Sermon Tone Analysis

April 15, 2007

*BECOMING A PLACE OF REFUGE!*

*JOSHUA 20: 1-9*

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*            ~*~*In Joshua 3:5 Joshua told the people to */“consecrate themselves because TOMORROW the Lord will do WONDERS among you”!

/

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*            ~*~*When Joshua talked about their TOMORROW, he was talking about */a new dimension of supernatural life they had never known before!/

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*            ~*~*So much of what we have discovered in Joshua has been a parallel to us as a Church in 2007.

We began */CONSECRATING /*ourselves through 21 days of corporate fasting.

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*            ~*~*As a by product of this pre-positioning we began to discover a part of God’s divine alignment.

God had instructed us that whenever we */“see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God” /*that we were to */“set out from OUR PLACE and GO AFTER IT!/

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*            ~*~*Whenever we became aware of this property and these facilities being made available to us, there was something that really seemed right about it.

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*            ~*~*I had been able to see every room in the facilities except the pastor’s office.

It had been locked and we did not have a key to open it.

When we finally got it open and we needed to say yes or no to the opportunity, I walked into the office and there was a “replica” of */The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord our God /*in the pastor’s office.*

*            ~*~*The Spirit of God */reminded/* me of the promise the Lord had given to me two years earlier that */when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, you shall SET OUT from your place and GO AFTER IT!/

/ /

*            ~*~*AND WE DID!*

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*            ~*~*In one of our first messages in this series of messages on POSSESSING OUR TOMORROW, I focused on two Hebrew words that God spoke to Joshua.

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*            ~*~*Those two words were KAW-ZACH which means */To Lay Hold Of or To Seize or To Get a Grip /*and AMETS which means */Don’t let go or Don’t lose your grip/*.*

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*            ~*~*Two of the things Joshua was told to LAY HOLD OF  and not LET GO OF were */The Promises and Principles of God.  /*God told him to */be careful to do according to ALL the law which Moses My Servant commanded you.

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*            ~*~*As long as he did not turn to the right or to the left of the Promises and Principles Moses gave to him then he would have SUCCESS wherever he would go!*

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*            ~*~*As we studied the book of Joshua we saw the victories as well as the defeats.

Victory always came as a by product of their obedience and DEFEAT always came as a by product of their disobedience.*

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*            ~*~*Today I will be preaching the next to last message that I have planned to preach from the book of Joshua.

I call your attention to chapter 20: 1 */THEN THE LORD SPOKE TO JOSHUA, SAYING . . .

/*2 */DESIGNATE THE *CITIES OF REFUGE*, OF WHICH I SPOKE TO YOU *THROUGH MOSES!*/

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            ~*~**This morning I want to speak to you on the subject of */BECOMING A PLACE OF REFUGE!/*

The first thing that I want to call to your attention is the fact that:*

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*I.                  **HISTORICALLY** THERE WAS A PLACE!*

*A.                 *The *PROVISION* was *DEMANDED!*

*Joshua 20: 1 */Then *the Lord spoke* to Joshua, saying . . .

/*2 */designate *the cities of refuge*, *of which I spoke to you through Moses!*/

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*~*~*When did the Lord speak to Joshua */through Moses?

/*Turn to Numbers 35: 9 */Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, /*10*/ Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, /*12 */then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of REFUGE . .

./

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*            ~*~*The people of God have crossed over the Jordan river, they have shouted down the fortified walls of Jericho.

They have rebounded from the defeat at AI and they have overcome the deception of the Gibeonites.*

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*            ~*~*They have received “their inheritance and life is really good for them.

However Joshua committed himself to */do all that the Lord commanded Moses to do /*and in Numbers 35: 9-12 */Moses commanded them to make sure that when they entered into their TOMORROW that they take the time to establish specific CITIES of REFUGE!/

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*            ~*~*We not only see that The PROVISION for such a place was DEMANDED, but we also see that:*

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*B.                 *The *PROCESS* was *DESCRIBED!*

*Joshua 20: 4 */He shall flee to one of these cities, and stand at the entrance of the gate . . .

and state his case!/

*            ~*~*Once the PLACE of REFUGE was established, Moses also DESCRIBED the PROCESS that was necessary for a person to be able to utilize the PLACE of REFUGE.*

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*            ~*~*Notice the steps in this process.

