Father, thank you for your heart. We come and we want to come humbly and needy, but we want to come boldly and by faith to your throne, which is the throne of grace. We want to find mercy and help. We need you, Lord. And apart from your spirit, we won't understand. We won't really hear. We may listen, but we won't really hear our hearts hearing your word. So help us to hear what your spirit is saying. Help us to heed, help us to believe it, to love it and then obey it. By your grace and for your glory and for our good and the good of others, we pray do a glorious work. Let your word bear fruit by the power of your spirit. And we see Jesus. We ask it in his name. Everybody said, Amen. Joshua chapter 20 verses 1 through 9, cities of refuge. I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes detective novels, was a practical joker. And one time he sent a telegram to 12 famous people in London whom he knew. Telegram read, flee at once. All is discovered. Although all 12 were upright citizens, they all quickly left the country. Why? Why did they flee? Were they really in danger? And the answer is no, but their conscience accused them and so they fled. And thus they were safe from man, but not from God, amen. And that's the subject of our text today in Joshua 20, that the children of Israel had now entered the promised land, and they've received their inherited portions of land by tribe and clan. But there are few remaining details to tidy up, to attend to, and the cities of refuge were one of those important details. What were they all about? Anyone who accidentally killed a person needed a safe place of refuge to which he could flee. Here's the question. Do you feel safe? You say, well, sometimes. But are you really safe? That's the question this morning. What do you mean? Not just safe from the vengeance of man, jihad or anything like that. Our mind doesn't have to imagine too much, right? September 11th. Are you safe from the vengeance and wrath of God? So while our text has many implications for law and our day and Tuesday night, Lord willing, Bible study, we can talk about that. And I might mention a couple as we pass this morning. The main truth I'm drawing from it is this, just as there's no safety for the manslayer, that is the guy who committed manslaughter, outside the city of refuge, there's no safety for him or her. So there's no safety for the sinner outside of Jesus Christ. So the cities then are a type or a picture pointing us to the Lord Jesus, and we'll see how. Ultimately, they're pointing us to our only refuge, which is the person and work of our Lord as he was on the cross and risen from the dead and now pleading for us in heaven. So first then, I got three A's. You've heard of triple A? It's an easy way to remember the sermon today, just remember AAA. No safety outside the cities of refuge, no safety outside of Christ. Amen. You could call them cities of grace if you want. Cities of Christ, if you want. You wouldn't do any harm to the text. He's our refuge. But the point is asylum, atonement, and access. Just real simple this morning, okay? Let's see, right to the point. First, asylum, then the city speak of asylum. And Tyler read the text, did a great job. The Lord said to Joshua, he's saying, establish these, appoint these cities that I spoke to Moses about. What's that? And we'll see it in Exodus 12. Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. So the murderer has no refuge, but if he did not lie in wait for him, that's not premeditated. But God let him fall into his hand. So it doesn't look at everything as an accident. Even accidents are under God's providence. Amen. You see that? But God let him fall into his hand. Then I will appoint for him a place, that's a city refuge, to which he may flee. So, then that's what he's talking about with Moses, Exodus chapter 21, 13 and 14. That the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be, these cities, for you a refuge from the avenger of blood." So the law gives an example of an unintentional manslaughter. This is what it says, and by the way, the two sections that you really want here are Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19. Well, Deuteronomy 19 verse 5-6 says this, as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the axe head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies. He may flee to one of these cities and live, lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, in other words, to the city, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die. accidents, since he had not hated his brother in the past." Now, maybe that's where they get the saying, to fly off the handle. You know, the axe head flew off the handle. Well, these cities were a blessing to anyone who had accidentally slain someone. He would have a refuge from the avenger of blood. Now, who is the avenger of blood? This is fascinating, because in the ancient world, before police and before court systems, remember, they've just come into the land. They don't have a central form of government established yet. The family members were the primary means of justice. And if one of your family members was killed, then someone in your family was responsible to go after that person and even the score. I would imagine it'd be the biggest and the meanest and the maddest. Because it says in anger, right? You say, well, that sounds like vengeance. No, it was God's form of what? Justice. It's God's form of justice. That's the whole point. And so, what's fascinating is people say, well, this sounds like the