The Bible is a book
of REALITY and PRACTICALITY/ The Bible gives real life SOLUTIONS to daily
problems & Dilemmas
A)In
our text today we see a clear case of God's Word addressing the reality of Old Testament
life
B)Here we see God addressing
an established cultural practice of that
time
1) NOTE: God did NOT necessarily CONDONE those practices BUT He sought to
CONTROL them
C) God did NOT create those practices- But He sought
to REGULATE those practices
1) Practices that were woven
into the FABRIC of the CULTURE of that day
EX:
One of the practices that were woven into the culture of that day was POLYGAMY
- The practice of having more than one wife
A)Why a man would want this
I have no idea – Most of us have a hard enough time keeping happy one wife –
Why want several
B) But it was a common
practice in those days / Now God did NOT create that practice nor did He
condone it
1) But in the OT Law, God
sought to REGULATE it & CONTROL it !!!
C) Another such practice was slavery- Now God did NOT create
that institution nor did He condone it
1) But in the Old Testament Law, God
sought to REGULATE it
Now Later on, AS the Bible unfolds & GREATER
illumination is given from God to His People
A)As There is a greater revelation of the heart and mind of God,
there is an adjustment, and correction of these practices
B) As revelation increased
there is an increase in responsibility
As understanding was given, so was accountability
A)EXAMPLE: When Amanda our Youngest was Potty Training- [THAT it is always a Happy time for a Parent – No more
Pampers ]
B) Public place – Daddy I’ve got to go Potty – Excited &
people especially ones who haven’t had kids – look at you like your weird
1)
But
it doesn’t matter – This is an important time
C) But when a Child is Potty
training – there are those times when they Mess up – they forget - you expect a few accidents
1)
And
Amanda had her moments of BAKCSLIDING
like any kids does – You expect that as a parent when their 2 or 3
D) But if they are still
having accidents & moments of Backsliding
like that when they are 23 – Problem
1) Older they get the more
that we Expect – God as a Parent is no different
E) He deals with us in a
certain way at a certain time- He increases our understanding as we move into
greater maturity
3 The
Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful
for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"
A)See that was the custom –
Man could divorce his wife for any reason/ older /
not as pretty / lousy meal
B) So they asked that
question & Jesus answered – No but Accept for SEXUAL
IMMORALITY it is not lawful for a man to divorce his wife
C)
But they argued Why then did Moses command to give a
certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" 8 He said to them,
"Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce
your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
D) Jesus is pointing out that the REGULATION was given
because of the SITUATION of that day-
to deal w/ the custom
1) But later Jesus came on the
scene/ He gave AMPLIFICATION & Understanding
to that Custom -Now there is more RESPONSIBILITY
E) You can NOT divorce your wife for burning the toast{ Only Sexual immorality.
Now I say all of this to help you understand as you read the
OT & study the laws to be on the look out & perceptive of the culture of that day
A)To understand that God was
dealing w/ his people in a certain manner at a certain time – when they didn’t
have the whole Bible
B) But as time went on &
the Scriptures were penned God would be unfolding to his people greater REVELATION & UNDERSTANDING
1) And w/ that Greater REVELATION comes Greater RESPONSIBILITY as they matured & Progressed in their relationship w/ Him
Now We have in our text this morning a situation which God
did NOT CREATE, but rather He is seeking to REGULATE
A) That practice is the AVENGING OF BLOOD - A practice that is still
a large part of the Middle Eastern culture today
B) WHAT is the avenging of blood? It is a matter of family honor!!!
1) During that time families
ties were strong - & Family Honor was really really Important !!!!
