STAY IN HERE

STAY IN HERE

1CHRON. 6:66-69 & NUM. 35:26-28

1 Chronicles 6:66-69 (KJV) 66  And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim. 67  And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs, 68  And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs, 69  And Aijalon with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs:

YOU CAN READ OF THESE CITIES THROUGH VERSE 81 “THE CITY, WITH IT’S SUBURBS”

Numbers 35:26-28 (KJV) 26  But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; 27  And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: 28  Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

I WANT TO START BY SAYING “THANK GOD FOR MERCY”

Titus 3:5 (KJV) 5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…..”

I THINK THERE IS SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE ALL ASKED OURSELVES FROM TIME TO TIME:

“HOW FAR WILL GOD’S MERCY REACH?”

“DOES GOD’S MERCY EVER STOP REACHING?”

THEN SCRIPTURES COME RINGING BACK IN MY MIND THAT “GOD’S MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER”

I THINK IT’S SOME 42 TIMES THE BIBLE SAYS “HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOR EVER”

WE SING THE OLD HYMN BY FREDERICK LEHMAN “LOVE OF GOD”

The love of God is greater farThan tongue or pen can ever tell;It goes beyond the highest star,And reaches to the lowest hell;The guilty pair, bowed down with care,God gave His Son to win;His erring child He reconciled,And pardoned from his sin.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!How measureless and strong!It shall forevermore endure—The saints’ and angels’ song.

V3) Could we with ink the ocean fill,And were the skies of parchment made,Were every stalk on earth a quill,And every man a scribe by trade;To write the love of God aboveWould drain the ocean dry;Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Though stretched from sky to sky.

Frederick Lehman tells us that verse 3 “had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave.”

STORY: DOCTOR IN A MENTAL INSTATUTION SAW A MAN STAND IN A CORNER ALL ALONE AND SCRATCH HIMSELF CONSTANTLY.

THE DOCTOR ASKED HIM “WHY DO YOU DO THAT”

THE MAN REPLIED “BECAUSE I’M THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD THAT KNOWS WERE I ITCH”

GOD KNOWS WERE WE ALL ITCH AND HE HAS A REMEDY CALLED “MERCY”

HIS MERCY IS CONSTANTLY REACHING FOR HUMANITY TO BRING THEM UNTO HIMSELF.

THE MERCY OF GOD CAN SOMETIMES LOOK DIFFERENT THAT WHAT WE THINK.

I’VE SEEN THE MERCY OF GOD COME IN THE FORM OF CANCER (Bill Fields)

SOMEONE PREACHED “WHEN GOD’S MERCY LOOKS LIKE HELL” (JONAH IN WHALES BELLY)

“FROM THE BELLY OF HELL CRIED I UNTO THE LORD”

IF IT BRINGS US TO GOD, IT’S OUR FRIEND

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HUMANITY DRAWS BACK FROM GOD’S MERCY?

TEXT: THE CITIES OF REFUGE WAS A SYMBOL OF GOD’S MERCY.

GOD HAS NEVER LEFT A GENERATION WITHOUT MERCY.

EVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD HAD MERCY

CITY OF REFUGE—A PLACE GOD ORDAINED FOR PEOPLE TO FLEE TO IF THEY ACCIDENTALLY KILLED SOMEONE.

IN THAT DAY IT WAS “AN EYE FOR AN EYE” OR “LIFE FOR A LIFE”

THE NEXT OF KIN WAS CALLED “THE AVENGER OF BLOOD” AND HE COULD KILL YOU BY LAW

IF YOU MADE IT TO THE CITY OF REFUGE, THE AVENGER OF BLOOD COULDN’T KILL YOU.

GIVE YOU TIME TO PROVE YOUR INNOCENT

I REMEMBER HEARING ABOUT THE AVENGER OF BLOOD RUNNING CHASEING SOMEONE AND HE BARLY MAKE IT INTO THE CITY GATE.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL TOGETHER TRUE.

NOTICE OUR TEXT:

67  And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs, 68  And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs,

ALL THE CITIES MENTION THE CITY WITH HER SUBURBS.

SUBURB--a district lying immediately outside a city or town.

THE SUBURB’S WAS AN AREA AROUND THE CITY

GOD SAID, THE MAN DOESN’T HAVE TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY INTO THE CITY GATE TO BE SAFE.

IF HE’S IN THE SUBURBS, HE’S SAFE

MERCY REACHED OUTSIDE THE CITY OF REFUGE IF YOUR RUNNING TOWARDS IT.

THANK GOD FOR MERCY THAT WILL REACH OUT.

GOD SAYS “I KNOW YOUR NOT WHERE YOUR SUPPOSE TO BE BUT MY MERCY WILL REACH OUT”

STORY: KINDERGARTEN TEACHER HAD A LITTLE BOY WHO LOVED HER SO MUCH HE WANTED TO SIT BESIDE HER ALL THE TIME AND WAS JEALOUS WHEN A NEW GIRL CAME TO SCHOOL AND SAT BESIDE MRS. HARRIS.

