Run to the City of Refuge

Joshua 20 begins with the Lord speaking to Joshua, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spoke unto you by the hand of Moses, that the slayer who kills any person unaware or unwittingly may flee there, and they shall be for refuge from the avenger of blood.'"

When he who flees unto one of those cities stands at the entering of the gate of the city and declares his cause in the ears of the elders of the city, they shall take him in unto them and give him a place that he may dwell among them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver him into the slayer's hand, because he smote his neighbor unwittingly and hated him not before time. He shall dwell in the city until he stands before the congregation for judgment and until the death of the high priest who shall be in those days. Then the slayer shall return and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, and unto the city from whence he fled.

They appointed Kadesh in Galilee, in the mount of Naphtali; Shechem in the mount of Ephraim; and Kirjeth Arba, which is Hebron in the mountain of Judah. On the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness, upon the plain, out of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, out of the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, out of the tribe of Gad. The slayer shall return and come unto his own city and unto his own house, out of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities appointed for the children of Israel and for the stranger that sojourns among them, that whosoever kills any person unaware might flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.

Let's pray. Father, as we look into Your Word tonight and take time to examine this chapter, I pray that You would speak to every heart here. Help us to see the application from the scriptures and the things that are set before us, Lord, as we glean and gather from Your Word. God, I ask that You would be here in our midst. We know that You are; You've promised You would be. Lord, speak to us. Speak to me, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You can be seated.

In the 20th chapter of the book of Joshua, we have before us the establishment of an interesting provision that was set forth in the law.

Something that sometimes could easily be passed over is found in the law in Exodus. When the children of Israel had come out of Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land, they entered the wilderness and arrived at Mount Sinai. You know the story: Moses went up on the mountain and was gone for 40 days and 40 nights, receiving the word from the Lord. God was speaking to him there and giving him the law. After 40 days and 40 nights, Moses came down the mountain with the law of God and spoke it to the children of Israel.

At this point, the children of Israel had already broken the law. When Joshua and Moses came down the mountain, they found the children of Israel dancing around a golden calf. Moses took the tablets with the written law of God on them and cast them down, breaking them. This symbolically spoke to the children of Israel that they had already broken God's law. Just 40 days before that moment, the children of Israel had told God and Moses, "All that the Lord has said we will do." They repeated this three times. Yet, it wasn't long—just 40 short days—before they were dancing around a golden calf and turning away from the law of God.

As Moses began to read to them the law, the Ten Commandments, which most of you have probably heard at some point, it became clear that our nation is trying to break the law of God. More and more, efforts are being made to remove it. Many courts have taken the Ten Commandments out, and just in the last couple of months, there was a court in Missouri that was told to remove the Ten Commandments from the wall. We see that the world we live in is trying to eliminate God's law. However, no matter what they do, they will never be able to take it away. His word is eternal.

In Exodus chapter 21, right after Moses reads the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, he states in verse 12, "If you transgress the law of God, the law that says, 'Thou shalt not murder,' then that man or that woman who murders shall surely be put to death." In the very next verse, God spoke through Moses to the children of Israel and to us today, saying, "If a man lie not in wait, but God delivers him into his hand, then I will appoint thee a place."

Whither he shall flee. God speaks to the children of Israel and says, "If perhaps you kill someone unwittingly, if you don't mean to do it, but it happens by accident—suppose something that you're not trying to do, it's not premeditated—but in the work and in all the different things that are going on, someone dies." The Lord says, "If that happens, I'm going to appoint a place for that person to flee to."

Why? Well, because during this time, culturally speaking, if you killed someone, then there would be someone from their family, the next of kin, who would come after you—the avenger of blood. He would come and take your life because you had taken the life of someone in their family. The rabbis say that if you kill one man, you kill the world. Sometimes we might wonder what exactly that means. What they're saying is that in killing one person, you're going to kill the next of kin. God says that if that happens, you're killing every single generation of descendants that that person would have after them. It was a great transgression of the law: "Thou shalt not murder."

The first murder we know of is back in Genesis chapter 4, when Cain's countenance had fallen because the Lord looked upon the sacrifice of his younger brother Abel in a better way. Cain's countenance fell, and the Lord said to him, "Why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, know that sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you shall rule over it."

