Run To The Refuge

RUN TO THE REFUGE

Joshua 20:1–9 | Ricky Powell, Senior Pastor | July 5, 2026

Introduction

When our first two children were little, Donna and I decided to take them to Helen, Georgia. We had honeymooned in Helen in 1991, so we thought, “Let’s take Joshua and Casey to Helen.” So, we drove our 1995 Ford Thunderbird, checked into our cabin, and got settled that first night. The next day we went out and did some sightseeing. Then on the way back to the cabin, we got in a car accident. The car was not drivable, so we had to have it towed back to Jacksonville, Florida. We cut our trip short. And to top everything off, the accident was my fault. I guess you could say we went to Helen and back that week. I had to look my wife in the eye and say, “Whoops. Sorry. Didn’t see that car coming.” And then to make matters worse, the kids were in the backseat. It was just a scary time to have an accident. All the way back to Jacksonville, I just felt guilty. I should have been more careful.

That is a trip I did not want to take. The guilt trip. I didn’t have that scheduled. But we’ve all been on that trip, I’m sure, one time or another.

Have you ever been on the guilt trip? Have you ever said something you know you shouldn’t have said, but you could not reel those words back? And then the rest of the night, you’re just feeling so guilty for how you lost your temper and said those things. Maybe you were assigned a project at work, didn’t hit your deadlines, and it cost the company money, and now you’re just feeling guilty for letting everybody down. Maybe it is a besetting sin in your life. You’ve struggled with it. You think you have some victory, and then, boom, you let yourself down. You disobeyed God, and you lived on that guilt trip. Why did I do that? Why can’t I be free from that?

And sometimes we have guilt trips not for sins. We just make mistakes. We’re all flawed people. We don’t always get things right. We’re not perfect in relationships. We’re not perfect at work. We’re not perfect at school. We sometimes mess up, and we feel guilty as a result.

Where do you run when you are on the guilt trip? Because we’re all going to be on it one day or another.

Maybe you’re saying, “I don’t really need this sermon. I don’t have anything to feel guilty about.” Well, just take good notes. You’ll need it one day. You’ll need this message. You’ll need to be reminded of these truths one day, because we all mess up. Whether it’s sin or just a mistake, we mess up.

Where do you run when you’re on a guilt trip? Or if you really have messed up and you say, “Man, I’m glad I’m here today, because that’s where I’m living right now.” I’m so grateful you’re here, because it’s not by accident. God has a message for you today because he doesn’t want you living in guilt, shame, and condemnation. He wants you to find freedom.

Now, your guilt is a good feeling. At times it doesn’t feel good. But if it’s real guilt for a real wrong, then it’s a gift of God. Guilt is designed to warn you that something is wrong, and it should drive you to God.

My late friend Tony Morgan wrote a book called The Unstuck Church. In it he talks about an old car he drove, and a check engine light came on. He thought, “This car’s fine. I don’t have time to deal with that.” But over the weeks and months, he got tired of seeing that red light, so he just put some black electrical tape over it, as if that would solve the problem. And then when the car died, he had no one to blame but himself.

Just ignoring your guilt is not a good thing. Guilt is like a warning light on the dashboard of your life. God is saying, “You need to deal with this. There’s something wrong here.” And it should drive you to God.

Now, I’m not talking about false guilt. False guilt is when you feel guilty about something you shouldn’t. Sometimes we beat ourselves up, and it’s not of God. Sometimes people in our lives will manipulate us and use guilt to make us do what they want. I’m not talking about false guilt. I’m talking about when you’ve really messed up, and you know you’ve got to own it, and the warning light in your soul goes off: “This is wrong.” What do you do with that?

Some people medicate their guilt. They try to drink it away. They try a new relationship. “Because I feel guilty about this one, I’ll try that one.” They try religion or good works, so they’ll immerse themselves in their job and hobbies. But that guilt remains if you don’t deal with it.

We’re not the first people to struggle with guilt when we’ve done wrong. Even in the Old Testament, in the book of Joshua, chapter 20, that’s where we’re going to be today. God made provision for his guilty people, and this is where their lives intersect with our lives, because we have more in common with them than we want to admit. God knew they were going to mess up. He knows we’re going to mess up, and he makes provision for us when we do.