C) SO IF a member of your
family was killed intentionally or accidentally
1) THEN it was your
responsibility to find the killer and kill him
E) Because IF you did NOT
avenge the blood... THEN you brought great disgrace upon your family
1)Even if it was an accident
and the killer was a close friend/ Neighbor
You were Held responsible to find him & kill him or family was disgraced
Now this custom
was so woven into the Fabric of the Culture that God recognized the situation & sought a Practical
Solution for it
A)He sought to bring REGULATION by establishing these CITIES OF REFUGE
- There
were SIX of these cities of refuge
B) These 6 cities were from the 48 appointed
Levitical cities { Look at Wed
1) A man who was guilty of
manslaughter could run to one of these cities
and be safe from the avenger of blood
C) EXAMPLE: Hunting accident You & a Friend see a Buck – separate
1) You fire your arrow into
a bush and you have shot your friend
D) TWO Reactions You would be CRUSHED: But then you would be TERRORIZED
1) Because you KNOW that his
brother is going to come after you
E) SO - You run as HARD and
as FAST as you can for the nearest city of refuge
NOTE: These cities of refuge were ACCESSIBLE
A)They were located in such
a way that they could be reached in a days journey from ANYWHERE in Israel....
B) Every 3 miles there was a
sign pointing the way and the word REFUGE
IF you made it to the city,
THEN you were safe
C) Once a year the Rabbis
went down the roads that led to these cities & made sure that they were at
least 48 inches wide at their narrowest point
1) All rocks and stumps were
removed to prevent an individual from tripping and being caught
D) Now according to v.25 You would have to stay within the
city boundaries until the death of the high priest
1) That could be 5 months/
or 50 years/Then & only then could you go home
A)There was only ONE thing
that would disqualify you from obtaining refuge- That was premeditated murder
B) If that was the case THEN
the city would NOT offer you refuge
1) You would be taken out of
the city/ You would stand trial
If you were found guilty, then you would be slain
A)There
is a powerful picture of a person- Jesus Christ is our city of refuge- It is to HIM that we run
1) See God made this PRACTICAL PROVISION for the OT believers so that we
might have a PRESENT UNDERSTANDING of Jesus
WHY must we run to Jesus?
A)There are those who might
say: "I'm NOT a murderer"
Why would I need a REFUGE? Why do I
need to RUN to Jesus?
B)
NOTE: Jesus said: Matt.
5:21-22 21“You have heard
that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone. Anyone
who murders another will be judged.’ 22But I tell you, if you are
angry with a brother or sister, w/out CAUSE you will be judged. [ Idea is Judged as a murderer ] If you say bad things to a brother or sister, you will be
judged by the council. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of
the fire of hell.
C) Will any of you dare to
say: "I have NEVER been angry at someone"?
1) That places us all into
the category of manslayer
D) We are a congregation of
murderers
Now Some might say: "Well, maybe I'm guilty....... BUT, there
is no avenger of blood that's after me"
A)Listen: You are being
pursued- You are being pursued by your CONSCIENCE
- It runs hard after you
B) At night when you put your head on your pillow & you are reminded of your sins
1)
Psychologist
– state that the #1 Problem patience deal w/ is Guilt
News: We feel guilty because we are guility!!!!
C) Now it is not just your
Conscience that Pursues you – But The
LAW of God pursues you
1) It pronounces you guilty & pronounces the sentence of death upon
you
James
2:10 For
whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of
all.
D)
SO no matter how you try to slice it – we are Guilty !!!!!
So We ALL need to flee to Jesus for Refuge in order to
Escape the Guilt of our Conscience & escape the penalty of death pronounced
by the law/
A)Note a Few things concerning Jesus being OUR CITY OF REFUGE,
B)1st Note the JESUS OUR CITY OF
REFUGE is accessible
B) Even as these cities were located to be accessible from ANY POINT in Israel, so Jesus Christ is ACCESSIBLE to ANYONE
1) He is accessible to
YOU..... Today
C)
In ROM 10, Paul says: We do NOT have
to ascend into heaven to bring Christ down Nor do We do NOT have to descend
into hell to bring Christ up
8 But what does
it say? "The word OF FAITH is near you, in your mouth and in your
heart" 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For
with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation.
