Let's look here, if you would,
in the book of Numbers chapter 35. And we want to read just
three or four verses here in this that shares with us, it
was going to be the responsibility of Israel to set up cities of
refuge. and God's great type and shadow
and picture there. In the book of Numbers, chapter
35, verse 11, it says, Then ye shall appoint you cities of refuge,
cities to be cities of refuge, for you that the slayer may flee
thither, which killeth any person unawares. They shall be unto
you cities for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die
not until he stand before the congregation in judgment. And
of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall be ye
have for refuge. Ye shall give three cities on
this side, Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land
of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. These six cities shall
be refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger,
and for the sojourner among them, that everyone that killeth any
person unawares may flee thither. Alright, would you join me over
in the book of Joshua chapter 20, and in Joshua chapter 20,
there in verses 7, 8, and 9, we have the names of these cities
of refuge listed here for us. Now, it's just one thing to go
through and read those names and say, well, thank you, Lord,
for providing those cities of refuge. It's a wonderful thing
to have it recorded here, but if we take the time to look at
the definitions of the meanings of the names of those places
and where they were located, we see so much said here about
the person of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. And these cities
of refuge, the very names of them, are greatly significant
when it comes to a type, shadow, and picture of our Savior. So
that's what we'd like to do. We've been doing that for four
of these cities. We'd like to look at the last two today. And
here in the book of Joshua chapter 20, verse 7, 8, and 9, we have
the list of the cities of refuge, their names, and it tells us
somewhat of their location. The names were not by mistake. These places were already there,
but they already had been ordained to be the place that God would
set up a city of refuge, and He already had someone give the
significant name. What was the flip of the coin
about Portland? There's going to be either Portland
after Portland, Maine, or another name that's so common, and by
the flip of a coin, we have Portland, Oregon identified down here.
It used to be Stumptown. You know, places have significant
names. The little town I grew up in
or I was in the suburbs of, there was 160 people in the town, I
was out in the suburbs, it's new Pine Creek. Well, when they
got a post office there, they wanted to have Pine Creek because
that was the creek that ran right through there. And the postmaster
general of the United States, there's already a place called
Pine Creek in the state of Oregon, we cannot have two of them. All
right, we'll be New Pine Creek then. So that's the name to this
day, and they still have their post office there. Names have
significance, and the significance of the names of cities of refuge
point to us, point to one person, as we even find that Philip was
called on to do when he met an Ethiopian eunuch out in the middle
of the desert, some oasis there, some trees where they were at
rest, and he was reading the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah,
and Philip began at the same place and preached unto him Jesus. So we hope this morning that
we can begin at the same place and preach unto you Jesus, the
significant names and the definitions of those names here. All right,
it tells us in Joshua chapter 20 and verse 7, and they appointed
Kadish in Galilee in Mount Naphtali, and Shechem in Mount Ephraim,
and Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. And
on the other side, Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned
Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of
Reuben. and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and
Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities
appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger
that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person
at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the
avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation." And
that means until there was a trial and it was determined that it
truly was an incident that he had not planned or premeditated
to kill this person. You know, we use the word accident,
but the scriptures tell us there is really no accidents. God has
everlastingly purposed all things that would ever happen. I heard
a message yesterday, and I appreciate it because I heard the person
say it in person a number of times. If God is not Lord over
all, He is not Lord at all. And you know, that's the truth.
If He is not Lord over all, He is not Lord at all. So we want
the Lord of the Bible because He is Lord over all. Now, it
may disagree with us at times and it may chafe us at times,
but He's still Lord over all. The scriptures share with us,
with regards to these cities of refuge, or to any other type
or shadow or picture in the Old Testament, that that's what they
were. They were types, and they were
shadows, and they were pictures. Would you follow me over to two
readings in the book of Hebrews? The book of Hebrews chapter 10
and verse 1. The book of Hebrews chapter 10
and verse 1, we find that the writer that wrote these things
for our benefit, a secretary. He was a secretary. I hear all
the time, Paul wrote this letter. Paul did use his hand to write
much of it, but he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write what
he wrote. It was not some words he just decided to put down,
but the Holy Spirit overshadowed him in a most powerful way, and
he was used to write much of what we have as the New Testament.
