JESUS CHRIST: GOD’S REVELATION TO THE WORLD CHAPTER 1 SEARCHING FOR GOD

True Happiness “Happy the people so blessed; happy the people whose God is the Lord.” (Ps 144:15) But, what is happiness?

God: The Source of True Happiness WE ALL WANT TO BE HAPPY! because WE WERE MADE TO BE HAPPY! “True happiness is found . . . In God alone, the source of every good and of all love” (CCC, 1723).

God: The Source of True Happiness Why do so many people you see on TV seem so happy then you read about them online and find out they are the opposite? - Pursuing happiness down the wrong path - We have to be careful with the path we choose

Everything: Lifehouse Video

The Restless Human Heart The desire for God is written in the human heart, because humans are created by God and for God. (CCC, 27) Modern psychology claims you won’t be happy until certain basic needs are met. What are they? The need to be loved and understood To be recognized and appreciated To be able to achieve a goal using your talents

Questioning Minds Do you ever wonder what is beyond the stars? Do you ever question the meaning of life? Do you ever think about where your life is going? Do you ever wonder what will happen to you after you die? It is no accident that you ask these kinds of questions. God made you with an inquiring mind to help you find him.

We have always searched for God and given expression to this quest. We are religious by nature We aren’t all born an Einstein We have always searched for God and given expression to this quest. God speaks to us through our human reason, through prayer, and through our hearts. He calls us first.

We are religious by nature In spite of the prevalence of irreligion and secularism, most people still belong to an organized religion.

Natural Revelation How do we know God exists? - Natural Revelation - Divine Revelation Natural Revelation - We learn of God’s existence through his creation Johannes Kepler

Contemplating Creation - It is healthy to wonder how the world was made! But if you question you have to look in the right places. - Two places to look are the Bible and the Catechism Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. - Romans 1:20 The Church teaches that the one true God, our Creator and Lord, can be known with certainty from his works, by the natural light of human reason. - CCC 47

Contemplating Creation Converging and Convincing Proofs of God’s existence Unmoved Mover The world is constantly in motion For the world to move someone must have gotten it started First Cause Everything that exists resulted from something or someone Big Bang – great – but what was the spark Everything comes from Something ”Cosmological Argument” “Nothing” can-not create “Something” Supreme Model God is at the top Grand Designer The world and everything in it works together It was designed by God, it can’t just be chance The ratio of the weight of the proton to the electron is balanced perfectly, if it’s off at all there would be no life on earth Approved by St. Thomas Aquinas

Divine Revelation Human language and human reason cannot fully describe God or really know what God is like. That is why God does not leave us to our own limited knowledge. He gives us Divine Revelation. God is truly a mystery!

God’s is not!!! Our Knowledge is Limited Me Albert Einstein Your Parents God’s is not!!!

What Is Divine Revelation? God’s free gift of self-communication by which he makes known his divine plan God tells us who he really is through the events of Salvation History God invites us to live in covenant with him The greatest sign of God’s love was the sending of his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior from sin and death

Salvation History God revealed himself gradually to humans Preparing us in stages for the full revelation, Jesus Christ Covenant with Noah Covenant with Abraham Covenant with Moses, the Sinai Covenant Kings and Prophets Wisdom Literature Jesus Christ, the New Covenant—the climax of Salvation History This gradual Revelation is told to us through Salvation History

What do you know about this? Gen 5-9 What do you know about this?

How about this? Gen 11-23

Gen 2-18 …and what about this?

Salvation History Sacred Tradition Sacred Scripture The word tradition means “handing down.” The Apostles preached the Gospel to all nations. They chose men to succeed them (bishops headed by the Bishop of Rome). The word bible means “books.” Records the events of Salvation History and the covenants It is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. (CCC, 81)