God tells Cain that he may have a desire for retribution and may want to injure his brother, but he needs to control that sinful desire. He needs to rule over it, or it will rule over him. But we know the story: Cain went out, and while he was in the field, he rose up against his brother Abel and killed him—the very first murder.

Then we see in Scripture that Lamech, one of the descendants of Cain, killed two men. Later on in Scripture, we hear about Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter before the Lord. As you start to look at his name and study about this guy, Nimrod, he was really a murderer. It was given as a law in Genesis chapter 9, after Noah came off the ark, that God told him that if any man kills or takes blood out of a man, killing that man, then his blood shall be shed as well.

God's command, God's law from the very beginning, was this law of capital punishment. As the children of Israel came about and they were there in Exodus chapter 20, God actually has...

It is written down that if you murder or kill, there is a capital punishment. However, God also provides a provision. He states that if it is by accident, if it happens unwittingly and unaware, then that person is to flee. They are to run away from the avenger of blood, the next of kin who would come and track them down to kill them. God says, "I am going to appoint a place for you that if that happens, you can flee to."

Moving on into the Book of Numbers, specifically in Numbers chapter 35, verse 6, the Lord reiterates this. He says that among all the cities which you shall give to the Levites, the priestly tribe, there shall be six cities designated as cities of refuge. These cities are for the manslayer, so that he may flee there. Additionally, you shall add 42 cities.

The Lord continues in Numbers chapter 35, verse 10, instructing the children of Israel to appoint cities of refuge when they come over the Jordan into the land of Canaan. He emphasizes that these cities are for the slayer who kills any person unwittingly, providing refuge from the avenger of blood. The manslayer shall not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

These six cities shall be a refuge for your children, for the children of Israel, and for the stranger and the sojourner among them. Everyone who kills a person unwittingly may flee there. Several times, we read in Numbers chapter 35 that these were to be cities of refuge, a place where these individuals could go—a high tower, literally a place where they could escape from the one who was avenging their blood.

The blood of someone that was shed is significant, especially if it wasn't premeditated. In Deuteronomy chapter 4 and Deuteronomy chapter 19, God, speaking through Moses, tells the children of Israel that when they come into the Promised Land, they are to have cities of refuge. Moses commanded that it would be so, and now Joshua sets it in order. He appoints these six cities in the 20th chapter of Joshua.

In Scripture, out of all the thousands of verses—there are over 30,000 verses in the Bible—only about less than 50 mention this city of refuge concept. However, it was very important. It was something that God was establishing for a purpose. A lot of times, when we read through small portions of Scripture, it can be easy to skip over them and not look deeply into what is being said and what the Lord wants to communicate to us.

I have been telling you for months, and even Pastor Pat touched on it last week in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 11, that all of these things were written for our admonition and instruction. As we have done for months, and as Pat has done for years in teaching through the Bible, we seek to look for application and try to find what the Lord wants to speak to us.

As I considered this portion of Scripture this past week, it came to my mind that as the children of Israel would have heard this from Moses, and as Joshua appointed these cities of refuge, they might have thought, "Well, this doesn't really concern me. It doesn't apply to me." As I reflected on the applications in this text, I wondered if it truly concerned us or applied to us. The children of Israel, hearing this, might have thought, "How does this affect me in any way? You're going to set up these six cities for someone who accidentally kills another person. Okay, but it doesn't concern me."

They could have had that mindset, and there were probably many in Israel during the time when Joshua was setting up these cities who felt the same way.

Six cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kadesh, Hebron, Shechem, and others. These cities were all located on hilltops, which made them desirable places for settlement. Being on a hilltop allowed for visibility, enabling inhabitants to see if any advancing enemies were approaching.

As one of the children of Israel, you might wonder why such nice portions of land were allocated for these cities of refuge. It may seem that they would not be used very much and that they do not concern you. However, great care was taken when Joshua established these cities. They were strategically placed throughout the nation of Israel, with three on one side of the Jordan River and three on the other. This arrangement ensured that anyone in the nation could reach a city of refuge within a day's journey if needed.

