Today’s sermon was from Pastor Rick over at Calvary, you can hear the sermon over there. These are my crappy notes.

The Look of a GOBIG Community

Joshua 20; Psalm 31

• “Edge of Adventure” by Bruce Larson
  • neighborhood bar has more closeness/fellowship than Church at times? people really trustworthy…
  • God has instilled within us the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved
  • bar mentality replaces grace with alcohol; cheap and wrong replacement in the end
  • are our churches somewhere we can turn to when are distressed? when we have burdens? when we have troubles? secrets?
  • Are there people, or is there a person, in the church we can actually bear our secrets to?
• How it works on God’s holy ground: cities of refuge

GOBIG community as a sanctuary for the casualties of a broken world:

1. Place for people to flee from war of the world (v1-3)
   • every effort to assist harassed fugitive (as seen in #’s; set up towns of city of refuge)
   • system created so there can be true justice (accidentally killing someone, or indirectly killing someone shouldn’t mean your blood must be shed for revenge/justice; blood avenger was supposed to mess them up royally); Heb 8:16
2. place where people get a hearing (v4)
   • the hardened don’t seek asylum, but those who desperately drop by need to be drawn close to warming fire
   • the desperate need someone to listen to hear their Q’s before they are fed the A’s
   • can people be part of church if they haven’t yet believed? City of refuge for all
3. Place where people find protection (v5)
   • protection from instant revenge and from predator intent on preying on the weakened, wounded soul
   • if God had not been patient and kind to us, we would already be gone; God wishes for all of us to come to Him
   • don’t be someone to further kick someone down; we will be held accountable for everything we say and do @ Judgement
4. Place where people find grace (v6; #’s 35:24-25)
   • supposed to be demonstration of God’s grace; we’re ALL in need of city of refuge; ALL FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD
   • the Gospel message;
5. place where law of God is understood (v7-9; Ps31)
   • Lord takes people from besieged city to city of refuge
   • be sure you have the right scripture and pray before opening your mouth…
   • 1 Cor 6: not just an OT concept…its an NT reality
   • Ps: people dogged by guilt; The Church doesn’t need to make things worse