Finding Home in the Cities of Refuge

Welcome to followed by mercy with Austin Gardner.

This is where we talk about God's grace and mercy

that meets us and follows us even in our lowest moments

and lifts us to hope again.

No matter what's been broken, here's love still heals.

So let's move from pain to praise together

because surely goodness and mercy does follow me and pursue me

all the days of my life.

I hope you enjoyed what we talked about.

We talked about the cities of refuge

and what a tremendous blessing that is.

Today, I just wanted to kind of sum it up and finish up

where the names of the cities are refuge.

It's so interesting when you study and find out how God uses

the Hebrew language to teach us things that's not as open

and apparent as it might be if you didn't dig into that.

That's what a good commentary I'll do for you

to help you dig in there.

So we looked at the cities.

I would just like to go a little bit deeper.

Name names are never random in the Hebrew language

or they weren't.

They reveal nature, purpose and function.

You know, in Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 1,

a good name is rather to be chosen.

And so they chose the right name to tell what their child

was doing or what they were supposed to.

The name cities and you've read the Bible.

You know that all through the Bible, those names mean something.

It reveals their identity, but it also reveals some truth.

It's not just a label.

So when God named the cities of refuge, I loved this.

I would just study it for the fun of it.

You know how it is.

You've been in the Bible every day of your life just about it

and you're looking and you realize God's not just name in a city

but the geography.

There's a purpose behind it.

It says in Hebrews 6, 18 that we might have a strong consolation

who have fled for refuge.

So now we ask, what kind of refuge?

What does this mean?

So I want to walk through those six cities with you

and just talk about it.

Each of the names are action-based.

In other words, the name says a whole lot more.

But you've learned that.

We've talked about it.

We talked about how Naomi changed her name to Mara.

Mara meaning bitterness.

And Naomi was blessed of God.

And Mara was like cursed of God.

She was sad.

It was the label who she was.

So names describe what something does.

We're not just to study the name of a place.

And the Bible says in Psalm 461, God is our refuge

and strength a very present help and trouble.

God called himself a refuge.

So the cities aren't an end.

They're a promise and they're pointing to him.

Now there are six cities, six cities that were,

that were, they were told to set up in the city

in the country of Israel.

Kiddish was the first one or one of them.

It means set apart or holy the first city.

It's dedicated in John 179.

And for their six, I sanctify myself that they may also be

sanctified through the truth.

So refuge begins with God setting something apart.

Something an effort or divine provision.

In 1 Peter 119, the Bible says,

but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb

without blemish and without spot, Jesus, in other words,

is set apart and perfect and prepared by God.

Refuge begins not with what you do,

but with what God is already set apart.

Now once refuge is established,

everything is going to happen to your burden.

So God set aside Jesus as our refuge,

the place to go, holy and perfect and prepared by God.

The next city is Shechem, shoulder.

It means shoulder like our shoulder are burdened.

It's a place of carrying in Isaiah 53,

4 through 5.

He says, surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows,

but he was wounded for our transgressions.

Shechem is a transfer of burden.

It is what was your burden now becomes his burden.

It's what he said when he said,

come unto me all the labor.

I'll give you rest.

It's what he said, he said,

casting all your care on me because I care for you.

Refuge is where your weight is lifted

and your guilt is carried at Shechem.

What was crushing you?

What was crushing you?

Did you get that?

It's placed on him.

So burdens are lifted at Calvary.

Something happens there.

He takes our burdens to himself.

And next city, there's six of them.

Hang on, it just keeps getting better.

Hebron, union and fellowship.

It's joining together.

It's banding together.

It is 2 Corinthians 5, 18 and 19.

God has reconciled Himself, us to Himself,

back Jesus Christ.

He brought us back together.

It's not isolation.

It's restoration into a relationship.

And all of Christianity is about a relationship.

Never about rules and regulations or what you do.

It's about how we're related to God through Jesus.

John 17, 21, he prayed that they all may be on.

You are not saved from something you're brought into someone.

You're not saved to stand on the outside.

You're brought into union with Jesus Christ.

And so you are brought in.

So you and I are in union with Christ.

And now he's going to keep us.

The next city is Bezzar, B-E-Z-E-R.

Fortress, enclosure, stronghold, protected place.

We have fled for refuge.

We're in a place that can protect us.

John 10, 28 says, and I give unto them eternal life.

And they shall never perish.

Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

We are protected in Jesus.

It is a secure salvation.

It's not fragile.

It's not temporary.

We are circled about.

We're enclosed.

We're surrounded.

We're hailed.

You're not barely saved.

I made it in.

You are surrounded and completely surrounded by him and love.

And then something happens inside of our refuge.

Raimoth, height, exalted.

Raimoth means height, exalted.

Lift it up, exalted.

And he has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Where God is highly exalted in him.

So Jesus is our refuge and he lifts us up above.

Condemnation, above judgment, above our past.

We are in cross and rescued and in the middle of refuge.

We're not where we were.

We are lifted into a new position.

You're not just forgiven.

You're lifted into a new reality.

Next is golem, exiled, home.

It's a wandering, enclosure, transition.

And Ephesians 2, 12 through 13, that at that time you were without Christ.

You were strangers.

But now in Christ, you were sometimes far off or made.

And God is speaking to us.

And God is saying, you may be an outsider.

You may be a stranger.

You may be a far off.

But I brought you in.

And that's where we lost.

Find a place.

The outsider becomes family.

We had no place to go.

But now we are home in Christ.

Because of Christ, we are home.

So if you're looking at these cities,

Ketish means that we were set apart or he was set apart.

And then our burden was carried at Shekham.

And then we were brought into union at Abraham.

And then we were in close and safety at Bessar.

Then we were lifted up at Ramoth.

And we were brought home in Golem.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them or in.

Christ Jesus.

That's not about six cities.

It's about one gospel.

God prepared something, set apart,

where your burdens would be carried,

so you could be brought into union,

enclosed in safety, lifted above your past,

and brought home.

Six cities.

Now here's what is exciting beyond exciting.

Even the stranger could run to the cities of refuge.

Numbers 35, 15.

They shall be a fair refuge and check it out for the stranger.

Not just Israel.

Everyone.

Always accessible.

And never too far away.

Six cities, three on each side of the river.

Everybody can go there.

Wide roads.

Signs at point that way.

God is our refuge and our strength.

That's a message.

And the message is always pointing to a person,

and that person is Jesus.

It is Jesus who carries your burden.

It is Jesus who brings you into union.

It is Jesus who surrounds you.

It is Jesus who lifts you up.

He is Jesus who brings you home.

Jesus.

His name.

Is Jesus.

So as you think about these cities and you look over these cities,

I want you to consider what he's done for us.

What a Savior.

What a God.

And all the way back in the Old Testament,

just as you're reading your Bible,

you're just going through it.

And you're like,

I'm just trying to figure out what's happening here.

You can all of a sudden see pictures that just jump off the page

that you just show you how great God is.

I love Jesus.

I know you do.

And I thank you for taking the time to listen.

And I hope you'll share it.

God bless you.

Thanks for listening to Followed by Mercy with Also Gardener.

If today's message spoke to your heart,

share it with someone who needs to know

God hasn't given up on them.

Remember, your pain isn't the end of your story.

In Jesus, it can become praise.

Thank you.