Delighted to be here. I want
you to find the book of Joshua. Joshua. Chapter 20. Joshua chapter 20. This is a story that God gives
us about the cities of refuge. The cities of refuge. Joshua
chapter 20. Notice verse 1. Joshua chapter
20. Throughout the Old Testament,
we see pictures and types of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have
those instituted types, Passover, Day of Atonement. We have those
providential types, the manna from heaven, the block that was
smitten, all that speaks of Christ, Christ in Him crucified, Christ
the bread of life. We have those personal types
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is that greater
David. He's the King of kings and Lord
of lords. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
priest forever. Like Aaron, but much more like
Melchizedek. Everlasting priesthood. And He
is that prophet. He is that prophet. Here we have
a picture, although not perfect, but it is a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Joshua chapter 20. Let's read
beginning at verse 1. The Lord also spake unto Joshua,
saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out
for you cities of refuge, cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto
you by the hand of Moses. Now, this was spoken earlier.
There's two other places in Scripture, Numbers chapter 35. Some of you
may have that reference there. And in Deuteronomy chapter 19,
whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses. And that's when
God first pointed out These six cities, when they were giving
the cities to the tribe of Levi, I believe there were 48 cities
all together, but six of these cities were designated for a
place of refuge, appointed by God. That's a slayer that killeth
any person unawares, unwittingly. That is, he didn't do it with
malice in his heart. He didn't hate him before. They
were out working in the woods one day, and the axe handle came
off, or the axe head came off, and the man was killed. the man
was killed, that the slayer that killeth any person unawares or
unwittingly may flee to this city, may flee there, and they
shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood." Maybe this
man's brother didn't know what happened and said, well, I'm
going to take vengeance on him. So this man who was a slayer
was to run immediately to one of the designated cities of refuge. And when he doth flee unto one
of those cities, shall stand at the entering of the gate of
the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders
of the city, and they shall take him into the city unto them,
and give him a place that he may dwell among them." He was
safe in that city. The avenger could not touch him.
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not
deliver the slayer up into his hand, because he smote his neighbor.
Unwittingly, we call that manslaughter in our day. He didn't mean to
do it. It just happened. It just happened. And he hated him not
a poor time, not with malice of poor thought. And he shall
dwell in that city until he stand before the congregation for judgment
and until the death of the high priest. That shall be in those
days. Then shall the slayer return
and come into his own city, into his own house, into the city
from whence he fled. Now verse 7 down through verse
9, we'll look at that in just a moment, it names those six
cities. And the names of those six cities
actually describe the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those
six cities. Now when Israel settled into
the land of Canaan, God ordained and set aside these cities. They were appointed. Notice in
verse 7 it says they were appointed. And they appointed, or they sanctified,
they set apart these cities. to which a man could flee for
safety if he had killed someone, we might say, accidentally. I know that's not a good word,
but it is something that helps us understand what happened.
That is, he didn't hate this man before. He didn't mean for
this to happen. It just happened. It just happened.
And if the guilty man could flee into one of these cities, appointed
by God, the avenger of blood, say his brother was kinfolk,
could not touch him. He would be protected, protected
and secure. Now these cities of refuge form
a picture and type of the Lord Jesus Christ who is our refuge. He's our refuge. Now hold your
place here and turn just back a page or two or three to Deuteronomy
chapter 33. Many times in scripture we read
about God, our refuge. Deuteronomy chapter 33, verse
26, Deuteronomy 33, 26, There is none like the God of Jeshua,
that's another name for Israel, who wrought upon the heaven in
thy help and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is
thy refuge. Underneath are the everlasting
arms. He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee. and shall
say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety
alone. The fountain of Jacob shall be
upon the land of corn and wine. Also his heaven shall drop down
to happy art thou. O Israel, who is like unto thee? O people, saved by the Lord,
the Lord, the shield of thy help. And who is assorted by excellency?
And thy enemies shall be found liars unto thee. And thou shalt
tread upon the high places." Now I've turned a couple more.
