Becoming A Place of Refuge2
April 15, 2007
BECOMING A PLACE OF REFUGE!
JOSHUA 20: 1-9
**In Joshua 3:5 Joshua told the people to “consecrate themselves because TOMORROW the Lord will do WONDERS among you”!
**When Joshua talked about their TOMORROW, he was talking about a new dimension of supernatural life they had never known before!
**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.
**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!
**Whenever we became aware of this property and these facilities being made available to us, there was something that really seemed right about it.
**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!
**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.
**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.
**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.
**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!
**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.
**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!
**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:
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!
**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 . . .
**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.
**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!
**We not only see that The PROVISION for such a place was DEMANDED, but we also see that:
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.
**Notice the steps in this process.
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!
**In other words, God established the PLACE of REFUGE but HE also established the PROCESS for being able to utilize the PLACE.
**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:
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!
**If you were fortunate enough to make it 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?
**Notice 20: 6 He shall dwell in that PLACE until . . . the death of the one who is the high priest at that time!
**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)!
**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:
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.
**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).
**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.
**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.
**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.
**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!
**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.
**Guess what? Our High Priest was dead, but now He is alive forever more!
**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!
**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:
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!
**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:
1) Kedesh: RIGHTEOUSNESS
2) Shechem: SHOULDER
3) Hebron: FELLOWSHIP
4) Bezer: FORTRESS
5) Ramoth: HEIGHTS
6) Golan: EXILE
**When you put them together you discover a beautiful picture of our Savior.
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.”
These names then can be used to describe what sinners experience when they flee by faith to Jesus. First, He gives us His righteousness, and we can never be accused again. There is no condemnation! (Rom. 8:1) Like a shepherd, He carries us on His shoulders, and we enter into fellowship with Him. He is our fortress, and we are safe. Then we dwell in the heights even though we are exiles, pilgrims, and strangers in this world.
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**I don’t know about you but that makes me want to say WELL GLORY! As good as all of that is, I said all of that so that I could talk to you about the last point of this message.
**HISTORICALLY there was a PLACE of refuge and SPIRITUALLY there is a PICTURE of refuge, but I also want you to know that:
III. CURRENTLY THERE IS A PROCESS!
**The logical question would be “A PROCESS TO WHAT? The answer to that question takes us all the way back to the title to this message.
**What is the title to this message? The title is BECOMING A PLACE OF REFUGE!
**I believe with all my heart that the reason we exist as a Church is because God wants our Church to BECOME A PLACE OF REFUGE for anybody and everybody who realizes that The Avenger of Blood is on their trail!
**God has blessed us with these beautiful facilities and given us this strategic location at “such a time as this” because he wants us to BECOME A PLACE OF REFUGE!
**Just what is necessary in order for a Church to become a place of refuge?
**I have thought about this process for weeks and I have come to conclude that it is really quite simple. First of all in order for a city to qualify to be a city of refuge:
A. The ROADS must be PAVED!
Joshua 20: 4 He shall flee to one of these cities . . .
**In Deuteronomy 19: 3 Moses gave these instructions: You shall PREPARE the ROADS . . . so that the guilty ones may flee there!
**Think about this with me for a moment. These roads had to be the best roads and the roads had to be paved from where the places of refuge were all the way to where the guilty ones were!
**For too long the Church has lived with the mentality that “they know where we are, if they want to bad enough they will come to where we are at”!
**Do I even need to tell you how wrong that is? Yesterday we began “paving some roads” from where the people live who one day will need A PLACE OF REFUGE all the way to our FRONT DOOR!
**We call it SERVING our COMMUNITY and we will be going out every week to see what our community needs. Saturday we discovered A Man of Peace in our first neighborhood and as a result we also discovered several specific needs that we are going to ask God to bless us so much that we will be able to meet those needs.
**This is simply called Adopt-A-Block and every small group that we have will take part in this ministry. Our motivation for doing this is best explained in a FOUR letter word called LOVE.