MRS. HARRIS ASKED “BILLY DO YOU THINK YOUR LOVE IS SO BIG IT COULD STRETCH ACROSS THE ROOM?”

HE WENT AND SAT ACROSS THE ROOM, IN A FEW MINUTES HE SAID:

“MRS. HARRIS, MY LOVE IS STRECTHING ACROSS THE ROOM FOR YOU!!!!!”

I’M GLAD GOD’S LOVE STRETCHES !!

PRAISE GOD FOR MERCY WILLING TO GO OUTSIDE THE GATE!

WHAT ABOUT LEAVING THE CITY OF REFUGE?

IF ANYONE LEFT THE CITY OF REFUGE FOR ANY REASON HE COULD BE KILLED

YOU SAY “WHY WOULD ANYBODY WANT TO LEAVE”

YET PEOPLE DO IT ALL THE TIME

THEY LEAVE THE CITY OF REFUGE TO BE ENTERTAINED BY THE WORLD.

THAT’S’ WHY DAVID CRIED OVER ABNER WHEN JOAB KILLED HIM.

“ABNER! ABNER! DIED THOU AS A FOOL”

ABNER WAS STANDING INSIDE THE CITY OF REFUGE BUT JOAB CONVINCED HIM TO GO OUTSIDE THE GATE

YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER IN THE CITY OF MERCY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE.

THAT’S WHY IF PREACH TODAY “STAY IN HERE”

DID YOU NOTICE HOW GOD’S MERCY WORKS?

MAN RUNNING TOWARD MERCY AND GOD REACHED OUT WITH MERCY

MAN LEAVING THE CITY OF MERCY AND HE WAS KILLED

YOUR DIRECTION MATTERS!

MERCY WAS EXTENDED OR WITHDRAWN DEPENDING ON THE DIRECTION THEY WERE MOVING

WHICH DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED TODAY?

LOTS WIFE LOOKED BACK TOWARD SODOM AND BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT.

ABRAHAM LOOKED TOWARD SODOM BUT NOTHING HAPPENED TO HIM…..WHY

ONE WAS WALKING AWAY

ONE WAS WALKING TOWARD

GOD TOLD EZEKIEL “I’M GOING TO DESTROY ISRAEL”

GOD SHOWS EZEKIEL 6 ANGELS WITH WEAPONS TO DESTORY.

ONE ANGEL HAD AN INK HORN, GOD TOLD HIM TO MARK ALL WHO WEPT OVER ISRAEL’S SIN.

GOD SHOWS EZEKEL WHERE JUDGMENT BEGAN

Ezekiel 8:16 (KJV) 16  And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

25 MEN WITH THERE BACKS TOWARD THE TEMPLE

25 MEN WITH THERE BACKS TOWARD THE ALTAR

THERE FACES WAS TOWARD THE EAST WORSHIPPING THE SUN (IDOL GOD)

THEY WAS AT CHURCH BUT, YOU COULDN’T SEE THERE FACE, ONLY THE BACK OF THERE HEAD.

I FELT LIKE I WAS PREACHING TO THE BACK OF PEOPLES HEAD BEFORE.

DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON THE ALTAR!

DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON GOD!

ILLUSTRATE: TRY TALKING TO SOMEONE WHILE THEY TURN THERE BACK TO YOU.

CAN GOD SEE YOUR FACE TODAY?

THE PRODICAL SON WAS HOME, BUT HIS FACE WAS TOWARD THE FAR COUNTRY.

GOD SAYS “I CAN PUT UP WITH A LOT OF THINGS BUT YOU MUST STAY INSIDE THE GATE OF MERCY”

Psalm 23:6 (KJV) 6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

DAVID SAID “I’M STAYING IN HERE WHERE ITS SAFE”

SHOMEHOW GOD’S MERCY IS LINKED TO THE DIRECTION A MAN IS HEADED.

James 4:8 (KJV) 8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…

LOOK AT THE HEALING OF NAMAAN

AFTER HIS HEALING NAMAAN TRIES TO GIVE ELISHA GIFTS OF GOLD AND SILVER (HE WOULDN’T TAKE IT)

GEHAZI HIS SERVANT RUNS AFTER HIM WANTING THE GIFTS

IT’S AMAZING HOW SOME ARE WILLING TO REACH FOR THINGS THE WORLD IS WILLING TO LAY DOWN.

2 Kings 5:25 (KJV) 25  But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whencecomest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

HE DIDN’T ASK “WHAT DID YOU DO?” OR “HOW DID YOU SIN”

ONLY ONE THING MATTERED TO ELISHA “WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED?”

“WHENCE COMEST THOU’

WHAT ABOUT YOU TODAY, WHENCE COMEST THOU?