I was baptized by my grandfather in water, but baptized by my grandmother into the story of the cross, and the stories of scripture by my parents. Yet none of these are my teacher. I was baptized by different groups in their way of teaching scripture, but none of these are my teacher. God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are my teacher. In this lesson today we see the argument of who was your guide to God. Some of the crowd had been baptized by John the Baptist, yet the priesthood had rejected those who been baptized by John, because John the Baptist was not their teacher, yet John the Baptist Father was of the priesthood.

Who do you follow today. Some people claim different prophets around the world baptized them and perhaps rightly so. A person baptized into a particular group of that leaders direction and teaching whether of God or not is baptized into one person’s way of doing things. No matter how hard I try and teach my husband my way of doing things in the kitchen he reverts to his first teacher ways of doing thing, or doing it the way he figure out on his own. The frustrating part when he wants to cook the egg one way and I another, even to when it needs to be flipped in the frying pan. Fact he had more then one instructor in the ways of cooking, like most of us have. In fact many of watch those cooking shows and say let me try that or maybe I can do something similar even if it does not come out looking as good as the professional. There is a point, John message was the need of repentance, He came to the gentile community and preached, yet Jesus sat upon the sinners eating and drinking with them. Teaching them his ways.

The Pharisees rejection of John the baptize ways were based on the teaching of the priesthood. The Pharisees would reject the teaching and baptism of Jesus as well. John baptism would have been into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus baptized into repentance as well. Preaching perhaps to people that others already consider outcast of society for one reason or another. John the Baptist, the priest and Jesus all believed in God. No one argues this issue. Yet with the study of the cross of Jesus one would consider the mistake of being thought or even taught of equality to God being the sin, unless one is who claim to be. Jesus being the Son of God not just son of god, but the only begotten by the word of God. Many prophets and teachers had come by prophesy, but not one formed by being the word literally of God. Conceived by the hovering of the Holy Spirit over a virgin. God’s word become flesh in the womb of Mary and not by intercourse.

Jesus did not baptize John in one since, He being the word old, present and future, means the word of Old Testament prophets of the need for repentance was taught by John The Baptist to the Gentile nation and once again by Christ himself to those that followed out of the baptism of John into Christ. The rejection of the priesthood of who taught who had to do with who they felt was approved by God to teach and preach. If you are approved to be taught in any religious group it has to do with whether they fell you are following God’s instruction or not. Some might find your teaching controversial. Jesus found controversy everywhere He went even when he taught in the temple. He found controversy on the street corner, and even among the Gentiles, and the temple.

How does Christ’s, John the Baptist’s and the priesthood teaching change a person. It makes one more aware of God the Father and the Holy Spirit. All claiming the power of the Holy Spirit. John born with the power of the Holy Spirit from the womb. Jesus’ spirit being the Holy Spirit, The priesthood claiming the Holy Spirit being baptized into Moses law. Yet with out the resurrection no one ever bowed to Jesus until after the resurrection except for a few women and a leper that had been healed, who understood his nobility and power of forgiveness of sin. Christ nobility is not understood without the resurrection. Without the resurrection Jesus is just a good teacher or prophet, and not God’s Word. Lazarus resurrection was not by his power but the power of Jesus. Jesus resurrection came by His own power, given with authority from God the Father. The authority of power and right to baptize must come from God. Without this authority one is only the antichrist of promise to come. If I baptize you it has no power beyond the word of God. God’s word is power. God’s Spirit is power. God the Father is power of the highest. Who are you baptized by God himself or man? If you do not have a relationship with Jesus you are not baptized by God beyond the baptism of repents, or turning from sin. The baptism of God comes with obedience to God and not man. The cost of obedience to God can be death, but it should not be a suicide mission, No one told Joshua to tear down the idols, yet God used his act to destroy the heathen. God demonstrated his power to knock down idols with the idol Dagon, he needed no one to knock the idol for him. It is our act of tearing down that is destroying our witness of God’s power. Anyone can knock a statue over, but not everyone can say God did it. God wants ownership of what He does. He wants to demonstrate His power in our life. He wants to raise us back up by His Spirit. He wants to change us into people of faith and truth. Many today are baptized into the correction society of society and not baptized into the power of God.

The controversy Jesus faced was new and still is not new today. One might think so with hearing it how I typed it, but it not. Some occult groups or groups not of God are simply that baptism into that groups society. Indians give people Indian name once they become part of a culture. God gives us a new name with baptism. One only He knows.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for your baptism by your Word/Christ and Spirit into you. In Jesus precious name, Amen.