The roads leading to these cities were also well-maintained. Matthew Henry's commentary notes that great care was taken to keep these roads clean, and signs were placed along them, prominently displaying the word "Refuge" in large letters. This way, anyone in need would know the direction to the city of refuge.

It might seem like a stipulation that would never be utilized, something that does not apply to you. Interestingly, as we continue to read the Old Testament, we do not see anyone actually using these cities of refuge. In fact, nowhere in the Bible do we find an account of someone running to a city of refuge. This does not mean they were never used; it simply means their use was not recorded.

We can look through the scriptures and ask, "Why did God go to such lengths to establish these cities? What is the purpose?" It may not make immediate sense. The children of Israel, as they traveled to Shiloh to worship the Lord at the tabernacle, might pass by Hebron and admire its beauty, questioning why such a great piece of land was set aside for cities of refuge.

Even today, some 4,000 years later, we might still ponder these questions.

Well, it doesn't really concern me. How does this affect me in any way? How does this apply to me? You'd almost be right—until that day when you stand and gaze into the eyes of a lifeless body, and the running of your heart tells you that something terribly awful has happened and you just might be to blame. The only thing that goes through your head at that point in time are the words of Moses: appoint cities of refuge for the manslayer who kills someone unwittingly and unaware. All you can think of is one little small word: Run. Run. Run. Get to that city of refuge now.

But, of course, as we read the scripture, it never happened. So, what does it mean to you and to me? It never did happen until 2,000 years ago when an innocent man was brutally beaten and killed on another hilltop in another city called Jerusalem, the city of peace. Until that time, these cities of refuge didn't seem to be used. Then, on that day 2,000 years ago, a seventh city of refuge was established.

This seventh city of refuge, from that day forward and every day since, has grown in population exponentially. Men and women throughout the ages have come to the realization that they have killed someone unwittingly and unaware. They didn't realize what they were doing; they had no clue that it was them, but they are the ones. For the last 2,000 years, I would say probably every single day, people throughout the world have come to that realization: I am the one.

Why would God make a provision for you, for me? That's why. Throughout the Old Testament, these six cities, these great plots of land, were never used. But then one day, 2,000 years ago, the seventh city of refuge—the number of perfection—was established.

The number of completion, its gates, its doors were opened because we killed somebody. I believe that no one can be saved until they come to the realization that they have killed Christ. Then that still small voice of the Spirit begins to speak to them.

The next of kin, the Father, God, has His wrath abiding on all those who are ungodly. The only way for a person to escape that coming judgment is to flee, to run to that city of refuge, that seventh city of refuge there at the cross, that city of refuge called Christ. When we begin to understand and grasp the seriousness of our crime—that we have killed Christ—we start to see things differently.

Throughout the ages, the Jewish people have been completely and severely persecuted because they are labeled as Christ killers. That's what the Nazi Germans said, and many others before and after them have said that. However, they are not the ones who killed Christ. He was killed on a Roman cross, but the Romans aren't the ones who killed Him. I am the one, and you are the one. Every single human who has ever been born or ever will live has contributed to His death. Our sin has killed Him, unwittingly perhaps. Maybe we didn't realize it; maybe we didn't know what we were doing when we were walking in ungodliness. Yet, those things that I did, those things that I've said, and those things that I've thought crucified Christ.

When I realize and grasp the seriousness of that crime, I understand that there is one—He is the Father, He is the next of kin—and His Spirit is pursuing after me, convicting me of sin, of righteousness, and of coming judgment. All I can think of is to run. Run to refuge. To Christ.

Then the words of Paul in Romans chapter 8, verse 1 make more sense to me when I read, "For there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." You see, when I begin to understand that He is the refuge, that He is the only one I can be in to be away from the coming wrath of God, everything changes.

Those words make a whole lot more sense. There is no condemnation, there is no judgment, and there is no wrath for those who are in Christ Jesus, who have run to that seventh city of refuge. They have heard, "I'm a sinner; I'm the one who has killed Christ." Apart from going into that city and staying in Christ, I am under God's wrath. His wrath abides on me. The book of Romans says that those who are not in Christ, those who are not following the Lord, are storing up wrath for the day of wrath. They have killed Christ, and I have killed Christ too.