And so, in Joshua chapter 20, I’m calling this message “Run to the Refuge” because God wants you to let your guilt drive you to God for refuge in Christ. That’s really the bottom line of Joshua chapter 20. God wants your guilt to drive you to God for refuge in Christ.

We’re going to look at Joshua chapter 20, and I want to give you three characteristics of this refuge that God makes available.

To set the stage, remember that in chapter 15 we saw God dividing the promised land among the tribes of Israel. Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 — we’re skipping. You’re welcome. You can read that on your own. I’m not saying it’s not important, but I’m trying to finish this series before the Lord comes back, and at least by the second week of August. So, we’re going to move ahead. But now that the land has been divided among the tribes of Israel, God provides for cities of refuge. And I want to give you three characteristics of the refuge God provides.

Lesson One: God Knew We Would Need a Refuge (Joshua 20:1–3)

"Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Say to the people of Israel, appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.'"

Now, let’s just pause there for a moment. God knew we would need a refuge. The first verse says, "Then the Lord said to Joshua." Joshua didn’t come up with this idea. Joshua didn’t initiate this plan to have cities of refuge among the tribes of Israel. God, in his sovereign grace, had chosen, even back when Moses was leading forty-five years earlier, that when they entered the promised land, he would give them cities of refuge. And now God is keeping his promise. But God took the initiative because He knew that his people would sometimes find themselves guilty of something they did unintentionally.

And you’ll notice that’s the whole reason these cities of refuge are available. These cities are not so a murderer can go scot-free. These cities were designed in case someone accidentally killed another person.

Back in Deuteronomy 19:5, you get the description of what these cities were for. One of the examples given is this: you are out with a friend or a neighbor, and you are chopping wood, but while you are chopping wood, the axe head flies off the handle, strikes your neighbor, and kills him. It was an accident. You didn’t hate your neighbor. You didn’t bring him out there to kill him. It was an accident. (SEE ALSO Numbers 34:9-34)

Now, in that culture, before there was a judicial system like the one we enjoy today, it was the responsibility of the deceased’s family to seek justice. And often one of the men would say, “I’ll be the avenger of blood. This person killed our loved one. Now I’m going to go and make sure justice is meted out on him. Blood for blood, life for life.”

The problem was that often during grief, a family is experiencing sorrow and anger, and they may not know the whole story, that it was an accident. Or even if they do know the whole story, they could be so enraged that you weren’t more careful that they decide you should die for this accident.

Now, there was capital punishment that God prescribed for murder. But God in his mercy is providing a provision, a refuge for those who did not commit premeditated murder, who had no hate or malice in their heart. And these were the cities of refuge. You were to run to that city of refuge.

God knew we would need a refuge. It’s always been that way. God in his sovereign grace takes the initiative.

Long before Adam and Eve realized they would fall, God knew they would need a Redeemer. God was thinking of the ark long before Noah even knew about it. And the same is true for you and me. Long before we ever thought of Jesus Christ, Jesus was thinking of us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16)

Long before you thought of God, God was thinking of you. And he took the initiative to send Jesus as our refuge. Aren’t you grateful for a God like that?

Romans 5:8 says, “But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Salvation was not your idea. It wasn’t my idea. It was God’s idea. And we owe all praise and glory to him.

God knew we would need a refuge. Do you need a refuge this morning? Maybe you need a refuge from the guilt you feel about the failed marriage, and you own your part in it. Maybe you need a refuge from the guilt you feel about how you let your family down when they were younger. Maybe you need a refuge from the guilt of being convinced by others that you are a failure and you’ll never amount to anything, and you’ve allowed that to poison your heart and your attitude, and you’re feeling guilty for giving in to those people.

I don’t know what you might need a refuge from. But I know there are times in my life I need a refuge. If I’m running away from it, it’s still there; it’s chasing me. But God says, “I know what you need, and I’m going to provide for you a way out, a way of escape.”

Lesson Two: God Made the Refuge Easy to Reach (Joshua 20:4–8)

Not only did God know you would need a refuge, but number two: God made the refuge easy to reach. What good is a refuge if you can’t get there? But God made the refuge easy to reach.