But he would say himself, I was just a secretary. God spoke to
me. God moved in me to do this. Well,
whoever wrote the book of Hebrews, I believe it was the Apostle
Paul, but he doesn't say. It says, for the law, chapter
10, verse 1, for the law having a shadow of good things to come. Now, just remember those words.
It is a shadow of good things to come. All that is written
in the law is a shadow of good things to come. Now, most of
that stuff was not good things to come. I'm telling you, the
animals that were slaughtered, the animals that were sacrificed,
and in one sacrifice of himself, He put away sin forever. I'm so thankful that we live
in the day that we do live in, and we're not required to go
through that, but if we had lived in those places and we were of
that descent, we would have been there and witnessed it if we'd
wanted to see it. And you know, real sinners brought
animal sacrifices to the priest, but I doubt seriously if there
were really many of those sacrifices took place because it's a very
difficult thing to find a sinner. A sinner is a sacred thing. God
hath made us thus. Now we know that we've done wrong,
but to be a sinner against God is a sacred thing. That's a revelation
that God reveals to us. So for the law having a shadow
of good things to come and not the very image of the things
can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year
continually make the comers there unto perfect. And it must be
also said about the cities of refuge. There was no everlasting. deliverance in those cities of
refuge. The refuge that Christ is, is
an everlasting refuge. There was only those who were
innocent in those cities of refuge. Christ is the refuge for sinners. He is the refuge for the very
sinner of sinners, and that's who he came to die for. So those
things were just a picture, a type, a shadow of good things to come,
but the good thing has come, and he's sitting at the right
hand of the Father at this time. Now, in the book of Hebrews chapter
8, if you'd back up just a couple of chapters there, in chapter
8 and verse 5, we read these words, who serve unto the example
of the shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God
when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see, saith he,
that thou make all things according to the pattern showed thee in
the mount. Now what was that? He got to look into heaven, if
you please. He got to see the glory of God, if you please. And this tabernacle and everything
that went with it were only symbolic pictorial of what he saw in glory. Who did he see in glory? God
Almighty in Christ Jesus. That s who He saw. He saw the
glory of God. This is just a very temporal
thing that demonstrates some pictures about Him who is in
heaven. Now, the names and the locations
of these great are of great importance because they were given by God
and speak so very, very highly of the very 1. Jesus Christ. We have taken a little time in
the past to show what two or four of these cities mean, but
we would like to look at the last two. But just as a point
of review, we've noticed that the previous four cities' names
were quite declarative of what the Lord Jesus Christ is to the
church. Those who God has rescued and
put in true refuge. Now the first one that we mentioned
was Kedesh, which means holy. or a holy place, or righteousness. You know, we find out that we
are absolutely unholy, that we have no righteousness of our
own, and our true refuge is a place of real righteousness. And that
righteousness of God has been imputed to His people, or given
to their account. And when God looks at His children,
they are looking at the pure righteousness of Christ. He finds
no fault in us. Why? Because He has put away
sin forever. That's going to be one of the
significant points that we look at one of these two last cities
of refuge, that it is such a beautiful thing for the church to be able
to say, my sin is forgiven. It has been put away that God
does not see it. He will not judge me again. I
don't know about the church you grew up in, but I've mentioned
several times about the church I grew up in. The pastor was
always saying, you're going to have to answer for that sin.
You know, that pastor didn't know the first thing about God's
work on the cross. He either took care of it all
or he didn't take care of any of it. Now, if he took care of
all of it, We will not come into condemnation. He has taken care
of all of it. Now, are we to ask for forgiveness? Of course. Are we to ask God
to forgive us of our sin? Of course. But you know what? We don't have time to take care
of that. We have to just say, God, forgive
me of my sin. Because in every second of our
life, We are sinning against God. So, Lord, forgive me. And I know full well he has.