mafia. You know, where the Godfather tells the guy to go rub the person out who killed somebody. Well, no, it's not. I'll tell you why. The word for avenger is our word goel in the Hebrew. Sound familiar? In fact, if you just put an S and a P in there, it says gospel. And we'll see how that works. But the word Goel in the book of Ruth is a kinsman what, tell me? A kinsman redeemer. A kinsman, someone who's close by relative. And so he was responsible, this kinsman redeemer, to look out for the interest of his fellow kinsmen. His kin, we say, his relations. He was to look out for their life and their liberty. I don't know about their happiness, but their property, etc. You see it in Leviticus 25. And so this kinsman would usually buy someone back if they became so poor that they had to sell themselves into slavery. But in this case he's not buying anybody back. Family blood has been spilt and accounting for that blood was absolutely necessary. Here's the point of the text. That only the death of another could pay for that shed blood, could atone for that shed blood. And if we say, sounds barbaric. Like an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth. The problem is, we don't agree with God. That life is valuable. How so? When Noah came out of the ark, you remember the first thing God told him? If somebody sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be..." That's where we get the idea of capital punishment from. And why? Why is God so serious about homicide? Because, simply, all murder is an attack on the image of God in man. And to take a person's life is to usurp whose prerogative. God, that's right. God's sovereignty over life and death. He gives life and He takes life, that's what He said. And thus the murderer deserves death. Tozer put it, and I said it last week, A.W. Tozer, he said, God could not be good if He were not just. So, let's say this, I'll just appeal to your own reasoning here. You're watching the movie, you're reading the novel, and you see that really bad person. Question, do you want the bad person to get away with it or do you want him to get justice? Let me ask you. You want that bad person to get justice, and for good reason. Do you know why you want that bad person to get justice? Even if you're not a Christian, you want that bad person to get justice, because you're made in the image of... Come on now. And so these cities were a blessing then to that individual person who had accidentally murdered somebody. So there's still going to be this fallenness, this sinfulness, this remaining sin even in the land of promise. That's the idea. But these cities were also a blessing to all the people. And why? Because the blood that was not atoned for would pollute the land. You can read it. Numbers 35 verses 33 and 34. It says that it would make the land unfit for God to dwell there. The whole point is that God wants to dwell with the people in the land. Okay? So it wasn't merely a matter of righteousness between man and man, or women and women. It had to do with the glory of God, and the purity of God's land, and the integrity of God's government of the land. Okay? This is key. The blood of the slain person cries out for what? Tell me. Vengeance! So this goes back to Cain and Abel. And that's why there must be a reckoning. There must be an atonement for blood that's shed. But notice what God does. God makes a distinction between murder, which is intentional and out of hatred, and manslaughter, which is unintentional and done without foreknowledge. And so for the murderer, only death of the murderer could suffice. Ah, but for the manslayer, only the death of the high priest was sufficient to atone for that. We'll talk about that. Yet the pagan nations back then that surrounded Israel did accept a ransom for the murderer. Now this is key. I got this from the ESV study Bible. And why? Why did those nations accept a ransom for the murderer? Because they worshiped idols. Let me ask you, what do idols have behind them? Tell me. Demons. And who are behind all the demons? The devil. And we're told, John 8, verse 44, that the devil is a murderer, notice that key word, from the beginning. We say sometimes, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Well, the devil hates you and has a terrible plan for your life. Okay, well, so let me ask this question. Why would the devil hate you and have a terrible plan for your life? Because he hates who? You're made in his image, and he hates everyone who's made in the image of God. Okay? Let me ask you, why would a murderer require death for murderers? Well, the answer is, he wouldn't. Only a righteous God. Only a holy God. You see? The devil wouldn't require murder for murderers, the death penalty for murderers, because to him life is what? Valuable or cheap? Ah, yeah, but to God life is of the utmost value because he created it, you see. Which then at that point, you know, if your mind is thinking with me, you start seeing the value, the infinite value of the life and therefore the blood, the death of who? Tell me. Jesus. Okay? But I'm getting ahead of myself. What does this asylum have to do with us today? Well, shouldn't we give refuge and protection to people who are unjustly exposed to danger and death? Yeah, like those who hid the Jews from the Nazis in World War II, okay? Here's a question, how highly do we value God's image in man? Or do we even think about it? God's image in man is the basis of all our relationships with people, with each other. And yet, the state or the government has been equipped by God with