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*1)         The person being pursued had to PERSONALLY FLEE to the city!*

*2)         The person being pursued had to PERSONALLY STAND at the entrance of the gate!*

*3)         The person being pursued had to PERSONALLY STATE his case to the elders of the city!*

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*            ~*~*In other words, God established the PLACE of REFUGE but HE also established the PROCESS for being able to utilize the PLACE.*

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*            ~*~*We not only see that The PROVISION for a place of refuge was DEMANDED and that the PROCESS was DESCRIBED but we also see that:*

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*C.                 *The *PERIOD* was *DETERMINED!*

*Joshua 20: 6 */He shall dwell in that city until . . . the death of the one who is high priest at that time!/

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*~*~*If you were fortunate enough to make to the place of refuge and if you were fortunate enough to qualify to enter into the place of refuge, HOW LONG WOULD YOU BE SAFE in the place of refuge?*

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*~*~*Notice 20: 6 */He shall dwell in that PLACE until . . . the death of the one who is the high priest at that time!/

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*~*~*I need you to hold that thought for just a few moments.

I promise you that I will get back to it in just a few minutes (smile)!*

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*~*~*For now I want you to remember that HISTORICALLY there was a PLACE of refuge that God demanded to be built.

The next thing I want you to notice is that:*

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*II.

**SPIRITUALLY** THERE IS A PICTURE!*

*~*~*When you study The Cities of Refuge, you will discover the fact that HISTORICALLY there was a real PLACE but you will also discover that SPIRITUALLY there is a PICTURE of three things.

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*      ~*~*First of all there is a picture of:*

A.                 Our *SALVATION*

*Hebrews 6: 18 */. . .

we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us!/

*            ~*~*Notice in your outline the words written by the writer to the Hebrews in 6:18 */“We who have taken REFUGE would have STRONG encouragement to TAKE HOLD of the HOPE set before us!/

*            ~*~**We can see in the cities of refuge a picture of our salvation in Jesus Christ, to whom we “have fled for refuge” (Heb.

6:18).

*The lost sinner, of course, is in danger of judgment because “the wages of sin is death*” (Rom.

6:23).

*The avenger of blood is after him or her! God’s appointed Savior is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12)*, *but the sinner must come to Him by faith in order to be saved (Matt.

11:28–30; John 6:37).*

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            *~*~*Not only can we SEE a PICTURE of our Salvation but we can also see a picture of:*

B.                 Our *SECURITY*

*Hebrews 7: 23 */the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing /*24 */but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently!

/*25 */Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them!/

*            ~*~*God is the one who commanded Moses what to write concerning the cities of refuge.

Moses would in turn write it down and instruct Joshua on how and when to set up the cities of refuge.*

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*            ~*~*The Spirit of God is the one who would develop the picture for us in our mind, heart and soul.

The one who was being pursued by the AVENGER of BLOOD was pursuing the person that was guilty of having blood on their hands from killing another person.*

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*            ~*~*As soon as they knew they were guilty and that the Avenger of Blood was pursuing them, they immediately begin running for the City of Refuge.

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*            ~*~*Once he or she got to the gates and the elders of the city agreed they qualified to dwell in the city of refuge, they would stay in that city UNTIL */the death on the one who was the high priest at that time!/

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*            ~*~*As long as the High Priest was alive they would be free from The Avenger of Blood.

However once the High Priest died, the person had to return to the home that he came from.*

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*            ~*~*Guess what?

Our High Priest */was dead, but now He is alive forever more!/

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*            ~*~*So how SECURE are you once you have run to Christ as your REFUGE?

As long as Christ is alive you can ABIDE IN YOUR PLACE OF REFUGE and CHRIST IS ALIVE FOREVER and FOREVER!*

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*            ~*~*O it gets better!

Not only do we see a picture of our SALVATION and of our SECURITY but we also see a beautiful picture of:*

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C.

Our *SAVIOR*

*Hebrews 7: 26 */For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens!/

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*~*~*I call you attention to the six cities that were established as cities of refuge.

There were six cities, three were on the east side of the Jordon and three were west of the River:*

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*1)                  **Kedesh: RIGHTEOUSNESS*

*2)                  **Shechem: SHOULDER*

*3)                  **Hebron**: FELLOWSHIP*

*4)                  **Bezer: FORTRESS*

*5)                  **Ramoth: HEIGHTS*

*6)                  **Golan: EXILE*

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*~*~*When you put them together you discover a beautiful picture of our Savior.

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The meanings of the names of the cities are interesting.

Taking them in the order listed in Joshua 20:7–8, you have: Kedesh = “righteousness”; Shechem = “shoulder”; Hebron = “fellowship”; Bezer = “fortress” or “strong”; and Ramoth = “heights.”

Hebraists do not agree on what Golan means, but the /Gesenius Lexicon /says it means “exile.”