Open your Bibles, if you would,
to Joshua chapter 20. The name of the message is Cities
of Refuge. And we'll read here in Joshua
chapter 20 about the Cities of Refuge. In verses 7 and 8, it
says, And they appointed Kedash and Galilee, and Mount Nephili,
and Sheshem, and Mount Ephraim, and Kir Jethar Bar, which is
in Hebron in the mountain of Judah, and on the other side,
Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assign Bezer in the wilderness
upon the great plain of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth and Gilead
out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan and Bashan out of the tribe
of Manasseh. Now, these cities were set up
so that if someone accidentally killed someone, that they could
flee to the city called the City of Refuge, and they could find
refuge in that city from the Avenger of Death, which was a
person sent out to extract revenge upon them, either in the case
of the family sending them out or the law. And as long as he
or she made it into the city of refuge, they were safe from
the avenger of blood. And if they made it into one
of these cities, they would plead their case before the elders
of the city and would find refuge in that city from the avenger
of blood. And note this, they would stay
in that city until the death of the high priest. Until the
death of the high priest, that's very important right there. And
when the death of the current high priest occurred, they could
go back free and they would not have to worry about the avenger
of death. They wouldn't have to worry about him at all. And
no other charges could ever be laid to them about that crime
or about that situation. They could never be bought up
again. They were gone. They were gone. Think how we
humans have broken the law of God. Sinned against our God. And oh, how He's had mercy on
us. How He's had mercy on us. We who are His people, purchased by the blood of Christ,
we fell in Adam, just like the rest of the world. But God's
had mercy on His people in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a remnant according to
the election of grace, the scripture says. They're called the elect
in the scriptures. I don't know why people are afraid
of that word. It simply means chosen. People
don't have a problem with God choosing Israel or with God choosing
angels or with God being in control of the whole world. But they
have a little bit of trouble sometimes. when you bring forth
that God chose a people. And I think, personally, I thank
God that he chose me in Christ because I never would have chosen
him. Is it true for you? I never would have chosen him. But he chose me and I was born
again by his almighty power and given faith and repentance before
God and all the gift of God and my oh my, but he chose us in
eternity, beloved. And He's still lost sheep out
in the world. That's why we preach the gospel to all. We say, whosoever
will, let him come. I don't know who the elect are,
but God sure knows who they are. And He will bring them. He will
bring them. Not one for whom Christ's blood was shed will
ever be lost. Not one. And the Lord Jesus Christ
shed His precious blood to redeem His people from all their sins.
So much so that not one charge, not one charge of our sin can
ever be bought against us. Isn't that amazing? Can ever
be laid upon the born-again, blood-washed saints of God. That's
how completely we're forgiven. And we're hard on ourselves,
aren't we? Oh yeah, we are. And we grieve over our sin. But
beloved, listen to what Romans says about the born-again, blood-washed
believers. We've been justified, and we've
been justified by God himself. And God himself is the Lord Jesus
Christ, God incarnated in the flesh. Listen to this, in Romans
chapter 8, verses 31 to 34. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, he can be against us. Think about
that. If God be for us, Who can be
against us? Some people will be against us
because of what we believe. Sometimes it'd be family and
friends and people you least expect it. Sometimes even professing
Christians. Oh my. But if God before us,
who shall be against us? What does mere man popping off
have to do? Oh well. Now, if we can just
get that in our brains, right? Oh yeah, listen to this. He that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
ye not with him also freely give us all things? Here we go. Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who's gonna condemn us? Who can lay any charge against
us for our sins? Listen to this. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Beloved, we who are the born-again,
blood-washed saints of God are justified by God, the very one we sinned against.
If he's justifying us, there'll be no charge brought against
us. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who will also make an intercession
for us, Romans chapter 8, verses 31 to 34. Now, each of these
six cities and their names are a good picture of Christ, who
is our refuge from the curse and wrath of the law and from
the penalty of our sins. Listen to this, Galatians 3,
13 and 14. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law. This is a past tense. He's redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Cursed
is everyone that hangs on the tree. That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. We're born again. We're
born again. That verse has come alive for
we who are the saints of God. Those two verses. Christ, when
did he redeem us? 2,000 years ago from the curse
of the law. Now we've experienced that in
time and space now, but as far as the redemption itself, it's
already been done. So let us marvel now at the names
of these six cities. They're a good picture of Christ,
who is the believer's only refuge from our sins and from the wrath
and justice of God. The first city we see in our
text is called Kiddush in Galilee. Kiddush signifies holy. Christ
was called by some demons the Holy One of God. We know that
he's holy. He's the God-man. And we have
our sanctification in him. Listen to this. But of him are
ye in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. That's 1 Corinthians 1.30. Then
in Hebrews 9.14 it says, How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself up offered
himself without spot to God to purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. So the holy one dies for the
unholy and makes us holy. My oh my, so Kiddush pictures Christ, the name. The
second city we see in our text is Shechem. This means the shoulder,
the shoulder. Well, my oh my, Christ has not
only been made sin for us by our sins being imputed to him,
who is the sinless, spotless lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
but he also bears the sins of his people in his own body on
the tree. Then he also bears and carries them home to glory,
that being we who are the sheep of God, just like he did for
the— just like the shepherd did for the lost sheep in Luke 15.
Listen to this. For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given. The government shall be upon
his what? Shoulder. Oh my. And his name shall be
called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. So marvel, beloved of God. Our
great God is a broad-shouldered redeemer. The third city we see
here in our text, Hebron, may be translated fellowship. Fellowship. The born-again, blood-washed
people of God. have not only fellowship with
Christ, but also with his people, and with the Father through him.
That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye
also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. The fourth
city in our text is Bezer, which may be rendered a fortified place.
Oh, Christ is a stronghold, a place of defense, and a strong tower
for his people. where the sinner may run to and
be safe and secure forever from the wrath of God and the justice
of God. Listen to this in Psalm 62 6.
He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be moved. The fifth city in our text is
Ramoth, which signifies exaltations. Oh my. Oh my, this may be fitly
applied to Christ who is exalted at the right hand of God and
who will exalt all those who trust in him because he shed
his blood and redeemed our eternal souls. Ephesians 2 verses 4 to
7, but God is rich in mercy for his great love where he loved
us when we were dead in sins and quickened us together with
Christ by grace he has saved. And it raised us up together
and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And
lastly, the sixth city, Golan, may be translated manifested. The Lord Jesus Christ has been
manifest in the fullness of time to put away our sin by the sacrifice
of himself. Hebrews 9, 26, for then must
he have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once in
the end of the world hath he, that's Christ, appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And that's the sins
of all his people. And then 1 John 3, 5 says, and
you know that he, that's Christ, was manifest to take away our
sins. And in him is no sin. Oh my. And also think of this.
The one who fled to the city of refuge could leave and had
nothing charged against them when the high priest died. Beloved,
our great high priest has died for us. Therefore, there's no
condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Praise his mighty name. Amen and amen.