He's taken care of that issue. All right. Shechem means shoulder
or place. It portrays Christ. The Lord
is a place of great strength. We are weak. He is strong. He
bore our sins in his own body in the tree. When we just imagine
the load, if you figuratively, I mean imaginatively, look at
the load of sin that Jesus Christ bore on the cross, not for just
our generation, but for every generation, out of every generation,
His people, He bore the sin of all His people, all the sin of
all His people, what strength it took to bear our sins on the
cross. Many years ago, when our speaker
that's gonna be here Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, he brought
a message out at camp. It made a great impression on
me, and that was the significance of the Lord saying, Father, God,
and Father on the cross. When he is saying, Father, forgive
them, he is in full fellowship. When we have him concluding the
work of the cross, he says, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
What did he say in the middle? God, how, oh God. There was no longer that wonderful
fellowship when God Almighty poured out His wrath upon His
Son on the cross, and it would pay all the debt of our sin. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Why art thou far from the words
of my roaring?" And then, after it was finished, after the payment
was made, he once again says, Father, fellowship restored. what strength it was. Hebron,
fellowship or friendship. We have no fellowship or friendship
with God by nature. You know what the Bible says
about it? We're enmity. A lot of people don't want to believe
that. You know, the only people that really believe that are
those who have been unhorsed by the Lord. In your bulletin
is an article by Robert Hawker. I really enjoyed that article
about unhorsing Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus. He was
not going down there for a prayer meeting. He was going down there
to arrest Christians whom he hated. Why did he hate them? Because he hated a God that demanded
we're saved by grace alone. And not by the works of the law.
He was a legalist. He was a law keeper. He had refined
it to a fine point. I am a Pharisee of the Pharisees. That's what he said. And in the
conclusion, he said, I count all that but done. His relationship
with Abraham meant nothing in the flesh. I count that as done. I count all of that as done,
that I might win Christ. So we have this fellowship. We
have fellowship with Him because of what He's done for us on the
cross. Turn with me just quickly to
the book of Colossians 1, if you would. Colossians 1, verse
20. Colossians 1, verse 20, it says
there, And having made peace through the blood of his cross.
What a wonderful thing to have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Making peace through the blood
of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself. By him
I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.
And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath he reconciled. Peace. We can approach God on
friendly terms. I come in Jesus Christ, my Lord. All right. Bessar, a fortified
place, a stronghold, a rock. Turn with me, if you would, very
quickly to the book of Nahum in the Old Testament, the little
book of Nahum, one of what is often called minor prophet, but
it is just chuck full. rich blessings and in chapter
1 verse 7 of the book of Nahum we have these words what an encouragement
the word capital L capital O capital R capital D you know what that
is that's Jehovah the Lord is good Nahum chapter 1 verse 7
the Lord is good a stronghold in the day of trouble and he
knoweth them that trust in him A stronghold in the day of trouble. What a stronghold our refuge
is, a place of safety, a covert from the storm, a place to find
rest and peace, and a place where though the wind blowing and howling,
we can find a refuge. You know, we don't mind a lot
of being in a house when the wind is blowing at 100 miles
an hour. Oh, you can hear whistling around the house. You know where
danger is, is outside. Oh, things could be going a wreck
in a handbasket, and being in Christ, thank you, Lord. I have refuge here. My sin will
never be brought up again. All this that happens in my life
is purposed by Almighty God. He's delivered me. He set me
up, put me on a rock. He set my feet up on a rock and
established my goings. And as we look today, we'd like
to look at Ramoth. Ramoth was one of the cities
of refuge, and it means a heights or exaltation. You know, when
we think about what God declares concerning His Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, we find that He is in a most exalted position. And we come to someone who is
exalted by the Father. We're not coming to some mean
idol. We're not coming to some insignificant
one. Religion has almost made Jesus
Christ just almost insignificant. But God has made him and highly
exalted him. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Philippians. In the book of Philippians, we
have these wonderful words said about this one, who could be
our ramus, our exaltation, the heights of heights. Here in the
book of Philippians, chapter 2, chapter 2 of the book of Philippians,
and there in verse 5, we read these words, ìLet this mind be
in you which is also in Christ Jesus.î You know, the only way
we get that is in the new birth. Weíre not going to get there
on our own. Weíre not going to cultivate ourselves until we
have the mind of Christ. Did you know what? If we donít
have the Spirit of God, we donít have any understanding about
Scriptures. I thought I did. But the moment I realized what
God had done for me, and I'm not going back to an experience.