"He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly and did not hate him in the past. And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment... until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled."(Joshua 20:4-8)

Imagine this scene. You accidentally killed your neighbor when that axe head came off the handle, and you’re devastated. Not only is your friend dead, but your life will never be the same. You go home, and you tell everybody what’s happened. But in that moment, you hear that the other family is coming to kill you. Someone in that family has said, “I’ll be the avenger of our family member’s blood. Before this day is over, if I can get my hands on him, he’ll be dead too."

And so, you run. You leave your family, you leave your town, and you run. And you don’t just run to hide. You run to the refuge God has set aside. There’s a city in your area, and you’re running to get there. You run through the night. You’re breathless when you arrive at the city gates the next morning.

And you don’t just burst into the city. The city gate was the official entrance to the city, where the city’s elders conducted business. They were like the judge and the jury for that city. And you must go to them and tell them what you’ve done. If they believe you, they will let you into the city. You must still stand before the whole congregation of the city, and they will have the final judgment on whether you’re telling the truth. And if it is found that you unintentionally killed your neighbor or your friend, you can stay in that city. They’ll give you food and water. They’ll give you shelter. They will even give you protection. When the avenger of blood comes to kill you, they won’t let you go. They won’t give you up to him. They will protect you.

But you must stay in that city to stay under their protection. And you must stay until the high priest dies.

"Well, I hope he’s on his last leg.”

But you could be there for decades until the high priest dies. And then the law says that when the high priest has died, you can go home. And the avenger of blood has no authority to take your life. And if he does, he is now considered a murderer worthy of capital punishment.

Can you imagine being an inhabitant of that city where someone has shown up for protection, and the elders say, “He can stay”? And then one day there’s a knock at your door, and a stranger is standing there with your husband. And he says, “Honey, this is Benjamin. He accidentally killed his friend in a hunting accident, and he’s now going to live with us. Get him a room ready. He’s now part of our family. We’re here to provide for him and to protect him."

Can I tell you, that’s exactly what the church ought to be? The church ought to be a place of refuge for people who have messed up, for people who have blown it, who run to God and cast themselves on God for mercy and for protection.

At Fort Caroline Baptist Church, where I had the honor of serving on staff for twenty-eight years — twenty-six as the senior pastor — we once put on our marquee: "No perfect people allowed.” We had more first-time guests in that next month than we ever had before. A man, his wife, and daughter came to our church that first Sunday because they were driving down the road and they saw that sign. The husband said, "Boy, that’s the church for us.” They pulled into our parking lot, came to church, and the rest is history.

"No perfect people allowed.” You’re in a room full of people, whether they’ll admit it or not, who have messed up. Who have reasons to feel guilty. Who have a past they don’t always like to talk about. Who still struggle with sin even to this day, even those who know Christ. But they’re here today because they are people in need of refuge who have run to the person of refuge, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as a congregation, we come together not to excuse our past or our sin, but to cast ourselves upon God’s mercy and grace.

God is making these cities easy to reach.

"So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba, that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh."(Joshua 20:7-8)

In case you lost count, there were six cities in the promised land designated as cities of refuge. Three on the west side of the Jordan, three on the east side. Why did God strategically place those cities where he did? So that no matter where you found yourself, you were within running distance of a city of refuge. God wanted that place to be nearby.

He could have said, “There’s one city, it’s Jerusalem, the place of refuge. If you get there, good on you. If not, too bad.” But that’s not what he did. He dispersed those cities among his people so they could run and reach them.

Jewish historians tell us that these were the best-kept roads in Israel. The bridges were always maintained. Obstacles were removed. Repairs were made so that nothing would hinder anyone from reaching the city of refuge. Historians say that at major intersections, there would be signs pointing you to the city of refuge and telling you how far you had to go to get there. What a gracious God we have, who says, “I want refuge to be close by for my people.”

