Good morning. Open your Bibles
with me to Deuteronomy 19. While you're turning, I was in
Pikeville last week, and Brother Lyon on several of the brethren
there wanted to just pass on a hey to everyone up our way,
asking about our folks. And then the pastor texted me
yesterday. They're having good services
and I want everybody to know he misses them. Him and Jan hope
to be back later this evening. Before we begin, let's go to
our Lord in prayer. Our God and Father in heaven,
we thank you for this day. We thank you for this opportunity
to gather as a people. We pray that you would use this
time to teach us from your word. Take these things written in
your word and teach us more of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord,
let us see him. Cause us to see Christ and rest
in him. Again, we thank you for your
many blessings. Above all, we thank you for our
savior. Lord, bless us in this time together. We ask these things in Christ's
name. Our text this morning will come
from Deuteronomy 19. Let's look at these first 10
verses here. It says, when the Lord thy God
hath cut off the nations whose land the Lord thy God giveth
thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities
and in their houses, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee
in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee
to possess it. Thou shalt prepare thee a way
and divide the coast of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth
thee to inherit into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. And this is the case of the slayer,
which shall flee thither, that he may live. who so killeth his
neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past, as when
a man goeth into the woods with his neighbor to hew wood, and
his hand fetches the stroke with the axe to cut down the tree,
and the head slippeth from the hill, and lighteth upon his neighbor
that he die, he shall flee into one of those cities and live.
Lest the avenger of blood pursue the slayer while his heart is
hot, and overtake him. because the way is long, and
slay him, whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as
he hated him not in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying,
thou shalt separate three cities for thee. And if the Lord thy
God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers,
and given to thee all the land which he promised to give unto
thy fathers, if thou shalt keep all these commandments to do
them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God,
to walk ever in his ways, Then thou shalt add three cities more
for thee, beside these three, that innocent blood be not shed
in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance,
and so blood be upon thee. Now, here in this text, we read
of these cities of refuge. There were six of them. He mentions
three here, and he said, if the Lord's pleased and enlarge thy
borders, you're gonna add three more, but six cities of refuge. Now, a refuge is a place of safety. It's a shelter. And these refuges, they all point
to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, this would be, it's
wonderful to think that there were cities of refuge in that
time, and it's good to read about it. But if that's all we see,
we've missed the point. These cities, they point to the
Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm 46, we read this, God
is our refuge, a very present help in time of trouble. Now this morning, just quickly,
I want us to see two things. One is, the first one is this,
how these, the names, even the names of these cities, point
to the Lord Jesus Christ. So how these names point to Christ
and then how the cities as a whole point to our Savior, Christ our
refuge. Now, listen to the names of these
cities of refuge. I mentioned I was in Pikeville
last week. Brother Tom, he had a sheet, had all six of these
cities listed with the names of them and what they meant.
But just listen to these here this morning. Golan. That was
one of the names of those cities, and that word means revealed
or manifested. The Lord Jesus Christ is God
manifest in the flesh. Scriptures declare that in Christ,
the righteousness of God is revealed, revealed to His people. Another
city's name was Ramoth. It was named Ramoth. And that
name means exalted. Again, this points to our Lord
Jesus Christ. In the book of Philippians, we
read that God had highly exalted Him and given Him a name which
is above every name. Every name. The name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. At His name, at the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, every knee is going to bow. of things in
heaven, of things in earth, things under the earth, and every tongue
is gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. He is exalted above the heavens. He's exalted above all principality
and power. He's exalted above every name
that is named. Can this speak of anyone but
the Lord Jesus Christ? Beezer, Beezer, a fortified place,
like a fortress. That'd be, I think, a fair comparison.
Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is safe, a place of safety. David wrote this, the Lord is
my refuge and my fortress. My fortress. And listen, not
just a peaceful hiding place, but a strong tower of defense. Strong. It's a display of his power. ready to withstand the attack
of every enemy, ready to resist the attack of any enemy. No harm. Imagine in this refuge, no harm
can reach us. No attack can injure us. David in Psalm 91, and listen
to this, he said, not just he's a refuge or he's a fortress,
He said this, I'll say of the Lord, he is my refuge. He is my fortress, my God, in
him will I trust. The next city, Kedesh, and that
means holy, holy. Isaiah wrote this, our Redeemer,
the Lord of hosts is his name. the Holy One of Israel. Shechem means shoulder. The word means shoulder. Our
Lord was prophesied in Isaiah and he wrote this, the government
shall be upon his shoulder. His name, his name. His name
shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. You know, when something is,
He carries something heavy. Often we try to get it up on
our shoulder to bear the weight of it. Our sin, our iniquity, it was
laid on him. He bore it. He bore the sins
of his people. His sheep, his church, his people
are carried on his shoulder. Back in Luke chapter 15, verse
4, I find myself reading this often. Let me just read it to
you. Our Lord told that parable. He said, what man of you, having
a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does he not leave the
ninety and nine into the wilderness go after that which is lost until
he finds it. And when he finds it, what's
he do with it? He lays it on his shoulder. He lays it on his shoulder and
he rejoices. And when he comes home, he carries
that sheep on his shoulder. He lays it up there on his shoulder,
bears the weight of it, bears the awfulness of it, and he carries
it home and he calls together his friends and his neighbors
saying unto them, rejoice with me. I have found my sheep which
was lost. If you've ever carried an animal
on your shoulder, you'll know something of this, like whatever's
on that animal, it's on you. And an animal don't like necessarily
to be carried. Alec, I'm sure you've done that.