the sword so that it may serve as our corporate kinsman-redeemer, in a sense, avenging the blood of our brother and sister. Right? I mean, Romans 13, they don't bear the sword for nothing. Now, they weren't, you know, tickling you with the sword. What were they doing with the sword? Tell me. Yeah, they would slap you or cut the head off or stab them or whatever. It was capital punishment. Why then do murderers more often than not just serve time in our country? Think of it. It's more in line with manslaughter than the biblical standard of manslaughter than it is the biblical standard of murder. Isn't it? You say, Sean, are you for the death penalty? You know, some people will cry and say, Christians need to be consistently pro-life against the death penalty if they're against abortion. Really? Well, that's a whole other sermon. But could it be that our country lets the murderer live because it shows how lightly we value the life that they took, you see? Just throwing it out there. You say, well, Sean, shouldn't we be thankful for a judicial system that protects those who are guilty of manslaughter from the lynch mob and ensures that they have a right to a fair trial? And the answer is, of course we should. And yet, we live in a land that's polluted by the blood, listen to this, of approximately 3,000 babies a day that are aborted. We don't like to think about that. You know, I bet you there's people here that don't even want me to mention that. Don't talk about that stuff, Sean. We need to pray for America, amen? If a manslaughter, if a murderer was under the judgment of God for killing one person, what would a country be under the judgment of God for murdering 3,000 babies a day? I'll tell you, the blood is crying out. But maybe you're thinking this morning, hey, hey, hey, hey, time out, pastor, I haven't slaughtered anyone. Yeah, but have you ever been angry enough to want to? You ever drive? We got some mad drivers, man. I used to be like that, sometimes I still am. Lord's helped me to get over it. But it's a really good question. Jesus said, if you have hatred in your heart, if you have anger in your heart, enough to want to kill somebody, then you've already murdered them in your... Matthew 5, you can read it, verses 21 through 26. Who hasn't been angry enough to want to kill someone except Jesus? And so all of us then have been murderers and are what? were all convicted as murderers? And besides, let me ask you this, weren't all of us born in sin? Yeah, the Bible says we go astray from the womb, from birth. That's Psalm 58.3. Again, though, you may think, but I didn't do that intentionally. I didn't have to do anything to do with being born into the world in sin. Well, neither did the manslayer. He did it unintentionally, didn't he? That's a great picture. And yet this manslayer must flee for his life to a place of refuge. You see, what is the text saying? That our greatest need is not a good education, or a great economy, or even a clean earth. Our greatest need has nothing to do with money, or a job, or our kids, or our grandkids. It has to do with our what? Tell me. Our sin, exactly, it's our sin. Our greatest need is our sin. And the polls they take of people subdivide the electorate into every which way looking for votes. But Christianity says we're all subsets of one great set that we inhabit together. We are sinners. We are single sinners. We are married sinners. We're sinners with kids. We're male sinners. We're female sinners. But we're all still what? Tell me. Sinners. sinners in need of refuge. You know, a newspaper editorial once asked this question, what's wrong with the world? And GK Chesterton wrote back in reply, I am. I am what's wrong with the world. And so Christian, listen, we outgrow many things with AIDS, habits and clothes and hobbies and interests. Okay. Fine. But we never outgrow our sin. We don't escape sin by growing up. You'll never work your way out of it. You'll never buy your way out of sin, and you won't even die your way out of sin. No. You know, some people believe in that justification by death. All I got to do is die and I'll be in heaven, regardless if I'm a Christian or not. And the answer is, no, it's not true. God demands a payment for sin. Now, here's what's fascinating about the text as I look at it. God demands a payment even for accidental sin. You say, well, He's harsh. No, He's not. That's why our natural condition as sinners is one of great danger. I need a refuge from the wrath of God. See, that avenger of blood is carrying out the vengeance of God that God demands, because God is what? Holy, and He must punish sin. He must. Have you been brought to that sober realization that you need a refuge from the wrath of God? Or, let me throw it out this morning, does the axe head still need to fly off your handle before you realize you need refuge from God's wrath? So Christian, listen, whatever God uses to show us our need of the Savior, whether it's accidental to us or incidental to us, is his great mercy to us. And here's what I find in my life, that I don't realize my need of refuge until I see my sinfulness in light of the holiness, God's perfect holiness. So that without a sense of God's awesome holiness, I'll think of God as a little drop of water rather than a consuming fire. Secondly, these cities speak of atonement. Look at verses 4 through 6. And here's the meat. Here's the meat of our sermon. The meat in the middle, we say. You get bread on one side and bread on the other, and the meat in the middle. Verse 4 through 6. He, that is this