If you'll find the book of Psalms, Psalm 46, God is our refuge,
especially in reference to God's provided refuge for us in Christ. He is God our Savior. Psalm 46,
you're all familiar with this. God is our refuge and strength. God is our refuge and strength. Of every present help in trouble,
therefore will not we fear. Though the earth be removed,
let the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. God
is our refuge. Turn to another psalm, Psalm
62. Psalm 62. God our Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ is our refuge. Psalm 62, verse 5. My soul wait thou only upon God,
my expectation is from him. He only is my rock. My salvation,
He is my defense, I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation,
my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times. In
God, He only is my rock, my salvation, my defense, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, ye
people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is. God is. He is our refuge. Now I want
you to find another scripture over here in Hebrews, Hebrews
chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6. John has set the table here to
show you that the believer has a certain and sure refuge in
the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not a refuge of lies that
God will wash away and sweep away. It's a refuge of truth.
Christ himself. Hebrews 6, verse 17, wherein
God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that
by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have strong consolation. Now, here's the believer. That
manslayer running into that city of refuge is a picture of a believer.
running to Christ and seeking salvation in Him, who have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that's set before us. We
have a good hope through grace. Christ is our hope. Christ is
our refuge. Which hope we have? As an anchor
of the soul, more sure and steadfast. And which or who has entered
into that within the veil? Who is it? Christ, the forerunner,
is for us entered. He's our substitute, our forerunner. He's done the work, paid the
price, and brings us with Him to glory. Even Jesus made a high
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, when the
manslayer entered into the city, four things happened. He declared
his cause before the elders and the priest, confessing what happened. It was a confession. He came
under the protection of the priesthood and of that city. The avenger
couldn't touch him, couldn't get him. Thirdly, he received
complete acquittal of all guilt. Fourthly, he was set free, notice
in our text, when that high priest died. I wonder what that's all
about. Just happened to be there. It's all about this book. The
more I study it, the more I'm amazed how it tells us about
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In thy book revealed,
I see, I see Him. I see Him. Well, in the same
way, when guilty sinners come to the Lord Jesus Christ for
mercy and refuge, poor things happen in us. Four things happen
in us by His grace. He said, come boldly unto the
throne of, and thank God it's not a throne of judgment, it's
a throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, find grace to help
in times of need. In the same way, when we come
to the Lord Jesus Christ by His drawing, fetching grace, He draws
us to Himself, we declare our need and our guilt like that
man who Smote his breast and said, God be merciful to me,
thee sinner. We come as stripped mercy beggars. A man will never seek a clothing
of righteousness until God strips him. A man will never seek a
refuge until he is plainly shown by God's grace and by God's power
that the avenger of God's law and justice is after him. And
then he'll flee to the refuge of Lord Jesus Christ. We declare
our need and our guilt. Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner, as a mercy beggar. Have you ever taken your place
before the throne of God Almighty as a mercy beggar? You know,
He's never turned away. I've never read in Scripture.
You correct me if I'm wrong. I've never read in Scripture
where a sinner and mercy beggar approached the Lord Jesus Christ
and said, Lord, have mercy on me. Did He turn them away? We declare our need and our guilt.
We come under the protection of Christ. He gives us eternal
life. He says no man will ever pluck
Him out of my hand. I am my Father. We are one. And
we receive complete, complete pardon, complete justification
in Christ, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. No longer guilty. No condemnation
to those who are in. Christ Jesus and we are set free. We are set free. You shall know
the truth and the truth shall set you free. Stand fast in the
liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. How are we set free
from the curse of the law? How are we set free from the
bondage of sin? Christ redeemed us from the curse
of that law being made a curse for us. He appeared once in the
end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of His death.
Who can lay anything to the charges? It's God who justifies. Who is
he that condemns? It's Christ that already died.
Rather more, brethren, he is risen and ascended and seated
at God's right hand. That's good news. Oh, that's
good news. We're set free from all bondage
by the bondage of sin and the curse of the law by the death
of our high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus
Christ. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. You see, this is God's sacrifice
for sin. Turn over here to Romans chapter
8. I love this verse right here. Romans chapter 8, verse 32. He that spared not his own son. Romans 8, 32. But delivered him
up for us all. How shall he not with them also?