God did something for me. He took me from darkness to marvelous
light. I called up that man and said,
I know what you're talking about. This book is about Christ. It
didn't take any time at all to read scripture and find out,
oh, that's the subject that the Apostle Paul is directing me
to. That's the subject Peter's directing me to. That's the subject
Jesus Christ himself is directing me to. He's directing me to find
Christ in the scriptures, be joyful in Christ. And so we have
here, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,
who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be
equal with God. You know what that means? He didn't believe
it was something to keep and just to hang on to. Some of our
old English, robbery, that's a bank. That's what people do
at a bank. Well, who being in the form of
God, he is God, the very God. He said, this is not something
to hang on to. In the purpose of grace, I will give this up
for a season. He tells us in the great high
priestly prayer, restore unto me the glory that I had with
thee before the world was, but made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of men. He was the God man. He is the
God man. What a marvelous thing God did
for us. He sent his son in flesh that
he might die. God cannot die. This man died. The God-man died, Jesus Christ
the Lord died, he died for sin. And being found in the fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath, this
is that exaltation. This is that place of safety. This is that city of refuge.
We have a place that is a person that is highly exalted. And you
know who exalted him? God! I want to pay attention
to that. If God highly exalted Him, I
want to know what this is about. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. Now, there may be a lot of Jesus
names and a lot of Jesus names, but there s nobody like this
one. This is the only one. They shall call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. He has a name
which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
shall bow, and things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth. You know what God does for us? He unhorses
us and causes us to bow before him. The first words out of Saul's
mouth after God dealt with him was, what? Lord. You know, the first words out
of the mouth of that woman taking an adultery that those Pharisees
came and tried to have Jesus condemned, the first words out
of her mouth was, Lord. What a statement. This means
sovereign one, king, Lord, the mighty one, the everlasting one,
the one that God, when he saves us, he reveals to us. What is,
who am I? He asked Peter, thou art the
Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus Christ shares
with him instantly, don't get you bragging bones on about this.
Flesh and blood did not reveal this unto you, but my father,
which is in heaven. It's a revelation. It is not something we boast
in Christ, not in what we do. All right, at the name, he's
highly exalted him. You know, in our fall, we are
very unexalted. My goodness, the Lord says we're
in a pit. There's all kinds of descriptive
words in the Bible about where we are by nature. There is no
end to it of how He describes where we are by nature. But you
know what? The Lord Jesus Christ in His
ministry on the cross, God said, I highly exalt Him. How did He prove that? He said,
sit thou at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. You know what? The people of
God that have ever been unhorsed bow down and say, put your feet
on me. Put your feet on me. I want to be your footstool.
A lot of enemies of Christ. There's
a lot, you know, the Bible talks about looking on them whom they
pierced. You know, there's nobody but
the church that ever understands what that means. We pierced Him. Nobody else but the church pierced
Him. He was not pierced for anyone
else. Everyone He was pierced for shall be saved. Everyone
He was pierced for shall be with Him for eternity. Everyone that
He was pierced for shall be welcomed into His presence and shall be
welcomed in His exalted presence. And you know what? We also find
out, turn with me, if you would, to the book of Ephesians chapter
2. Just back up one book, Ephesians chapter 2, as we think about
this place of exaltation. The name of this rameth is a
place of heights, exaltation. I just got word from my brother
this morning. He lives at 4,800 feet. There's
snow happening this morning where he lives. He's in a place of
exaltation. Jesus Christ is exalted in the
heavens. Here in the book of Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 4 it says, But God, who is rich in mercy, for
His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, who did the quickening, hath quickened us. When we were
dead in sins, we have no quickening ability in ourselves, when we
were dead in sins, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together by Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. You know what he does for all
the church? Exalts them. Goes on, that in the ages to
come might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
towards us through Christ Jesus. You know what he does for the
church? Exalts us. We're raised up to sit in the
heavenlies. Right now, we're sitting in the heavenlies. Our
head is there. It won't be long, the body will
be all assembled there. We'll sit in the heavenlies.