manslayer, shall flee to one of these cities, that is a refuge, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of the city. So, he's explaining his case. Are they going to let him in? They're going to try to discern if his case is one of unintentional manslaughter without hatred or is it that of murder if it's murder he can't come in if it's manslayer he can come in it's a manslaughter and verse 4 then goes on then they shall take him into the city of numbers if it's manslaughter and give him a place he shall remain with them and if or then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand. They're going to protect him. Why? Because he struck his neighbor unknowingly and did not hate him in the past. And, verse 6, key, he shall remain in that city until, how long? He has stood before the congregation for judgment. So there's a trial that goes on to determine was this a manslayer or not, or was it really murder? And there had to be at least two or three witnesses, we know. from numbers 3530, again. And until the death of him, there was a stay there in the city, until the death of him who was the high priest at that time. Then a manslayer may return, he's released, he's free to go to his own hometown and his own home and to the town from which he fled. So, this must be where we get the idea that a person is presumed innocent until what? Guilty, yeah. And so each person has a right to a fair trial in a court of law. It must be. You have the right to remain silent. You know, you've seen it in the movies and stuff. Hopefully you didn't have to hear it from the cop personally. Maybe some of you have, but if you have, that's okay. See, here's the thing. The type, which is the city of refuge, is always lesser than the anti-type, the one who points you to. Jesus. Amen? Jesus not only forgives us for unintentional sin, but he also forgives us for intentional sin. Okay? I was reminded by an old pastor last week when I was walking my dog. But here's the point. While the manslayer only had one avenger of blood hunting him down, the guilty sinner has many avengers. How so? God's justice takes the lead. It has strong claims. Our wrongs against God's justice are many. It has a clear right to execute revenge. Its wrath is righteous, its aim is sure. And if you and I are caught in nature's plane, we will surely die." God's justice. How about the law? The law is also in pursuit. And the law demands pure love to God and self-like love to neighbor from your birth to your grave. And all who sin become the law's prey. And which of us hasn't sinned? Let me ask you. Anybody miss the fall? No, but none but Jesus. And so this law must have its dues, and it follows relentlessly and strictly, and it can never spare. So you've got the justice of God, the law of God. Thirdly, the truth of God also points this inescapable sword at us. And it says that every sinner must die. Can the truth be false? No, but it would be false unless vengeance falls. And fourthly, Satan follows with huge strides, and he claims the sinning soul as his, and his hate is bitter, and he delights and determines to drag souls to hell with him as many as he can. And you add to that the conscience which accuses us. We may sear the conscience, right? But we can't silence it. We may try to put it out of its misery, but only to our own peril. And thus, the fleeing manslayer is a faint shadow or picture of the pursued sinner. But, and here's the good news of the text, God provides this refuge so that the manslayer may run there and he need not perish. And so God is mercifully concerned about this man's life. But the text is saying that the slain man's life is presumed sacred to God as well. Why? The city of refuge is not only a place of safety for the manslayer, but also of exile. Yes, he enjoys protection, but he also suffers penalty. The city is both a refuge to him, protection, but it's also a prison. He can't leave. You see it? And such is the costliness of destroying human life. Even when that life is taken unintentionally, the consequences of that wrong must be carried out. And so, life is made in God's image as always remains exceedingly sacred to him and it should to us. Let's look at some implications of this for our lives. All the cities of refuge belong to the Levites. You read that in the next chapter. Okay, and so what does that mean? That means that the, I imagine the priest prayed for the guy as he was there with him, and they encouraged him while he was there. And since believers are a royal priesthood, all of us, 1st Peter 2.9, we can and we should show sympathy to someone who's responsible for accidentally causing the death of a person. Like when a driver knocks someone over by accident. You know what I'm talking about? And they're not guilty of breaking the law. They're not driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol. That'd be one example. There are others. The well-known Baptist preacher George Truitt accidentally shot his friend J.C. Arnold, chief of police of Dallas, on a hunting trip when he was relatively a young preacher. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack, but Truett blamed himself for the death of his friend. And deeply depressed, he decided to leave the ministry, even though the shot was accidental. But the prayers of many, plus a vision of Jesus vividly standing beside him, saying to him, be not afraid, George, you are my man from now on, pulled him through his doldrums. But his biographer says that his life took on a new sense of soberness and grief after that incident. I'll give you an example. of praying for someone and encouraging them when they've accidentally slain someone. Apostle Paul says this, creation was subjected to futility or frustration in hope as a result of the fall, Romans 8.20. Ecclesiastes expounds on that idea in much more detail, but all of us have to face frustrations in a fallen world, amen? Okay, what's the point of that? One of the hardest things to deal with is when others suffer because of things we unintentionally did to them. It's hard. This is one of the things we call sometimes survivor's guilt. Maybe we had something to do with it, but sometimes we can even blame ourselves when we didn't have anything to do with it. And so we should be thanking God for the comfort that He gives to us, amen? And the comfort we're able to extend that He gives to us to others. But why did the manslayer have to wait for the death of the high priest to be released from the city, and therefore from his fear of death and his guilt that he bore, even though it was unknowingly? Well, some Bible students say that the high priest was such a great blessing to his country that when he died, their sorrow on that occasion should swallow up all other resentments. In other words, he's so great, he died, let's just forget everything that happened and move on. Others think, no, it's as though the high priest who during his lifetime was always atoning for the sins of the people, in other words, through animal sacrifices in the sanctuary, it was as though he took all that happened up to his death into the grave with him and it signaled the dawning of a new era. It was like the year of Jubilee where all debts were released. There are other views, but ultimately the death of the high priest points us forward to who? Tell me. Our great high priest, who died on the cross how many times? Once for all time, for all our sins, Hebrews 10. And so, why are people afraid of death? Why are people afraid? You know, everybody's afraid of death until God delivers you. We're afraid of death because after death comes what? Tell me. Judgment. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 27. Hebrews 2, 14 and 15. The devil holds people captive in fear of death. So, We're afraid of death because after death comes judgment. But I'm asking this, why do people feel guilty? Why do we feel guilty? It's because we, tell me, because we are. The shrink, you know, Mr. Figby was talking to the shrink and he said, I don't know why I feel guilty. Mr. Figby said, because you're guilty. Finally, the shrink told him, you're guilty. See, we are guilty by birth. He said, I didn't have anything to do with that. It's okay. You're still guilty, man. You're related to Adam. He said, that's not fair. Oh yeah, but you want the benefits of Jesus. Don't you? Did you have anything to do with that? Let me ask you. We can't have one without the other. Right? How about this? You're not only a sinner by birth, you're a sinner by behavior. Is it true? Who hasn't sinned? Okay, well, again, but when Christ forgives us, what does he do? He releases us from all our guilt. And this is good news, beloved. He not only forgives us, but he changes our status from that of a slave to sin. That guy was relief in the city. to a son or a daughter of God. He changes us from the inside out. He justifies us, just if I'd never sinned and always obeyed. That's the gospel, amen? When I believe in Jesus, when I trust in Him and I turn from my sins. And when we come to Christ for salvation, there's no need of an investigation or a trial. Why? Because we know we're guilty and we admit it. And so the only people Jesus says are those who confess their guilt, and throw themselves on his mercy. Let me ask you, have you done that? Have you admitted that you're a sinner? Like my stepdad said, well, everybody else may be a sinner, but I'm not. You know, it was all I could do not to laugh and they're laughing. It's like, well, yeah, you are. And the issue is you can't see it and you're blinded or what? Tell me that. Well, have you thrown yourself on God's mercy? Have you admitted that you're a sinner and you need Jesus to save you from your sins? Well, the manslayer had to wait until the high priest died. He's away from family, he's away from friends. Ah, but Christ our high priest has died and he has risen. Are you waiting to be released from your fears and your guilt? There's no need to, amen? There's no need to. Flee to Christ today for refuge. That's what the text is saying. I plead with you, flee. You say, no, no, no, no, preacher man, the gospel sounds too good to be true. Release from all my fears? Yep. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from a few of my fears. No. Psalm 43, 4. I sought the Lord and He... 34, 4. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from how many of my fears? Tell me. All my fears. All my fears. To whom do you run when you're in danger? There are many politicians who would like to control you by fear, not King Jesus. He wants to deliver you from all your fears. Don't we have not just a good and a great, but a gracious Savior? Let me ask you. Amen. And only He can do it. Only King Jesus can release you from all your guilt. And He will if you flee to Him for refuge today. And I say, He's only a prayer away. Amen? He's only a prayer away. No ransom of gold or good works can save us from God's wrath. But the law points us to the gospel and how so. And listen, this is the meat of the message right here. If you don't hear anything I say, get this. In the gospel, the heavenly avenger tracking you down for your blood has become your redeemer. In Jesus Christ, God took on human flesh and became our kinsman, not to pursue us and condemn us, but to deliver us. And so Jesus, He chases after you, not to slay you, but to save you. And how? By laying down His life for you on the cross. Amen! And the one whom we expected to be our judge and executioner was Himself judged and executed in our place on the cross. It's a glorious picture, isn't it? Do you see it? Let me illustrate it. A lady was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was coming uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck. But when she sped up, the truck did too. The faster she drove, the faster the truck did. And now, scared, she exited the freeway. But the truck stayed with her. The lady then turned up a main street, hoping to lose her pursuer in traffic. But the truck ran a red light and continued the chase. Reaching the point of panic, the lady whipped her car into a gas station and bolted out of her car, screaming for help. The truck driver sprang from his truck and ran toward her car. Yanking the back door open, the driver pulled out a man who was hiding in the back seat. She was running from the wrong person. From the truck driver's vantage point, he had spotted a would-be rapist in the lady's car. You see, the chase was not his effort to harm her, but to save her, even at the cost of his own life. Safety. Do you see the picture? Question, why would you run from the only one who can rescue you? Why fight against him who can free you? His plans for you are good and not evil to rescue you, to give you a hope and a future, right? From those hidden sins that endanger your and my life. And if you ask me today, Sean, what about the guilt of my ongoing sins, yeah? Holy Spirit convicts us and He brings us the place of confession and repentance, but once that we've confessed and repented, we're not meant to continually live in a condition of nagging fear and guilt, not even a mild grade guilt. For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And let me ask you this, fear has to do with judgment, but perfect love casts out how much fear? All fear, 1 John 4, 18. Listen, this is gloriously great news. Amen? Again, towering above me. They don't have to walk around in guilt all the time. You just have to confess to the Lord and ask for grace to receive His forgiveness. And ask for grace to repent and move on. Asylum, atonement, and lastly, access. Look at this. Wonderful. These cities were evenly spaced throughout the land so as to be easily accessible from all places. Notice what he says there in verses 7 through 9. They were set apart. There's Kadesh, and there's Shechem, and Kiriath Arba, right? And then beyond the Jordan on the east side, there's Jericho, Bezer, and then there's Ramoth and Gilead, and then there's Golan. And then these cities were designated for all the people of Israel and, key word, and for the stranger sojourning among them, in the Gentile. Why? That anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood till he stood before the congregation. So three on one side of the Jordan and three on the other side. Two in the north, two in the middle, and two in the south. They could be reached in a few hours from any part of the country without crossing any rivers or mountain ranges. And so can Christ. He is a near Savior. For example, do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven. That is to bring Christ down. Or who will descend into the abyss? That is to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does the righteousness based on faith say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. Christ is in the Bible then, amen? The Bible's in your hand. You got it sitting in your hand, your lap right now? Is the word concerning Jesus in your mouth? Is it? If so, then let him be nearer still. Let him be in your what? Let Him be in your heart. Let Him be in your heart. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible promises, and you shall be what? Saved. And so these cities were easily accessible from all places. Christ is a near Savior. They were also conspicuous. Five of the six cities were on hills, and Christ is a lifted up Savior. He said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. In other words, on the cross, that whoever looks to Him may be saved. And the rabbis tell us that the roads leading to these cities were kept in good condition. You can see that in Deuteronomy 19.3. And where two or more roads met together, they would put a post up there with the word refuge on it, clearly marking the way for the fugitive. And perhaps Jesus alluded to this when he said, I am the way. And no one comes to the Father except by me. And we're told that the gates of these cities were open day and night. The gates of other cities were shut every night and opened every morning. But the city of refuge had gates open continually. Isaiah 60.11 says, Your gates shall be open continually. And John in Revelation says, Of the new heaven and new earth its gates will never shut. And so it is with Christ. He is open to receive sinners day and night. Question, Nicodemus came at night. Did he find Jesus open? Yeah, he did. Come early or late and you'll find Jesus open. The thief found him at the last hour. And no one then, no one ever came to Jesus and found the door shut. He said this, John 6, 37, whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. And these cities were easily accessible to both Jew and Gentile. So that God includes the sojourner within