A)Salvation is in your mouth- DON'T say that you have
to ASCEND into heaven "I have to go into deep contemplation and
meditation"
"I
must transcend the physical limitations and attain to that perfect inner
knowledge through fasting and chanting and thus break through into that place of perfect knowledge and peace that
I have worked so hard to attain"
B) That mentality GARBAGE -
It is NOT a matter of trying to ASCEND into heaven to bring Christ down
C) THAT is the lie of the
New Age movement- That plays perfectly upon the PRIDE of man who will not
humble himself to admit that He is a
sinner
1)
for
whom God CAME down to in order to do for him what he could NEVER do for himself
D) Don’t have to ascend into
Heaven
A)That attitude that says "I'm going to do penance for all of my sins"
"I'll live the life of an ascetic....
inflict discomfort upon myself to atone for
my sins"
B)EXAMPLE: To this day, every year before Easter, there are men in
the Philippines who have themselves nailed to a cross... hoping that by
descending into the hell of self punishment that they will be saved
C) None of that is Necessary
You simply need to CALL UPON the Name of the Lord from a sincere heart and you SHALL BE SAVED
1) He is ACCESSIBLE
2nd
thing to NOTE: There are signs all along the way that point us to OUR CITY OF
REFUGE { Turn to Matt 12:38
Matt 12:38-40 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying,
"Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and
said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and
no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as
Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will
the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
A)NO Guru or Philosopher or Religious
leader has ever conquered death
John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
1) That is the sign that points to Jesus as our REFUGE / His REZ /
C) THAT is why we are told Acts
4:12 Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.
D) There is ONLY ONE way-
The signs POINT only to ONE REFUGE
A)You accidentally killed
your friend- You ran as fast and as hard as you could - BUT - You did NOT
respond to the signs
B) You were SINCERELY wanting refuge/ You were ENERGETIC in your attempted escape
1) You arrive at A city...
BUT - Not one of the appointed cities
You fall on the ground exhausted thinking: "I'm safe"
C) But then the avenger of blood grabs you and says: "You're dead"
1) "DEAD!! No way I'm
in the city "NO - You're in A city... But not the city"
D)
"But I was sincere you say - "Sorry - You are sincerely WRONG... and
now you're dead"
1) You did NOT go to the
APPOINTED place of refuge"
There are those today who say: "You can believe anything
as long as you're sincere"
A)"As long as YOU
believe what you think is right, you're fine"
B) Listen There is NOT a
choice / God has APPOINTED for us a CITY OF REFUGE.... It is Jesus
1)Now There are those who
moan: "How NARROW... How RESTRICTING"
C) It is NOT RESTRICTING... It is LOVING
-God knows that we are basically dumb All
we like sheep have gone astray
D) Knowing our SIMPLICITY,
God says: "I will NOT make this confusing...... I'll make it easy for
you...there is only ONE WAY
1)
He
doesn’t give us 7 ways – because the devil will come back w/ 77 ways to get you
all mixed up & messed up
E) Not 10 ways or 3 Ways God
says clearly there is ONE WAY - Can you handle that?
1) Read the SIGNS... FLEE to
the city that is our refuge
We read in Verses 20-22 of Num 35 that There
was ONE exception to the City of Refuge Premeditated
murder
A) 3rd Note There
is ONE EXCEPTION where Jesus Christ can NOT and will NOT be YOUR City of Refuge
Matt
12:31-32 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone
who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever
speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age
or in the age to come.
B) When a man stands before God in
Christ, he ultimately will answer
only for ONE sin
1)
The
sin of REJECTING the City of Refuge
C) That is what the Blasphemy
of the HS is about – The Sin of Rejecting Christ !!!!
D) It is the work of the
Holy Spirit to bring you to Jesus
John 16:8-11 And when he is
come, he will CONVICT the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment: Of sin, because they believe
not on me;
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father,
and ye see me no more;
Of judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged.