**Some of you will say, “what makes you think this will work” and that is a great question. There is absolutely NO doubt in my mind about this working. I KNOW that it will work because God told me that it would work.
**You say, Pastor did God really tell you that this would work and I say HE ABSOLUTELY DID SAY THAT THIS WILL WORK.
**Therefore I make you this promise right here and right now. If you will commit yourself to Love God and get involved in our small groups and as a result of your love for God and for each other you will SERVE our Community the way we are asking you to we will BECOME A PLACE OF REFUGE!
**You say Pastor when did God tell you this would work? Well I am glad that you asked because I asked Him again this morning. I said God, how can I be sure that this will work.
**If you will listen very carefully you will hear Him tell you the same thing. Are you listening? Here is the question. Lord, how can I know that serving our community in this manner will work and that you will bless it? Here it is:
1 Corinthians 13: 8 Because Love NEVER FAILS . . .
**When we commit to Serving our Community enough to PAVE the ROADS from where there to here we will BECOME A PLACE OF REFUGE!
**The ROADS must be PAVED but notice also that:
B. The SIGNS must be CLEAR!
Joshua 20: 4 He shall flee to one of these cities . . .
**O my goodness, the Church has done such a poor job of making sure that the SIGNS are CLEAR. The last thing a person who is being pursued by the Avenger of Blood needs is for the SIGNS not to be CLEAR that is directing them to the PLACE of REFUGE!
**How many more people are going to die and go to hell before the Church wakes up and decides to make sure that the SIGNS are CLEAR enough for a person being pursed by the Avenger of Blood to make it to the Place of Refuge?
**When I was the pastor of a Church in another state, we began to grow and our water bill went sky high because we were baptizing so many people. The utility bill went sky high because we were using the building all the time. The carpets began to wear out because it was used so much. And the parking lot needed to be expanded and repaved, which costs a lot of money.
**After the new parking lot was completed one of our men put up a nice sign that said “NO 18 WHEELERS ALLOWED”!
**A couple of months later I noticed that a couple of people who normally attended had not been at Church for a while. So I asked one of their friends why this group of people had stopped coming to Church and his answer startled me.
**He said they quit coming because the Church told them they were not welcome anymore. I said “WHAT”? He said the Church told them in no uncertain words that they were not welcome at our Church anymore.
**So I said please tell me who told them they were not welcome and when did they tell them they were not welcome. He said they told them they were not welcome here when “YOU PUT THE SIGN UP IN THE PARKING LOT THAT SAID NO 18 WHEELERS ALLOWED”!
**I said Dan you know that the sign does not mean that truck drivers are not welcome here. He said, Pastor I know
that but they are known as “18 wheelers” and they could not figure out why in the world they were not welcome any longer but they decided to “OBEY THE SIGNS” that the Church had put up and they will not be back here anymore.
**You say that is crazy. Is it really all that crazy? We can pave the best roads anybody has ever seen but if we erect signs that are confusing then nobody will ever discover this is a Place of Refuge!
**What are some of the CONFUSING signs that the Church has put in place?
1) You are welcome: But don’t sit in my seat!
2) You are welcome: But you must dress like we do!
3) You are welcome: But you must act like we do!
4) You are welcome: But you must understand English!
5) You are welcome: But you must sing our songs!
**As a Church we have a great opportunity to make sure that the ROADS are PAVED and that the SIGNS are CLEAR but there is one last thing that is necessary for us to BECOME A PLACE OF REFUGE.
**Whenever the ROADS are PAVED and the SIGNS are CLEAR:
C. The GATES must be OPEN!
Joshua 20: 4 . . . and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city . . . and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them!
**The gates to our HEARTS must be Open!
**The gates to our HOMES must be Open!
**The gates to our CHURCH must be Open!
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[1]Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Strong. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1996, c1993, S. Jos 20:1