It doesn't mean that now, as a Christian, I didn't do it. No, it means that, yes, I have done it, but now I'm covered; I'm in the city, I'm in Christ, and there's no condemnation. I don't even want to begin to think about what would happen if I leave that. But why even consider that?

It's interesting to me that back in verse 4 of Joshua, when the person, the manslayer, sees and comes to the city gate, it says there that he is to declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. What is that? That's confession. They come to the city gates of that city of refuge and say, "I've killed a man, and this is what has happened." We too need to come to the cross of Christ and realize that I have killed the man.

The Apostle Peter, in Acts chapter 2, when he preached that great sermon, said, "The Christ has come, and you crucified him." They were cut to the heart and asked, "What must we do to be saved?" He replied, "Repent and be baptized." We too need to come to that place where we're cut to the heart and realize, "I've crucified him; I've killed him. What must I do to be saved?" You need to repent and come into that city of refuge, into Christ. Be baptized in Him and stay there.

Also interesting back in Joshua is that it says that the person was to stay in that city of refuge. Then they would stand before the congregation for judgment. They would go before the congregation of Israel, and the case would be heard. If that person killed the other person with premeditation, then they would be killed; they would be stoned, taken outside of the city walls and stoned.

But if it was found that they did it unwittingly, unknowingly, or unaware, then they were to stay in the city. They were to remain in that city of refuge until, as it says in verse 6 of Joshua chapter 21, until the high priest of those days shall die. They were to stay there. For some reason, there was a release of the captives when the high priest of that time would die.

The person who committed this crime unwittingly, who had killed someone, would run to the city of refuge. They would go to the elders and confess, saying, "This is what I've done." The elders would respond, "Come in." If the avenger of blood showed up and said, "Hey, that guy killed my brother," the elders would reply, "You can't have him. He needs to be tried before the congregational leaders first." If he was found to have acted with premeditation, then the avenger could take him away and stone him. But if not, he would remain in the city of refuge. If the high priest died some years later, that person would be released. They would be able to return to their home, back to their city, and dwell in safety.

Be that as it may, they still had to run to the city of refuge. They had to hide in that place, that strong tower. In the New Testament, the word "refuge" is only seen once. Turn, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 6. Only once in all the verses of the New Testament is this word "refuge" mentioned.

The writer of Hebrews, whose identity we do not know, is speaking to Christians of Hebrew origin, who are Jewish in their history. They would know about the city of refuge and these words. In Hebrews chapter 6, verse 18, the writer states, "We all should die because of our sin."

We've killed Christ, and yet we are to flee for refuge and lay hold upon this hope that was set before us. In verse 20, in the second half, it tells us what that hope is: Jesus made a high priest forever. Who do we flee to for refuge when we realize that we have killed Him unwittingly and unaware? We flee to Christ, that hope where we can find refuge—Jesus, the one who has made a high priest forever.

You know what that means to me? It means that Jesus has made a high priest forever, which signifies that He is never going to die, and I have no loophole to leave Him. Remember, God's word was that when the high priest dies, then they can go free from that city of refuge. It is God's desire that we never go out, that we never leave.

If that person, that manslayer who was in the city of refuge, decided that he was going to go out and gather whatever, he could be caught and put to death by the avenger of blood. We have this hope, our refuge, that we are to flee to—the high priest forever, Jesus Christ, Jesus the righteous, the same one that we crucified.

You might be able to sit here tonight and say, "The Bible says, thou shalt not commit adultery. I haven't committed adultery." The Bible says, "Thou shalt not steal." "I have not stolen." "Thou shalt not covet after your neighbor's wife." "I have not done that." You could go down the list and almost get all the way through, maybe. I doubt it. I can't even get through the first one in the Ten Commandments without saying, "Oh yeah, I've sinned."

But you might be able to get through it until you come to that one that says, "Thou shalt not murder." Because unwittingly and unaware, you have killed the Son of God, and so did I. We are guilty, and all we can do is run to Him for refuge. For Scripture says, and I'm sure you've heard the verse before, Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble." Psalm 46:7 says, "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." He is our refuge.

God was preparing His people, the children of Israel, with these cities of refuge.