You've carried an animal on your shoulder. Whatever's coming out
of that animal, the stink and the filth of it, it's on you. And it don't like being up there.
And it bucks and carries on. It has to be held tight. That's us. That's us. Think of our sin. Think of our
shame. That which we bear ourselves,
He bears it. He bears it on Himself. And though
we buck and carry on and try to get loose, He will not let
us go. He bears us on His shoulders
and rejoices. He rejoices over it. I can't
say that's been true of me. To carry something on your shoulder,
you just want to get back to the barn and be done. He rejoices
and He calls everyone together. Rejoice with me, this one sheep. He's lost. Shechem, shoulder. And then the sixth city, Hebron. That word means fellowship or
communion. God's people are called to the
fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. In fact, we
read this, that our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son, Jesus Christ. We're united, united with God. We have union with Him, union
with Christ. We have fellowship with God,
fellowship with Christ. He lives in us. We live in Him. Well, quickly, let's look at
these cities of refuge here this morning. What was the purpose?
You know, the Lord had given clear instruction in his word
for dealing with thieves and criminals and murderers. In Exodus
21, 24, it says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,
hand for hand, foot for foot. The punishment was according
to the crime, and that was often carried out by the near kinsmen. If a person murdered someone
in malice or anger, He was to be put to death by the proper
authority. Well, that person was called
the Avenger of Blood. But we read that, suppose two
people went into the woods. I kind of think about Ben when
I tell you this because we got a little fire pit out behind
the house and there's a stack of wood there. And when we're
all out there, Ben's always got an axe or a maul and he's out
there splitting wood. But he said, what happens if
when that's going on, the head of that axe would fly off and
hit somebody in the head and kill them? They didn't intentionally do
it. They didn't have any malice in their heart. They didn't desire
to kill that person. They weren't angry with them. But the Avenger of Blood would
chase after that person. And they said, God gave instruction,
six cities of refuge. Start with three and three more
as the borders enlarge, and that way the slayer, that one who
had killed someone unintentionally, they could flee to one of those
cities, and they could go and tell the elders of the city,
tell their case, and the elders were instructed to take that
person in and give them a place to dwell. And if the Avenger
of Blood came there and knocked on the door and said, let me
have him, they were to say no. They were to keep him there safely. And the slayer could abide until
his case was heard or until the death of the high priest. But you know, if that slayer
were to leave the city, if they were to leave that refuge and
the Avenger of Blood would find him, He could kill him and not be
guilty of anything. Now again, the word refuge means
a place of safe habitation. And it's commonly used to denote
a person or a place to flee from danger. And let's just quickly
here again. consider God in Christ who is
our refuge. Look at Hebrews. Turn to Hebrews
chapter six. Hebrews chapter six, verse 18. Hebrews six, verse 18. that by
two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon Him. To lay hold upon the hope that
was set before us, and that hope being the Lord Jesus Christ.
David wrote in the Psalms, he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be moved. In God is my salvation and glory. The rock of my strength and refuge
is almighty God. Trust in him at all times, ye
people. Pour out your heart before him.
God is a refuge for us. And these cities of refuge, again,
they point to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, consider these six
things quickly. The first is this, these cities
were appointed by God. They were by God's appointment,
by God's decree, by God's will, by God's word. And they were
provided for the safety of all those who fled And it's by God's
appointment and God's will that the Lord Jesus Christ, his well-beloved
and only begotten son, has made our refuge, our surety, our high
priest, our righteousness, our redeemer, our savior, by God's
will and appointment. Second, these cities of refuge
were located so that one could flee there without difficulty. They were easily found. There
were signs that marked the way. And the roads were even kept
clear. You go back and read about them. The roads were to be kept
clear from any obstruction. If a tree would fall over or
briars get into the path, those were to be removed. And you know
the Lord Jesus Christ and God's Word is our refuge. And Scripture
says this, He's not far from any of us. Look at Romans 10.
