“God Prepared the World for the Coming Of Jesus”

God’s Plan

The Father start preparing the coming of his son Jesus—the Savior—The Savior He promised to Adam and Eve.

In the Old Testament, we can see how God prepare people through History, so that way, we can share his Divine life, again.

In The Old Testament, little by little, He start gathering people for his plan:

Since Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, and to John the Baptize in the New Testament.

The Father gives us Hope

God the Father send Jesus to teach us the way back to the STATE of GRACE. That’s the will of God for us.

Whole life of Jesus was a sign of doing the Will of God

Everything Jesus did was to:◦ To do the Will his Father ◦ and to give us Salvation.

God revealed to the Prophets

Over many Centuries God prepared the people of Israel for the fulfillment of his promise.

Little by little he revealed, through the words of the prophets, the Promise One to come.

The prophets foretold that the Promise One:

◦ would be from the family of David, the greatest king of Israel.

◦ He would born in Bethlehem,◦ He would be called God’s Anointed One, the

Messiah.◦ And he would suffer

His plan in the Old Testament

The love of God the Father, and his plan to save us are made know to us in the Old Testament through covenants.

In the story of Noah & the Ark, the Rainbow was a sign of God’s covenant with Noah and all creatures after the flood.

“ I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you…. I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, I will remember my promise to you… When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made…” (Genesis 9)

THE RAINBOW also remains us of ALL GOD’S COVENANTS with his people in the Old Testament.

God’s plan in the Old TestamentAbraham Covenant

God made a promise to Abraham: “Abraham will be the Father of many Nations, and the whole

world will be blessed on him.”

The Sacrifice of Isaac prefigures the Sacrifice of Jesus.

When Isaac asked Abraham about the lamb for the sacrifice; Abraham said: “God will provide the lamb for the Sacrifice”

Indeed God did; the lamb for the Sacrifice is God himself, Jesus.

His plan in the Old TestamentMoses

The most spectacular works of God, it was when God call Moses to lead his people out of slavery from Egypt,

and their entrance to the Promised Land, which He has promised to Abraham and his children

On the eve of the Exodus from Egypt, God ask a lamb sacrificed at the first Passover.

The Jews marked their doorposts with the blood of the lamb, and this sign spared them from destruction.

Moses brought them out of Egypt with many sings and wonders, They were lead by a Pillar of cloud by day, and a Pillar of fire at

night to guide them

God Led them into the waters of the Red Sea and into the desert beyond

In the mount Sinai, God wrote the 10 commandments in tables of stone.

He gave his laws to Moses to give to his people.

Bread from Heaven After the 10 Commandments, God continues to provide for them in the

desert.

God send bread from heaven to feed them. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.

And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.”

Murmuring Israel called this bread from heaven “manna” (Exodus 16:31). God almost always called it bread from heaven (Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24, Psalm 105:40)

or sometimes it was called angels’ food (Psalm 78:25).

Now, after God has done so much for his people, You may believe that they finally learn to believe in Him and walk in His way,

but they did not!!

They keep right on sinning, again, and again. 1. the children of Israel complained for anything, 2. it was hard to please them.3. They went from singing to complaining very quickly.4. They do not have the enough grace to keep the commandments.

The Covenant of God

God the Father gather his children right to Himself, and made a COVENANT with them.

A COVENANT is a Sacred Promise between God and His people

Every Covenant has 2 parts:1) God’s part was to watch over His people to defend and care for them as a father.

2) And People’s part was to love God and follow his commandments.

The people learned that it was NOT ENOUGH to learn God’s commandments; They also need to be able to keep them.

A New Covenant, Which Can Never Be Broken

The Prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel, inspired by the Holy Spirit, began to speak of a New Covenant

1) A New Covenant that can never be broken.

2) And A New Spirit that will fill the hearts of God’s people, and will made them to follow His love

3) The Prophets also began to speak of a Servant, who will also suffer to Save God’s people.

Israelites Longing for the Savior

The people learned that it was NOT ENOUGH to learn God’s commandments;

But they also need to be able to keep them.

When God’s people have learned that they need God’s Grace and help…

Then, they were filled with the longing for

the SAVIOR, who God promised.

The Promise in Mary

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Prophets words.

God send an angel to a young girl from Nazareth, name Mary

When the Angel appeared to Mary and asked her to be the mother of Jesus (the Savior), Mary said “Yes”

Adam & Eve said “NO” to God’s Plan, but

Mary said Yes to God’s Plan;

The example of Mary’s “Yes” to God, inspires us to work with God as she did.

God himself became man

Through Mary and the Power of the Holy Spirit, God Himself became a man and dwell among us.

Christ is the 2nd person of the Trinity.

Jesus has 2 Natures1) A human nature2) A Divine nature

This means that Jesus in fully God and fully man at the same time.

He is Not ½ God and ½ man.

He is 100% God and 100% man at the same time.

Simeon saw the SAVIOR

There was a man in the temple of Jerusalem, name Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the Savior of Israel,

Simeon had been visited by The Holy Spirit and told that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ.

when the parents brought the child Jesus at the temple, Simeon took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:25)

Waiting for God’s Promise Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon,

And they were eager to know whether John the Baptist might be the Messiah or not.

John answered saying,

"I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am--so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:15-16)

John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus,

John the Baptist was the greatest of Prophets

and the privileged messenger who was sent to prepare the way of the Messiah according to the Word of God. (Mt 11:9-11)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea  and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John agree.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:13-17)

Today this scripture is fulfilled After his baptism, Jesus went to Nazareth, he went into the

synagogue. He stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.

Unrolling it, he found the prophesy where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisonersand recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.

He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill, in order to throw him off the cliff. (Luke 4:14-21)

“The New Covenant

and

the Bread of Life”

Jesus the Bread of Life One day, a crowd got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search

of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked: Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them

bread from heaven to eat.’”

Then Jesus said to them: “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from

heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to

the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

And Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life. He whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and he whoever believes in Me shall never thirst… I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 

This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus the Bread of Life

The Jews there began to grumble about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? 

How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

Jesus answered: Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.”I am the bread of life.”

Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.

 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die: I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Jesus the Bread of Life Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves:“How

can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them: “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 

This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:25-60)

on the night when our Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took a loaf of bread,

and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said: “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

  In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, :”This cup is

the new covenant in my blood. which is poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins. 

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the

Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

The New Covenant

This is the beginning of the New Covenant of God with his People.

This is the Covenant that the Prophets spoke about

Unlike the other covenants, which people could not keep.

This covenant last forever, and grants us with Grace.

This Grace help us to become holy.

All God’s Covenants

Knowing the message of the Prophets, the first Christians saw that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Prophets words.

Through Jesus, God reveals himself more fully as a God who loves, liberates from oppression, redeems, elects, establishes a relationship, and fulfills his promises

Jesus the Promise

and

the New Covenant