Sometimes people say, “Well, First Baptist Church Blairsville is growing because Union County is growing.” When I first arrived here, a church member said, “Hey, Pastor, one of the first questions we ask new church members is: what part of Florida are you from?” Because so many people have moved here, or they moved out of Atlanta during COVID because they could work from home. I recognize that our community and our churches are growing because people are moving here. But I happen to believe the reason people are moving here is that God is drawing them to this place because he knows there are churches in this county that will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

No matter who you are or what you’ve done, God loves you. Whether it’s First Baptist Church, or House of Prayer, or Vertical Church, or Choestoe — took me a while to figure out how to pronounce that — or Harmony Grove, or New Union; there are churches in this community that are cities of refuge, saying, “Here, come to Jesus as we’ve come to Jesus.” There’s no excuse to go to hell from Blairsville, Georgia. Amen. I don’t want anybody going to hell without having heard the gospel of Jesus Christ from us. There is a place of refuge.

I love Psalm 46:1. I often use it at funerals, and I’ve got to conduct a funeral tomorrow for my pastor’s wife who passed away last week. But how many times do I stand up before a family at a time of grief and say, “Psalm 46:1 — God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble"? But that is not just true in moments of grief. He is still the God who is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble, even when we feel guilty, even when we’ve messed up.

God wanted his refuge to be near. The problem in my life, and probably in your life, is we fail to remember that God is closer than you think.

The devil wants you to believe that when you’ve messed up, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that God’s done with you, that you’re just so far from God. But Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, God with us. He’s closer than you think. And he is always more willing to restore me than I am willing to repent and be restored.

Aren't you grateful that he’s close?

Let your guilt drive you to God for refuge in Christ.

Lesson Three: God Made the Refuge Available to Everyone (Joshua 20:9)

God knew we would need refuge. God made refuge easy to reach. And then number three.

God made the refuge available to everyone.

"These were the cities designated — for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them — that anyone, anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood till he stood before the congregation."(Joshua 20:9)

Do you hear that? God did not just provide cities of refuge for his people, the Hebrew people. He provided these cities also for the stranger living among them. In other words, God provided cities of refuge for everyone, for anyone.

Sometimes people say, “I’ve done too much. God could never forgive me.” Well, then you make God a liar. Because God says he loved the world. That means you too. These cities of refuge were for all the people, if they would merely take advantage of it.

But it’s not enough to know the city exists. You’ve got to run to it. It’s not enough to do a geographical study. “Well, this one’s in a valley, and that one’s on a hill, and it’s fortified with walls.” You’ve got to run to it. It’s not enough to do a word study of the name of that city. “Oh, look, that’s interesting. The name of that city means joy. And this city’s name means strength.” You’ve got to run to it, or it won’t do you any good. And it’s not enough to hear another Baptist preacher preach one more sermon when you already know about Jesus. You’ve got to run to him in faith.

Have you done that? Has there ever been a time in your life where you said, “I need Jesus. Without him, I am lost. Without him, I am condemned. Without him, the weight of my sin is on my shoulders. Without him, I am going to perish”?

Has there ever been that time? Because your mom cannot save you. She can’t believe Jesus for you. Your spouse can’t run to Jesus for you. A pastor can’t believe for you. Even the great apostle Paul, writing to the Roman believers about his kinsmen according to the flesh, said, “I wish that I myself were accursed. I wish I could go to hell so that they could be saved.” (SEE Romans 9:3) But it’s not possible. They must believe. And you’ve got to run to this city.

No matter who you are, whatever you’ve done, you cannot out-sin God’s grace and his mercy.

Jesus said, “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. “Matthew 11:28-29

John 3:16: “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:13: “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

And the Bible says, “Whoever comes to him, he will in no wise cast away.” (SEE John 6:37)

Whoever. If you’re a lifelong church member but have come to realize you’re lost, come to Jesus. If you’re the prodigal son, come to Jesus. If you’re the addict, come to Jesus. If you failed in your marriage, come to Jesus. If you’re wondering if God could ever love somebody like you, come to Jesus. And you watch him love you with an everlasting love. He’s already proved it by dying for you on the cross of Calvary.

Whoever comes.

Return to Verse 6: The High Priest

Did you notice something in verse 6? I skipped it intentionally. I touched on it, but I skipped it. You must stay in the city of refuge until the high priest dies. You’ve got to stay. Why? Why was that a part of the agreement?

