Podcast Summary: The Greater Knowledge Of God, Part Two

Speaker: Morgan Dufresne
Venue: World Harvest Church, Murrieta, CA
Date: November 23, 2020

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the necessity of moving beyond basic knowledge of God toward deeper revelation and understanding. Morgan Dufresne teaches that knowledge provides the foundation for Christian life, but revelation brings transformation and empowers believers to walk in faith and confidence. Using scripture, personal anecdotes, and practical analogies, she explores the difference between responding to life with knowledge, feelings, or revelation, and challenges listeners to pursue ongoing revelation from God.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value and Progression of Knowledge and Revelation

• Knowledge as Foundation:
  • "Knowledge gives us confidence. When you have knowledge, you have the confidence to face maybe something that you've never faced before." (00:51)
  • Knowledge helps answer questions and address feelings, but is only the starting point.
• Revelation as the Next Step:
  • "When you have revelation going beyond knowledge and you get revelation, nothing is impossible at that moment." (03:25)
  • Revelation is understanding the ‘why’ behind God’s commands, moving from information to transformation.
  • "You can know how to drive a car, but when you understand the engine and how it works, you're a lot more confident to take it on a road trip because you know if you hear something off... That's what revelation is." (03:49)
• Seeking Revelation through Pursuit:
  • Using Matthew 7:7, Dufresne teaches continual seeking: "We run into an issue in our lives when we stop asking God for more revelation." (06:46)
  • Revelation comes from both the Word and the Spirit, requiring a persistent, active pursuit.

2. Knowing About God vs. Actually Knowing God

• Hearing vs. Knowing:
  • "Just because you come to church doesn't mean you have revelation of who God is. You can gain knowledge... but it doesn't mean I know them. Revelation goes beyond just knowing about God..." (07:42)
• Personal Fellowship:
  • The goal is not simply to be informed, but to have an intimate relationship and fellowship with God.
  • "Knowledge is our foundation. But we want to go further than that because there's even believers suffering and dying and struggling every day. And they have knowledge, they know the scripture. But because they haven't kept, they stopped pursuing revelation..." (12:28)

3. The Spectrum: Knowledge vs. Feelings

• Assessing Our Responses: Knowledge or Feelings?
  • “The direct opposite of knowledge is going to be feeling.” (20:32)
  • Decision-making based on feelings leads to anxiety and fear, whereas decisions grounded in knowledge—and especially revelation—bring peace and confidence.
  • "Feeling doesn't ever carry the weight of knowledge with it." (21:20)
• Revelation vs. Fear and Anxiety:
  • “What is the direct opposite of revelation? Fear and anxiety.” (22:37)
  • Revelation stirs and strengthens, while feelings alone risk sinking into anxiety: "Feelings suggest fear and anxiety drives, pushes, consumes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, revelation stirs you." (24:03)

4. Scriptural Examples of Revelation in Action

• The Centurion’s Story (Matthew 8:5-13):
  • The centurion came to Jesus with knowledge (Jesus can heal), but responded with revelation (“only speak the word and my servant will be healed”).
  • "He took the knowledge that he had...and stood before [Jesus], said, wait a second, I've got power. I'm looking for your power. I expect that when you speak…the power is going to flow." (37:12)
  • Jesus’ Remark: “When Jesus heard him, he marveled… I have not found so much faith…” (41:44)
• The Woman with the Issue of Blood:
  • She moved from knowledge of Jesus to revelation—her faith was activated by the Spirit to act and receive healing.
• Joshua’s Example:
  • God told Joshua to meditate day and night on His word—then, at the right time, revelation and specific guidance (“walk around the wall”) came. (51:06)

5. Application & Self-Assessment

• Living Beyond Feelings—Living by Revelation:
  • Self-check: "What have you been knowing lately, and what have you been feeling lately?" (54:56)
  • “As believers, we're called to live…in revelation. There's things I have knowledge of, but I know this: I'm not responding yet out of revelation. So I stay with the knowledge I have. I keep seeking, I keep asking, I keep knocking…” (57:40)
• Practical Wisdom in Relationships:
  • “Hey, husbands, doesn't it say to dwell with your wife based on knowledge? Right. You don't have to have any special revelation to start acting on some of the knowledge that you have.” (59:40)
  • Daily pursuit of both knowledge and revelation is fundamental to intimacy with God, effective decision-making, and Christian maturity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pursuing Revelation:
  • “Revelation is the very essence of creation. It's God revealing Himself in this natural world.” (17:51)
• On Relationship with God:
  • “You can Google anybody and become an expert in knowing about that person. But it doesn't mean you know them. Knowledge knows God. Knowledge knows. I know who God is. I know about him. I know what his Word says. Again, this is what we build our doctrine, our foundation on, that we have to know the Word.” (14:30)
• On Acting on Knowledge:
  • “If you want to get into revelation, you've got to first act on the knowledge that you have. You cannot go, I want revelation, I want more of God…[but] you're not also acting on the knowledge.” (38:44)
• Revelation vs. Sensory Living:
  • “If you're not in knowledge every day, what's the alternative? Feelings. Living in feelings, being moved by feelings, making decisions by feelings. And when you start making decisions by feelings, guess who second guesses themselves? We do.” (52:59)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 04:30: Importance of knowledge and revelation; practical analogy of confidence through knowledge
• 06:46 – 08:12: Persistent seeking for revelation—Matthew 7:7
• 12:28 – 14:30: Dangers of stopping at knowledge; denominational example
• 20:32 – 24:03: Knowledge vs. feelings; escalation from feelings to anxiety/fear
• 31:50 – 44:00: The centurion’s story; moving from knowledge to revelation, Jesus’ reaction
• 47:25 – 52:59: Scriptural case studies—woman with the issue of blood, Joshua’s meditation and revelation
• 54:56 – 59:40: Daily application; self-assessment questions
• 59:40 – End: Practical living; the need to act on knowledge and pursue revelation

Conclusion

Morgan Dufresne’s message compellingly encourages listeners to never settle for surface-level knowledge of God but continually seek fresh revelation. Knowledge builds a foundation, but only revelation empowers life-transforming faith and intimate relationship. The spectrum from feelings to revelation runs through knowledge—every believer is urged to reflect on where they stand and to actively pursue the deeper things of God through knowledge, revelation, and obedience.