Teaching Series

Numbers 35:6
Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. ‭‭‭‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Joshua‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.”‭‭

1. Kadesh: holy or righteousness

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Christ is a refuge for all who have sinned.

2. Hebron: Fellowship,

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Christ is a refuge for all who are lonely.

3. Bezer: Fortress, resting place

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Christ is a refuge for all who are tormented.

‭‭4. Ramoth: Heights. (Raised to high places)

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭

Christ is a refuge for all who feel lowly and depressed.

5. Golan: Joy

1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“….. and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,”

‭‭

Christ is a refuge for all who grieve.

6. Shechem: (Carried) Shoulder,

Luke‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.

‭‭

Christ is a refuge for all who are too weak to walk.

“Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

‭‭‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

1. THE SEAT OF JESUS IS FAR ABOVE ALL OTHER SEATS

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”‬‬

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT

2. OUR SEAT IS WITH JESUS

“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

1. OUR THINKING

“asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”

Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

2. OUR SPEAKING

3. OUR LIVING

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”‬‬

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT

Exodus 3:3-5 “So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am”. Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

1. Listen for the whisper

EXODUS 33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

2. Cultivate a hunger

Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place…”

3. Allow God to shape you

Jeremiah 18:1-6

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!

4. It requires a response!