his justice because he included in him within his love. So there's a wideness in God's mercy. And already then here in Joshua we meet the God who will delight to bring near those who are far off by the blood of the Messiah. So Christ is the refuge available to all. And we read, Romans, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, and whoever believes on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Whoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Are you thirsty for life? That's the question. Come to Christ for refuge and you will live. Amen? But the message isn't just for non-Christians, is it? How is the gospel for Christians? You say, what? The gospel is for Christians too, amen? I'd say the gospel is just as much for Christians as it is for non-Christians. Listen, Christian, there are many people around you who have no eternal inheritance. They are without God and without hope in the world. And who will tell them of the only refuge by which they can be free from fear of death and the guilt of sin? If not you, then who? Let me ask. Let me ask you, if not now, then when? If not here in Oregon, Then where? Well, I'll do it overseas. If you're not doing it here, you won't do it there. Amen? Don't waste your life. Spend to be spent for the sake of the gospel. Okay? So evangelism. But there's another application here. Are you this morning in the land of salvation? You say, Amen! But let me ask you this. Are you at rest in your soul? What do you mean? It's possible to be a Christian and not be at rest. Amen? Yeah, it is. In that case, Jesus is your refuge within the land of rest. Flee to him today. He said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul. Take Jesus' yoke. He'll carry you and the load of your life. Amen? He's good at that. Amen? Are you carrying a heavy load today? I've been thinking about it. Someone said to me this morning, you look stressed. What's that all about? I should be relaxed and rejoicing, amen? I should be still and know that he is God. You'll find rest for your souls. That's what he promised. And why? For his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Someone has said, R.C. Sproul, the essence of theology is grace. The essence of the Christian ethics is gratitude. In other words, to live in the atmosphere of God's saving grace in Christ makes us grateful and gracious people. So then when the clear manslayer walked out of that city, don't you think he was grateful? I think he was. And don't you think he was more gracious toward other people? Oh, I think so. Now here's the amazing thing. Despite the importance of the cities that they played in the Promised Land, they're never mentioned again in the Old Testament. Someone said, why? I don't know. But isn't it true that... What happens to the stars when the sun comes up? What happens? They fade. And when the sun... was risen with healing in His wings? What happened to the cities of refuge? They what? They fade because they point us to Him. Amen? And yet, shouldn't the church be a place of grace for all those seeking refuge from their sins? Shouldn't the church be a community of forgiving sinners who are also a community of forgiving sinners? Forgiving sinners who also forgive sinners? Well, that's the practical outworking of grace that we receive. Grace that we receive makes us want to show that same grace to others. No matter who we are or what we've done, the church should be a place of forgiveness and fellowship, where we come in just as we are and we're pointed to Christ, the one sure refuge for sinners. And why, Christian? His death is big enough to sacrifice for any sin we may have committed in the past or anything we'll ever do in the future. His mercy is wide enough to welcome us in, to wash us clean, keep us safe throughout our earthly pilgrimage, and His grace is all we will ever need to receive, and it is the most important thing we have to share with our family, friends, and others who are yet outsiders to the grace that we've received. In the bulletin, for your benefit, I put a Old gospel song. Somebody said it wasn't a hymn because it's not sung directly to God. I don't know. But Joseph Hart, and this is what he said, O ye sons of men, be wise. Trust no longer dreams and lies. Out of Christ almighty power can do nothing but devour. God you say is good, that's true, but he is pure and holy too. Just and jealous in his ire, burning with vindictive fire. This had all been self-declared. Israel trembled when they heard. But the proof of proofs indeed is he sent his son to bleed. Amen. When the blessed Jesus died, God was clearly justified. Sin to pardon without blood never in his nature stood. Worship God then in his son. there his love and there alone. Think not that he will or may pardon any other way. See the suffering, son of God, panting, groaning, sweating blood. Brethren, this had never been, had not God detested sin. Be his mercy therefore sought in the way he has taught. there is clemency as such we can never trust too much amen and then these last two lines he that better knows than we God himself bids us now to Jesus flee humbly take him at his word and your souls will bless the Lord father we pray may we find refuge in Jesus for we have none else make it so that we want none else and that we need none else. Oh, thank you for pointing us to your son. Lord, may we hear your word today. May we heed it by fleeing to Jesus for refuge for our souls and for rest for our souls. And then may we go out and extend that grace to others, Lord, that they may be saved too.