Because God takes the loss of human life, the shedding of human blood, that seriously. The Bible teaches that when human blood is shed, it pollutes the land (Numbers 35:33-34). Not biologically. It’s talking about this: it is an affront to God, because every person is created in the image of God. And to take a human life, even accidentally, is a serious thing to God. We need to take the sanctity of human life a whole lot more seriously than we do as a culture, especially those of us who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

So, for a murderer: blood for blood, capital punishment. But for someone who was a manslayer, whose case has been adjudicated, who has been found to have had no ill will, no malice, no premeditated hate and murder in his heart, he too still needs to know that a human life is gone. And that matters to God. So, who will die in that place? You’ve been spared. Your life is protected. Your blood cannot be shed. But there’s another life that needs to be given for you. And in this case, from the Old Testament, it was the life of the high priest, as he eventually would die. That doesn’t mean he was killed. It doesn’t mean he went and was murdered in your place. It just means that until his natural death, you must stay in the city of refuge.

Oh, friend, it doesn’t take much spiritual discernment to recognize that all of this is a shadow of what was to come when Jesus entered the world.

Who is our great high priest? Hebrews 4:14-16.

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

The writer of Hebrews is talking about how God came into our world as the Son of God. Jesus. Emmanuel. God with us. He lived a perfect life, and he exchanged his perfect life for our sinful, broken lives. On the cross of Calvary, he died a substitutionary, atoning death. He paid the price for our sins on the cross. Having died our death, he rose from the dead three days later. Forty days after that, he ascended back into the heavens. He passed through the heavens, Jesus. And he's coming back one day. And now he serves as our great high priest.

This is God’s invitation. This is the gospel, friend. This is the good news. This is not religion. This is not Baptist. This is God’s invitation:

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Jesus paid the price. He died once for all. You don’t have to wait anymore. He’s already given his life for you. All you need to do is run to him in your time of need.

And what will you find when you run to Jesus? Mercy and grace. Mercy is when God doesn’t give you what you do deserve. Your sin deserves punishment. God says, "I’m giving you mercy, because I put your punishment on my Son Jesus.” And grace is when God gives you what you don’t deserve. It’s a gift you and I don’t deserve, to be part of God’s family, to be set free and cleansed. But he gives it as a gift because Jesus paid the price.

Aren’t you grateful for our great High Priest?

Conclusion

What do we do with this today?

Let your guilt drive you to God for refuge in Christ. Christ is the only refuge today. There are no cities designated by God as cities of refuge. If you can get to Hiwassee — no. The gospel is this: if you turn to Jesus, you will find grace and mercy in your time of need. Whoever you are. It doesn’t matter.

So, for those of us who have already done that, who have trusted Christ as our Lord and Savior, who are followers of Christ, who have been given the gift of eternal life, aren’t you grateful? Eternal life. Not life now, and then, when we mess up, we lose it and must start all over again. That’s temporary life. That’s conditional life. We get eternal life. Everlasting life.

What do we do when we mess up? Because we do.

The best person you know messes up. What do we do as Christians whenever we mess up, intentionally or unintentionally?

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

He’s faithful. He’ll always keep his word. And he’s righteous when he does it because Jesus has already paid the price for your forgiveness and cleansing. Confess it to him. Come clean. Run to him and say, “Jesus, I’ve messed up. Please forgive me, cleanse me, grow me, and teach me.” I’m not going to be perfect this side of heaven. But, Lord, please help me. And you’ll find him faithful.

But if you’ve never trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, today is the day of salvation. The Bible says we’re not promised tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation. Run to Jesus. I’m not asking you to become a Baptist. I’m asking you to run to Jesus.

Have you done that? Have you ever turned from your sin and turned to him and said, “I am so sorry. Thank you for dying for me on the cross. Thank you for rising from the dead. I cast my soul on you. You are my refuge. I have nothing but you”? The Bible says when we cast our eternal destiny on him, he saves us in that very moment.

Let your guilt drive you to God for refuge in Christ.

Let’s pray together.