You know, Isaiah said in Isaiah chapter six and verse one, in
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted
up. My goodness. We have all kinds
of things interfere, but when God takes those out of our way,
He caused Uzziah to die, and Isaiah got to see the Lord. In
the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was an honorable
man to his king. His king, he served him. But
when he died, God let him see who the real king is. Now the angels exalt him, and
the seraphs adore him, the saints praise him, the church magnifies
him. It is him as our refuge that
we can be raised to the heavenlies in prayer, praise, and eventually
in person. Where does one flee? When, by
the grace of God, we're caused to flee to Christ, our true refuge,
we're caused to flee to the highly exalted One, the One that God
has chosen. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Acts, chapter 5. Acts, chapter 5. And there, in verse 31, Him, Acts chapter 5 verse 31,
him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and
a savior for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of
sins. Where does our repentance come
from? God. Where does our faith come from?
God. Where does our peace come from?
God. God exalted Him to the right
hand, to be a Prince and a Savior. You know, as we follow this through,
there's just so many verses of Scripture that share with us.
You know, in 1 Timothy 6, verse 15, it says, Blessed and only
potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords. That's who he
is. That's the exalted one. That's
where we come to as our city of refuge, as our refuse. So
much better in reality than the type or the shadow or the picture.
You know, I was reminded yesterday, Nancy and I had brunch with Rachel
and her two kids. And we're at Elmer's. I've been
in Elmer's for a long time. They have the splashiest, splashiest
menus. Oh my goodness, pictures of everything. Nice, glossy prints and everything. You know what? Nothing on your
table looks like it does in the picture. Nothing. There's not anything
that looks like that. Their pictures were done by the
professionals. They took the very best and took
pictures. You know, the only place where the reality is better
than the picture is in Christ Jesus the Lord. He is so much
better than anything else. All right. The last city of refuge
is Golan. It means joy. It means exaltation
and joy. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Romans. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. And there
in verse 8. What place of joy. You know, I could just see that
person running, just worn out. to leave the woods where this
incident took place, running for all his might to get to that
place of refuge where at least he could get a fair trial. And if he was found innocent,
he could stay there, and the Avenger of Blood could not get
to him. And as the door opened for him to come through, to,
oh, what joy! made it. I was fearful for my
life for the last 200 miles, but I made it." Now, I don't
think anywhere in Israel there's anybody that was 200 miles away
from a city of refuge. But oh, man, he ran hard. Got
there in joy. Well, look here. Romans chapter
5, verse 8. What a joy it is for people who
are desperate sinners. Sinners without help, without
hope, and without God in the world. Sinners fallen in Adam. The only time we ever really
realize how terrible a plight we're in is after God has already
saved us. And then we look at the cross
and say, look what He did for me. He gave His only begotten
Son for my redemption. Here it says, but God commended
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more than being justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through
our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the atonement.
We joy in God. That's where our joy is. Oh my
goodness, to be delivered from the place that I was in, to be
delivered from sin, to be delivered from all that. You know in that
article that is in the bulletin Robert Hawker wrote about Saul
of Tarsus being unhorsed. There is a final sentence says,
you know, probably all of Paul's life he was so thankful for that
incident because it was so much better than the alternative. He was unhorsed. God involved
himself. All right. Is not only so, but
we also have joy in God. We would not have any true joy
had it not been for him. You know, the angel said when
they announced his birth, we bring you glad tidings of great
joy for unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior.
What joy those words were, what joy those words are to God's
people today. We bring you glad tidings. We
bring you the gospel is what they said, glad tidings of great
joy. For unto you is born this day,
God come in the flesh. God would give up his sons. The
son would give up his glory. In the covenant of grace, he
would promise to come down to this sin cursed earth and grow
up among us. And every day was a trial. You just read the 53rd chapter
of Isaiah and you find out what it was a trial for the God-man
to be here. What indignities he faced every
day, the accusations he faced, the mockeries that he faced.