And I love this word right here, freely. That's a good word, isn't
it? I like to study that word. Freely
given. Justified freely by His grace. How shall He not with them also
freely give us all things? God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. Having
by the sovereign grace of God and everlasting mercy of the
Lord Jesus Christ pledged to Him for refuge, my friends, We
are eternally, unchangeably saved and secured in Christ. Salvation is in a person, the
Lord Jesus Christ. It be found in Him. Now, there are five ways in which
these cities picture the Lord Jesus Christ. Five ways. The first one is this. These
cities, if you have Joshua chapter 20, notice verse 2. These cities
were appointed by God. They weren't appointed by Moses.
They weren't appointed by Joshua. It says, Speak to the children
of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge. Appoint
them out. God appointed them. Again, in
verse 9, these were cities appointed for the children of Israel. They
were appointed, designated by God. And it is by God's eternal
decree and by God's divine appointment that the Lord Jesus Christ is.
He's made He's made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. He's not appointed us to wrath,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. It's by God's
eternal divine appointment that we see Christ as our appointed
refuge, our hiding place, if you will, from the wind, from
the storm of God's wrath. as many as were ordained to eternal
life. Those are those who believe the
gospel by God's grace. And we know the Lord Jesus Christ,
He is the Lord by divine decree. You don't make Him Lord. You
bowed to Him as Lord. God had made Him Lord and Christ. Is that what Peter said in Acts
2? God had made that Saint Jesus whom you crucified, God had made
Him Lord and Christ by His divine eternal decree. He's Lord to
the glory of God the Father. Not only is He Lord, but He's
my Savior by divine appointment. He's a surety by divine decree. He's a sacrifice that God appointed. He's the sacrifice that God has
appointed. He was delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. John, the last of the Old
Testament prophets, John the Baptist, identified God's sacrifice
to hold the Lamb of God. Now you think about John. John's
daddy was a priest. He grew up around that temple.
He saw lamb after lamb after lamb under the law. When the
Lord Jesus Christ came, God's appointed Savior, God's appointed
Sacrifice, he said, there he is! Behold the Lamb of God that
taketh away our sin. See how these cities were appointed
by God. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
appointed Savior, our appointed Sacrifice. He's the appointed
Lord. He is the prophet of God by divine
decree. And He is our mediator and priest. I need a priest to represent
me before God. And what's the difference between
a prophet and a priest? I need the Lord Jesus Christ
to be my prophet, priest, and king. A prophet to represent
God to me, to tell me the truth. and a priest to represent me
before God, and a king to rule and reign over me with absolute
authority, wisdom, and power. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
all three. He is my mediator, one God and
one mediator between God and men, and that's the God-man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the charity of that everlasting
covenant, the sacrifice of it, all appointed of God. Something
else, these cities, secondly, were plainly identified. Plainly
identified. Now you can study this out in
Deuteronomy 19 and other places, Numbers 35, but all along the
road, when these cities were designated, the priest was to
go out and to designate and mark the way, put up road signs, if
you will. City of refuge, this way. Not
that way, this way. They were plainly identified
according to the city of refuge. And the Word of God clearly identifies
the Lord Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, the life. He said, no man comes unto the
Father but by and through me. He is the only refuge for sin. He's the only hiding place from
God's justice and the avenger of God's law. His preachers are
to clearly point out the way. Look to Christ. You know, the
message is simple. We make it complicated. The message
is simple. He said, look unto me and be
ye saved. All the ends of the earth, I
am God and there is none else. He says it repeatedly in Isaiah. Over and over. There's none besides
me. Look unto me. With what expectation will you
look unto me and be saved? Would you look? Look to Him. Look to the Lord Jesus. We point
you to Christ. Remove, if we can, by God's grace,
any roadblocks that might cause the guilty to stumble. Paul said,
when you sing, we have such a hope we use great plainness of speech. We point you to Christ. Christ
and Him crucified. We preach not ourselves. We preach
not ourselves, but the Lord Jesus Christ. And ourselves, your servant,
for His sake. We point you to the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is everything in salvation. In Him dwells all
the fullness of a dog-head bodily, and in Christ we stand complete,
whole. Thirdly, the manslayer was to
flee immediately to the city. Don't delay. Don't delay. To delay would be fatal. The
avenger may be his brother. Didn't know what happened. Maybe
he'd catch up with you and slay you. The delay would be fatal.