He was preparing them for the day that His Son would come, so they would know that they need to run to Him. Throughout the Old Testament, we see over and over again that God is our refuge. Again, in Psalm 46, verse 11, it says, "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." In Psalm 62, verse 7, it states, "In God is my salvation, and my glory, and the rock of my strength; my refuge is in God."

Psalm 91, verse 1 tells us, "He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust." In Psalm 91, verse 9, it says, "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee." Lord, because You are my refuge, no evil shall befall me, but only because You are the one that I have run to. You are my high tower, my strength, and everything that I need.

In Psalm 142, verse 5, I cried unto the Lord and said, "Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." How beautiful that is! In the land of the living, the only reason we can stay is because He is our refuge. But this is only true if you have come to the realization that by your sin, you have put to death the Son of God. His Father, God, the Creator, has every right to come and avenge the blood that you shed. He has every right to pursue after you and, in His wrath, condemn you to eternal hell. It is God's right to do so because you killed His Son.

However, it is His choice, His grace, and His mercy that have opened the door for you to come into that city of refuge called Christ. In Proverbs 14, verse 26, we read, "In the fear of the Lord is a strong confidence."

His children shall have a place of refuge. Those who come to God through Christ will find safety and solace. Jesus said to His disciples in John chapter 14, as He was speaking to them, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you." He continues, "The way you know."

Then Thomas stands up and asks, "What way is it, Lord?" Jesus responds, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." As we come to Him, as we approach the cross and stand at the gate of that city of refuge, we confess, "Lord, I'm the one." In that moment, He makes a way for us to enter, to receive the adoption as sons and daughters of God. Now, being made children of God and heirs with Christ, we have that place of refuge, that place of strength.

However, we won't come to that realization until we understand what our crime is and what the punishment should be. I believe there are people in the world who know that they've sinned and that they've messed up. They even believe that there's a city of refuge. I've met many people who can tell me, "Yeah, I believe all that stuff. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He's the refuge." Yet, they are off doing their own thing in the world, sinning.

Let me tell you something: you can't sin in the city of refuge. Every single time you go off to sin, you step outside the gates. Maybe you just look around for a little while and think, "Yeah, that's kind of nice." Earlier in Hebrews chapter 6, it describes someone who has tasted of the heavenly gift, who became a partaker of the good word of God and the things of the ages to come, but they have gone, they have left, they have fallen away.

The Bible states in Hebrews chapter 6, around verse 6, that they crucify again the Lord Jesus Christ and put Him to open shame. They look at that and say, "Yeah, I don't care," and they go their own way. The Bible also says in Hebrews chapter 6 that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. Now, I don't know...

I'm just going to put this out for you. I don't know if you can lose your salvation, and I'm not one to point fingers and say that person lost their salvation. That's not my place. But I will say this: there's a warning in Scripture, and we better take heed and stay there in Christ. As long as I'm in Him, abiding in Him, I'm fine. But if I go outside those gates, I don't know. It's God who knows; He'll be the judge.

There is a warning in Scripture. All I can tell you tonight is this: I killed Christ. I've realized it, and I've run to Him, confessed it, and received forgiveness. I've been ushered into the refuge that's in Christ. I pray that every single one of you in this room has too. But if you haven't, know for sure that the Holy Spirit is pursuing you tonight. He is pursuing you so that you would realize your sin and run to the Lord, coming into refuge.

If you don't, well, read the book of Revelation and see the wrath that has been set apart for those who refuse. The slayer is me; the slain is Jesus. The avenger of blood is God the Father, and His pursuer is the Holy Spirit. The city of refuge is Christ. As long as I'm there, and as long as I'm in Him, He is my strength, my strong tower. No one can come against me.

But until we run to the safety that is in Christ, we are sons of disobedience, and there's wrath that has been kindled, set apart for those who refuse. What should that do? Should that scare us? Maybe a little, but if anything, it should cause us to realize that our family members, our friends, our co-workers who don't know Christ have killed Christ, and they're still outside the city of refuge.

That realization should cause us, when we understand that the wrath of God has been prepared and kindled for those who are ungodly and who refuse to give their lives completely over to the Lord, to be on our faces before the Lord in prayer for our family members, friends, and co-workers who don't know God. We should seek the Lord for any opportunity.