The Work of the
HS in the world is to Convict men that they are sinners & that they need a
Savior – Gives them a Sense of Guilt
A)So the HS convicts men of the sin of not believing
in Jesus
B) OF righteousness
– because the standard of righteousness
that is needed to stand before God is
Are YOU as perfect as Jesus
D) But If you REJECT the work of the Spirit in
your life concerning belief in Jesus... concerning the standard of
righteousness required by God....
1) concerning the triumph of
Jesus over the powers that seek to enslave you
E) Then you will be Judged –
That is the Blasphemy of the HS – to refuse HIS Work in your life to bring you
to Christ
1) If you refuse to flee to
Jesus, there is NOTHING that can cleanse you sin
F) Then you are like the
willful murderer in Numbers 35 You have then committed the UNPARDONABLE sin
1) There is NO place of
refuge for you
TURN BACK TO NUM 35
Now There is one last and VERY CRUCIAL observation to
make here Rd v. 26 –28 again
26 But if the
manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he
fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of
refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of
blood, 28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death
of the high priest.
A)SO If someone said: "I'm
bored here in this City of Refuge
I miss my friends... I miss my old life...
I'm out of here"
B) SO they leave the place
of REFUGE & the avenger of blood finds them
and slays them, the avenger of
blood is NOT guilty
C) Because it was THEIR
RESPONSIBILITY to stay in the City of Refuge
1) If you leave the City.... You are vulnerable to destruction
D) So The
GUILTY person must not only flee TO the City of Refuge to be safe-
He must ABIDE
IN the City of
Refuge in order to be safe
The Same is true for us – we are called to ABIDE IN JESUS OUR CITY
OF REFUGE
A)Theologians
can argue over terms such as "Once saved always saved" or
"Eternal Security" or "perseverance of the saints"
B) BUT - The ULTIMATE place
of security is ABIDING
C) Can’t lose your salvation – But you can leave it
/ Jesus won’t lose you – no one can snatch you out of His hands / But You can
leave Him
1)
Given
a Choice to follow Him for Salvation –
You have that same Choice after Salvation –
D) But why would someone who
truly received Christ – leave Him? Good question – I don’t understand – but the
Bible makes reference to it happening
1) 2 Tim 4:10 Demas departed from the faith having loved this present
world
There is
security when we are Abiding in Jesus our City of Refuge
John 15:5-6 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who
abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do
nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is
withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are
burned.
A) Now Jesus is NOT speaking
theoretically or metaphorically
IF you do NOT abide in Jesus, THEN you are cut off
B) Now is the fire to which
they are burned – speaking of Judgment
1) Is it the fires of Hell
? I won’t be dogmatic – but I don’t
want to find out
Heb
10:26-28: 26 For if we sin willfully
[ In Context of the Book of Heb this clearly talking about leaving JESUS the
place of Refuge- that is the willful sin in mention here ] So if we sin willfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a
certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will
devour the adversaries.
C) There is a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery
indignation which will devour the adversaries.
1)
That
doesn’t sound to pleasant to me !!!!!
LISTEN The debate
Concerning Eternal Security has raged for centuries in the Church
A)It has been discussed in
thousands of volumes by the greatest theologians and the most Godly OF MEN on
both sides of this issue
B) Do you know why the
debate still rages? Because there are Scriptures that point to both
C) Which is why I believe this to be absolutely true: I am ETERNALLY SECURE as
long as I am secure in the eternal one
1) My assurance that I
belong to Him is found in that place of abiding in Him and bearing fruit
Gal
5:19-23 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21
envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you
beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
You can NOT have a SAVING
relationship with Jesus, OUR CITY OF REFUGE, & still habitually PRACTICE the deeds of the
flesh
A)The mark of a person
really abiding in the Lord is their life is going to produce fruit
B) Have you fled to Jesus for refuge? Then abide there & as you do your life will bear
fruit that is pleasing to the Lord!!
C) If you have NOT... Then do NOT waste a moment for the Law
will slay you if you do not reach the city