Romans 10, beginning with verse... Six, but the righteousness which
is of faith speaketh on this wise, say not in thine heart
who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring down Christ
from above, or who shall descend into the deep, that is to bring
up Christ again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is
nigh thee, even in thy mouth. in thy heart, that is the word
of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. He's not far from any of us.
The guilty are to to look and believe. Just look and believe. The Word of God points us to
Christ. In John 5.24, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation. And listen, this
thing of keeping the pathway clear, God's messengers are charged
with that. We're all charged with that.
to keep the pathway clear. Listen, we have one message,
and it's Christ. That's it. One message, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Turn to 1 Corinthians. If you
still have Romans, just turn over a few pages there to 1 Corinthians
1, verse 17. Paul writing to the church there,
he said, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to do this one
thing, preach the gospel. Listen, not to have all these
things that go on in the name of religion. Not ball teams,
not building buildings, not one thing. And this is true for the
adults and it's true of our children. We do one thing, we preach the
gospel. We're not using gimmicks to get
people here. We don't have a softball team.
We preach the gospel. We preach God's word. Not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none
effect. Third, the manslayer was to flee
immediately. Why would you linger? Why would
you stand around and wait? And the believer? We're to flee
to Christ right now. Right now, without delay. In 1 Corinthians 6, it says,
I've heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have
I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now. is the day of salvation. Fourth, the manslayer must be
in the city. You know, knowing about the city
or standing near the city or reciting every fact you know
about the city would not keep you safe. That was not enough. He had to be in the city. And
those that would find refuge in Christ must, by faith, dwell
in Him. We rest in Him and Him alone. To know about Christ, all that
would be good. To admire Christ, there's every
reason to do so. But we're to leave all behind
and rest in Him and Him alone. 1 Corinthians 1.30, but of him
are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Fifth, the manslayer
was to remain in the city. To leave meant death. Wouldn't that be foolish? To
leave a place of safety. Believers will and must continue
in faith. To deny Christ is to depart from
Christ, and to depart from Christ is to perish. Turn to Hebrews
10. Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10, verse
38. We will and we must abide in. Look at verse 38 of Hebrews 10.
The just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we're not of them who draw
back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul. He said this, he said, I'll never
leave you nor forsake you. Sixth, those who got to the city,
those who got to the city of refuge before the avenger of
blood overtook them were completely safe and delivered from death. Joshua 20 verse nine says, whosoever
killeth any person unawares might flee thither, and not die by
the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.
All who come to God, all who come to God by the righteousness
of Christ, that's the key. We come by Christ, we come by
his righteousness, we come by his accomplished work. All who
come by the righteousness of Christ, the blood of Christ,
before death overtakes us are forever saved. Romans 8 verse 1 says this, there
is therefore now, right now, no condemnation to them who are
in Christ Jesus. To those who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. Are we condemnable? Absolutely. Is that even questionable? Are
we condemnable? Yes. Sin dwells in me. and will until we leave this
earth. But my sin can't bring me into
condemnation. Not if I'm in Christ. Not if
I'm in Him. He's borne the penalty of sin.
He's borne the judgment of sin. He's borne the condemnation of
my sin. All of it. All of it. Past, present,
and future. Just as that manslayer was told,
flee to the city. Flee to the city. We're to flee
to him. He's a savior appointed by God
for sinners. He's our surety, our high priest,
our righteousness, our redeemer, our savior. He's easily found. He's easily found. Flee to Him without delay. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. We're to leave all and rest in
Him. Remain in Him, knowing this,
that all who come to God and abide in Him are forever, eternally. I think we've got time here. I want to close. I just want
to read a passage of Scripture. Turn to Psalm 46. You know, I love reading about
these six cities of refuge, but they're just one Savior. Just one. Look here in Psalm
46. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though
the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into
the midst of the sea. Everything on this earth is going
to be removed, but Christ is still present. Almighty God is
still present. Verse three, though the waters
thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with
the swelling thereof, there's a river. The streams whereof
shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles
of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. He said, I in them and thou in
me. God's in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall
help her, and that right early. The heathen raged. The kingdoms
were moved. He uttered His voice and the
earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Come behold the works of the
Lord. What desolations He's made in the earth. He maketh wars
to cease until the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow, cutteth
the spear and sundered. He burneth the chariot in the
fire. The things that would harm us, He destroys. He utterly destroys. Be still,
sit, and wait with patience. Be still and know that I am God. I'll be exalted among the heathen.
I'll be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. God be pleased to bless you.