19:39-40. When praise was genuine without other motives, God accepts it. When praise is suspect, Jesus rejected it. When demons tried it, Jesus refused and silenced them. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Some acknowledgments will make it look like you are playing on the same team. To make the distinction clear, Jesus rejected their acknowledgment. Do not let a situation occur where you are considered to be on the same side as those who oppose your faith. For clarity of the difference, Jesus rejected their acknowledgment. He didn’t allow them to acknowledge Him!

Dear God, grant me wisdom and courage to know which acknowledgments to accept and which ones to reject, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
2. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/
3. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on notification and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis