Q012 - What is 'Very Near'?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
What is very near? In this teaching, Dave looks at the gap between earth and heaven, the nearness of God’s Word, and how our Creator has bridged the distance through His Son. • The word is very near you - Deuteronomy 30.11-14 • Draw near to listen - Ecclesiastes 5.1 • Jesus intercedes for those who draw near - Hebrews 7.25 • Draw near to God and He will draw near to you - James 4.8 • Created in God’s image - Genesis 1.27 • The Spirit disclosing Jesus to us - John 16.13 • Peace, love, value, and rest - 1 John 4.18, Philippians 4.7, Hebrews 4.9 To read, listen, and explore more...
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Q011 - What Is Holy Ground?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
What is holy ground? In this teaching, Dave looks at Moses, Joshua, the presence of God, and what it means to encounter the King with humility, honor, and grace. • Holy ground and the presence of God - Exodus 3 • Joshua, Jericho, and the captain of the Lord’s host - Joshua 5.13-15 • Holiness as being set apart for God • Bowing, honoring, listening, and taking off the shoes of the heart • Jesus washing the disciples’ feet - John 13 • Mount Zion, the Kingdom, and reigning with Christ - Hebrews 12, Revelation 20.6 To read, listen, and explore more Fourthstream resources:
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Q010 - Can I Be Like Noah?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Can I be like Noah? In this teaching, Dave looks at Noah’s place in the God Story, the seriousness of Genesis 6, and what it means to find favor with God in a world filled with corruption and judgment. • Noah before Abraham and the nations - Genesis 1-11 • The wickedness of mankind and God’s grief - Genesis 6 • Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord - Genesis 6.8-9 • Faith, reverence, and preparing an ark - Hebrews 11.7 • Jesus as the greater rescuer and deliverer • What it means to prepare faithfully for your household To read, listen, and explore more Fourthstream...
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Q009 - Why Is The World At War?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Why is the world at war? In this teaching, Dave looks at the deep spiritual conflict behind human evil, impurity, deception, and violence, beginning with Genesis and continuing through the larger God Story. • Spiritual warfare and the unseen conflict - Ephesians 6.12 • The roots of human corruption - Genesis 6 • Impurity, idolatry, arrogance, and the fallenness of mankind • God’s grief over evil and His favor toward Noah • Why the war is both interior and exterior • How God overcomes evil through redemption in Jesus To read, listen, and explore more Fourthstream resources:...
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Q008 - Why Cain And Abel?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Why Cain and Abel? In this teaching, Dave looks at Genesis 4 and the sobering account of the first brothers, showing that Cain’s offering problem was really a heart problem. • Cain and Abel in the story of Genesis - Genesis 4 : 1-10 • Cain’s anger, envy, and self-absorption • Abel’s honoring and grateful offering • Sin crouching at the door • Learning the difference between honor and dishonor • Why Jesus alone can master sin in the human heart • Rejecting practiced sin and pursuing righteousness - 1 John To read, listen, and explore more Fourthstream resources:
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Q007 - Why Light And Darkness?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Why light and darkness? In this teaching, Dave traces the light and darkness thread from Genesis through the words of Jesus, showing how God brings light, reveals truth, and sends His people to shine in a dark and weary world. • God separates light from darkness - Genesis 1.1-5 • The lights given for signs, seasons, days, and years - Genesis 1.14-19 • Jesus as the true Light - John 1.9-10 • You are the light of the world - Matthew 5.14-16 • God is Light - 1 John 1.5 • The Lord is my light and salvation - Psalm 27.1 • In Your light we see light - Psalm 36.9 • Your word is a lamp...
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Q006 - Why is there so much chaos?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Why is there so much chaos? In this teaching, Dave explores how Scripture gives clarity about the chaos in the world, the human heart, rebellion, pride, idolatry, and God’s purpose in all things. • Good and evil in a chaotic world • Redefining truth by lies - Isaiah 5.20 • Rejecting God as King - 1 Samuel 8.7 • The pride of human power - Leviticus 26.19-20 • The father of lies - John 8.44 • Idolatry and the depraved mind - Romans 1.28-32 • God’s purpose in bringing all things under Christ - 1 Corinthians 15.28 • Walking worthy of His kingdom and glory - 1 Thessalonians 2.12...
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Q005 - What Are Woven Threads?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
What are woven threads? In this teaching, Dave explains how the Bible’s 60,000-plus cross-references, Spirit-given authorship, context, and original language help us let the Bible interpret itself. • The prophetic Word made more sure - 2 Peter 1.19-21 • Eyewitnesses of Jesus’ majesty - 2 Peter 1.16-18 • The Bible as God’s supernatural instrument for speaking • Why Scripture is not a matter of private interpretation • What woven threads are and why they matter • The Spirit of God from Genesis to Revelation - Genesis 1.1-2 and Revelation 22.17-19 • Context, original language,...
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Q004 - Why Purity?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Why purity? In this episode, Dave explores purity as a question of freedom, bondage, honor, marriage, self-denial, and God’s design for human intimacy. • Purity, freedom, and bondage - Romans 1 •Sexual drive, marriage, children, and intimacy •Pride, arrogance, and impurity entering the human story - Genesis 3 and Genesis 6 •Sin crouching at the door - Genesis 4 •Truth that sets us free - John 8 and John 16 •Purity, honor, and the body - 1 Corinthians 6.18-20 •Sharing in God’s glory - Revelation 4.11 and 1 Peter 5.1 •The purity thread - Matthew 5.28, Mark 7.21-23, Acts...
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Q003 - What Is Truth?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
What is truth? In this episode, Dave follows an amazing biblical thread through Jesus’ words to Thomas, His conversation with Pilate, and the repeated phrase, “I tell you the truth.” • Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life - John 14.1-6 •Pilate asks, “What is truth?” - John 18.33-40 •Before Abraham was born, I AM - John 8.58 •Jesus as the gate for the sheep - John 10.1 and John 10.7 •The kernel of wheat and new life - John 12.24 •The messenger, the Father, and greater works - John 13 and John 14 •Truth, grief, joy, and asking the Father - John 16 •Suppressing...
info_outlineIt is one thing to know ABOUT someone but we go much deeper when we connect through personal knowledge and shared experiences. What are the keys to finding personal connection with God? Is it indeed possible to "hear God's voice" as some people talk about? Are we truly able to walk side by side with God?
This is key:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Knowing God is both easy and complex. The more we choose to honor Him the deeper our relationship with Him becomes. By walking side by side with Jesus we find connectivity with our Father.
The Bible appears to indicate that honor, transparency, and fluidity in sharing myself with Him is huge. Our connectivity grows as we choose to honor Him more than we choose to honor ourselves. Easier said than done. And yet this is exactly what Jesus showed and taught us. The more focused we are on honoring Him the more truthful and transparent we become. Think about it. It is kind of dumb to try to hide things from the One Who sees everything. If we choose honor and transparency, we live in a fluid relationship with God. Everything to learn. Nothing to lose. An endless life process of spiritual growth.
We are meant to mature in our faith:
"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
Pursuit of personal connectivity results in spiritual maturity:
"Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." Hebrews 5:11-14
Can you see the thread?
Jesus spent much time explaining this connectivity to His disciples. To know and follow Jesus is to re-connect with our Father. Honor was everything to Jesus. Transparency with His Father was His complete pursuit. When this becomes a back and forth fluidity we can know we are hearing the Voice of God - just as Jesus did.
Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” John 7:28,29
To think about:
What is the difference between "knowing about" and finding connectivity?
What is the nature of personal knowledge that comes through friendship?
In what ways is it possible for us to share experiences with the Father?
How deep is your desire for honor?
In what ways are you open to being transparent with God, and what brings this about for you?
What are the fruits of connectivity?
(Things like Acceptance, Confidence, Peace of mind, and Reassurance.)
Is there any reason this should not be a clear choice for one who is serious about God?
Dave and Burnadette
Related Links (this is deep):
From Jesus Centric Series
Kingdom Connectivity: The Ultimate
Connectivity With Our King