Even so, those who would find refuge in Christ must seek, look,
and run to Him by faith now. Right now. When should I look
to Christ? Now. Right now. Right now. Now's a good time. Today's a
day of salvation. You heard the gospel. Don't delay! To delay is to be faithful. Faithful. What to him by faith? He that
believeth on the Son hath life. He that believeth not, the wrath
of God abides on him. Fourthly, the manslayer must
be within the city to be saved. You didn't run to the city and
stay outside the gate. You had to run to the city and
enter in to the city. The manslayer must be within
the city. Knowing about the city, standing
near to the city was not enough. One must be in the city to be
saved. To know about Christ or to be
acquainted with Christ or to hear the teaching of God's Word,
that's not salvation. Salvation is believing, resting,
trusting, and be found in Him. All of you, I'm sure like I grew
up in religion, Didn't have a clue what salvation was. Didn't have
a clue who the Lord Jesus Christ was or what He accomplished for
me. But I tell you, by God's grace, He revealed to me from
that very Scripture in Philippians chapter 3 that I count by His
grace all things lost and dung and ruined that I might win Christ
and be found in Him. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness
and the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Oh, to
when Christ can be found in him, my friend. May God all give us
grace to continually in our heart, looking to Christ, coming to
Christ, running to him. And to rest in him. Paul said,
I know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded he's able to
keep that. which I've committed on him against
that day. I know whom I have believed.
Fifthly, the manslayer must remain in the city. Don't go out of
the city, the avengers, outside the gateway to get even. Abide
in Christ. And I tell you, if he draws you
to himself, you will, you will, kept by the power of God through
faith in him, Believers do persevere by the grace of God. He's able
to keep us from falling and present us faultless before the presence
of God's glory with exceeding joy. I tell you, God saves His
people with an everlasting salvation. I tell you why, because He obtained
for us eternal redemption. And our sins are put away, just
not temporarily. He says, as far as the east is
from the west, they're gone. God who knows all things said
their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. They're
gone. Remain in the city. All who believe,
they will persevere because they're preserved by the power and grace
of God in Christ Jesus. Now let me give you this before
we look at these cities here. And I don't want to wear you
down. There are some ways in which this type here does not
picture the Lord Jesus Christ. They were six cities. There's
just one Savior. There's just one Savior. There's
no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. These cities only protected,
in our story here, they only protected from physical death.
Our Lord Jesus Christ delivers and gives us spiritual and eternal
life in Christ Jesus. Thirdly, these cities were entered
by physically running. How do you come to Christ? Don't
walk an aisle. Don't come that way. These cities
were entered by physically running. We don't come to Christ physically,
but spiritually by God-given faith. As the old preacher used
to say, come to Christ and don't move a hand nor hair. Look to
Him by faith. Look to Christ. Christ alone. These cities were provided for
those, in our story here, who unintentionally killed someone.
The Lord Jesus Christ is a refuge for willful, deliberate murderers. That's me. The Scripture said
that Christ died for the ungodly. Can you fit in there? Well, there's
good news if you can. He died for the ungodly. He's
a real Savior. You see, this gospel is a sinner's
gospel. He's a real Savior for real sinners. He came up and called the righteous
sinners. Sinners to repentance. Now look
back at the text again. Joshua chapter 20. These six cities, let me give
you this. These six cities even their very names, they appointed,
verse 7, Kadish, Shechem, Hebron, on the west side of Jordan, and
on the eastward, Bezer, Ramah, Golan. Now, these names here of these
cities even preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to us.
Let me give you the meaning of these names. Kadish means holy. The refuge we have is a holy
refuge. Jesus Christ is a holy one, both
as God and as man. Such a high priest became us
who was wholly harmless, totally separated from sin, undefiled,
had no sin, knew no sin, did no sin, made sin for us, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He's abundantly
qualified to be our mediator. He's abundantly qualified to
be our Redeemer, our Righteousness, and our Refuge. He's the Holy
One. God who is my, He's the Lord,
our Righteousness. I like that. He's my Righteousness
before God. He's my Kedesh. He's my Holy
Refuge. Secondly, Shechem. I like this
one. Shechem means shoulder. He's a broad-shouldered Redeemer. He's a broad-shouldered Redeemer.