That we might be able to speak to them and tell them of the grace that is found in Christ. Because the wrath of God abides upon them. Someone in this room, maybe tonight, the wrath of God abides on you. You know that you're a sinner and you've messed up, but you're refusing to yield your life to the Lord and you're refusing to come to that gate.

I exhort you tonight, not I, but the Lord. You're storing up wrath for the day of wrath. You're storing up wrath until you come into the city of refuge and you run to Jesus. Those of you tonight who have done that, praise be to God. It should cause us so much to cry out to Him in worship and thank Him for what He's done.

Then, we should be on our faces again and pray for those who haven't. Seek every opportunity to share with them the light of God, the light of life that they need. If you go and tell a person, if you tonight go and tell someone that there's a city of refuge, there's this great city of refuge—it's Jesus—and if you come to Him, you'll be saved. You'll be safe.

If you tell them that and you don't tell them that they've sinned and they're a criminal before God, you do them no service. Just like the Jews for many years who walked by that, they said, "Why is that plot of land, that nice plot of land, given to this thing? Why?"

There are many people in the church, I believe, today who know there's a city of refuge. They can give you chapter and verse about who that refuge is, but they haven't been convicted of their sin. They haven't yielded their life to the Lord. They know all about it, but they haven't given all that they have to Him.

It's a dangerous place for us to be in, just to tell people about the blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, and not tell them why they need a Savior. It's very dangerous. Many people in America, I believe, are in that place. Maybe some of you tonight have been going here for a long time and you know that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.

But you haven't come to that place where you're poor in spirit, where Jesus talks about there in Matthew chapter 5, where He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." Until we come to that place, we must reflect on our need for Him.

Until I come to that place of realizing I am absolutely poor in spirit, I have killed the Lord by my sin. My righteousness is as nothing, as its filthy rags, and the kingdom of heaven is not mine. I can't lay hold of that.

But when you come to that place where you realize that you're poor in spirit and you have nothing to offer God, then you begin to mourn over it. By God's power, by God's grace, by His Spirit, He is able to instill in us a meekness. We begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Lord, save me. And you know what? God always answers that call. He always does. When a repentant heart bows before the Lord and says, "I confess I'm a sinner, Father," the Lord always reaches down. He'll take that person up.

However, I don't believe that anybody can savingly receive Christ until they've come to that place where they realize, "I am the man," just like David. Maybe tonight the Lord is using me as a Nathan to say this is what has been done. We can cry out and say, "I am the one." Then the Lord says, "Run to me," and He is right there, desiring to bring you in.

Many of you tonight, I believe, have already come in. Some of you tonight have waited. And there in your seat tonight, I don't need to lead you in a prayer. I don't need to make you raise your hand or come forward. You know. The Spirit of God is speaking to you right now, convicting you of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

What do you need to do? Confess to the elders of that city that you have killed a man unwittingly and unaware. You need to come into that refuge that's in Christ. He, by His Spirit, will make you a new creation. His Spirit will bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God, and you'll know.

Let's pray. God, I thank You for Your Word, for these obscure passages that sometimes we do skip over, that have great application for us. God, I thank You for making the way open.

That we can come to You, be found in You, and be baptized by You. Lord, You've set us apart, and You desire to use us as bright lights to this world, to shine that glorious, good Gospel to those around us—our friends, our family, our coworkers, our schoolmates, whoever it may be, Father.

So, Lord, I thank You for making the way open to us. As we are now a part of You in that city set on a hill, in that city of refuge, Lord, help us to shine brightly to those around us. Never hide it.

For those tonight who are in that place of just kind of running, I pray that You would speak to them by Your Spirit right now and draw them into that place of laying their life down before You. I know that You're doing that work even now. I thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand.

Find rest in God alone, for my hope comes from Him alone. Find rest, O my soul. Find rest in God alone, for my hope comes from Him alone. For He alone is my rock and my mighty fortress; I shall not be moved. He alone is my salvation, my God, a refuge. Find rest, O my soul.

Find rest in God alone. For my hope comes from Him alone. Find rest, O my soul. For my hope comes from Him alone. For He alone is my rock and my mighty fortress; I shall not be moved. He alone is my salvation, my God, a refuge. For He alone is my rock and my mighty fortress; I shall not be moved. You alone are my rock.