He came into this world and the world knew him not. He came unto
his own and his own received him not. Nobody wanted him around
except publicans and sinners. God be merciful to me a sinner. That man went to his house justified. The other man didn't. who we are saved from wrath,
but we have great joy in the Lord. In the book of Acts chapter
13, would you turn there with me? Acts chapter 13. As we think
about this last city of refuge, and it's a place of joy, exaltation. In the book of Acts chapter 13
and verse 32. We declare unto you glad tidings.
How that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath
fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he hath raised
up Jesus again. As it is also written in the
second Psalm, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no
more to return to corruption, he said unto this wise, I'll
give you the sure mercies of David. Hallelujah. What joy we
have in God almighty because of Christ. We have joy in God. We are joyous in God. We rejoice
in God, God our Savior. It goes on to tell us here, and
as concerning he that raised him up from the dead, now no
more to return to corruption, he said unto this wise, I will
give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore, he saith also
in another psalm, thou shalt not suffer thy holy one to see
corruption. What a declaration God makes
on our behalf, and no wonder there is great joy. You know, in the book of Daniel
chapter 9, I know there's a lot of things being said about Daniel
right now. Daniel chapter 9, my goodness. But you know what? After all
of the dust has settled, turn with me to the book of Daniel
chapter 9 and verse 24, and we want to see here what the Holy
Spirit said through Daniel of what all of this is going to
accomplish. Everything that's said, you may
have a misunderstanding, I may have a misunderstanding about
all that Daniel's talking about here, but I know this, God said,
this is what I'll accomplish. This is what I'll accomplish.
So it tells us in Daniel chapter 9, and there in verse 24, I will
accomplish this. And there's only one that can
do this. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, 70 weeks are
determined upon thy people, upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression. You know, if you want to sit
down and discuss that, I'll be ready to discuss it, but I'm
not going to argue one minute over it. There's no room for
argument. There's a mystery. Okay, it goes
on, but This is what I'm going to accomplish, to finish the
transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness. Now,
who can do that and who is that? the Lord. Whatever he wants to
do with the rest of it, I'm going to settle on this. I have joy
in the Lord because this is what he has done for me. He goes on
to say, to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the
most holy. All right, we got a holy one
anointed. His name is Christ. That means
anointed, but this is what he is going to accomplish. in that
time. He said, and I know at the cross
every one of those things were accomplished. He put away sin. He has made reconciliation. Now,
the promise of that very thing, the promise of that day and what
He accomplished on that day made it capable, able, for able to
be saved. I promise, and God cannot lie. I promise to fulfill this on
this day. You know, as we follow the Lord
through the gospels, we find there were several times they
wanted to take him out and kill him, but his hour was not yet
come. When it was the hour, I lay down
my life of myself. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down on myself. You know, when the right hour
came, the bill came due, and he gave his life a ransom for
many. He put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. No wonder we joy. But this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at
the right hand of the Father. Thou wilt show me the path of
life. In Thy presence is fullness of joys at Thy right hand. There
are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16 and verse 11. Blessed,
let's just, let's turn to the book of, my time is up, turn
with me to the book of Romans again, the book of Romans, and
there in the book of Romans chapter four, verse six, Romans chapter
four and verse six. David also describes the blessedness
of the man. What blessed man is, who, what
person has the privilege of having great joy? What person? Well, he goes on
to say, the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. What's blessed me? Oh, I have
great joy. I have great joy. He will not
impute sin. He has imputed righteousness.
And finally, in 1 Peter 1, verse 8. And I'm like, Mike had to say,
read some more of this. I'm picking out verses I know. 1 Peter 1, verse 8, Whom having
not seen ye love, In whom though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Oh, what a city, a place of joy. I was lost, I've been found. I was the worst, a chiefest,
but I've been forgiven. I had no hope, now my hope is
the Lord. I had no joy, but joy is in the
Lord. And so as these cities of refuge
tell us a little bit about our Savior, He is the complete Savior. Nothing lacking. Everything is
in Him, and Him alone. We have no need to depend upon
anything we have.