You remember when He left the 99 in that parable in Luke 15,
and He went and found that one lost sheep, and He's after that
one lost sheep, and He found that one lost sheep, and He put
that one lost sheep on His shoulder and took Him home to glory, and
they rejoiced in the salvation of sinners. The Lord Jesus Christ
is my broad-shouldered Redeemer. who took the enormous load of
my sin to himself. He bare our sin and his own body
on the tree, and in doing so put it away. As the shepherd,
he carries the lost sheep home to glory. He is my Shechem."
He's a broad shoulder. The government's upon his shoulder. I'm not so much concerned about
the politicians and the government. I know who's ruling all things,
the king's heart and the hand of the Lord, and he turns it
whether so ever he will. Whoever it is is going to do
the will of God. It's right. Thirdly there, it
says Hebron. Hebron. Hebron means fellowship
or access or acceptance. Now what does that speak of? He's the access. He said, I am
the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved. He shall go in and out. Go into light. Out of death. Passed from darkness into light. In Christ Jesus. He's our fellowship. Uninterrupted, sweet communion
that we have with Him. We have access to the Father
through the merit and person of the Lord Jesus Christ. were
accepted in the Beloved to the praise of the glory of His grace.
He is my Hebron. Fourthly, it says there, verse
8, Bezer. Bezer means fortified place. He's my fortified refuge. He's my fort when we was a kid. We all did this, didn't you?
Didn't you build your fort? Everybody had to have a fort,
didn't they? Out in the backyard, out in the woods somewhere. Had
a fort made out of sticks. It wasn't much. I tell you, this
fortress here is built by God Himself. And it will stand the
test of every trial. Turn over here, if you will,
to Psalm 91. Look at this. Psalm 91. I will say, verse 2, of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress. He is my refuge and my fortress. You see that? He's my fort, a
fortified place. He is my fortress. He's my God. In Him, I will trust. He's my fortified refuge. In Him, I'm safe. In Him, I'm
secure. Eternally so. Back to the text. Fifthly, Ramos. Ramoth, verse
8, you see that? Ramoth means, I'm not making this up, Ramoth
means exalted. Exalted. And the Lord Jesus Christ
is our exalted refuge. He's our exalted refuge. When He by Himself purged our
sins, I tell you, we have an exalted Savior, a victorious
Savior. When He by Himself purged our
sin, He sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. God
had given Him a name which is above every name. And at that
name, every knee shall bow. God has highly exalted Him. And
every knee shall bow and confess that He is Lord to the glory
of God the Father. He is the exalted Savior, the
victorious Savior, the conquering Savior. He went forth conquering
to conquer all my enemies. The law that
was against me. Sin that was against me and charged
me. Death. Satan defeated all our
enemies. He is the exalted Savior, the
victorious Savior. Lastly, it says there that He
is The last city here says Golan. Golan. Golan means revealed or
manifested. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ
to me. He's the revealed refuge. He's manifested to me as the
only refuge. The Lord Jesus Christ is God
manifest in the flesh. Without controversy, greatness
and mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh. In
the Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of God is revealed. The glory
of His mercy, the glory of His love, the glory of His grace.
Here in His love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us and He sent His Son to be the sacrifice for sin. The propitiation,
the satisfaction for our sin. In Christ, the glory of God is
revealed. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts. to give us and
to shine on us and to declare unto us the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. And Christ is the One who is
revealed to us. He is revealed to us. I'll close
with this scripture. Find Galatians chapter 1. Cities of refuge. What do you
think about it? Is Christ your refuge? I pray
that He is if He's not. I pray that God would give you
grace in your heart, make you a new creature, grant to you
faith that you might look to Christ and see in Christ your
refuge, your hiding place, your Savior, your salvation. It's a revelation of Christ in
you. Galatians chapter 1 verse 15, but when it pleads God, when
will a man be saved? When, please God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace. And here's
what salvation is. It's a revelation of Christ in
us to reveal His Son in me. That I might preach Him. Can't
tell what you don't know. Anymore you come back from where
you haven't been. To reveal His Son in me that
I might preach Him among the heathen and immediately I didn't
need to have someone tell me. I didn't confer with flesh and
blood. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Flesh
and blood didn't reveal that to you, but my Father, my Father. I pray God will bless His Word
to your heart.