Six Cities of Refuge | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

give your Bibles tonight you would stand with me and turn to the Book of Numbers chapter number 35 verse number 9 35 and verse 9 what would you think about a doctor what would you think about a doctor that saw on an x-ray that you had a tumor that could be operated on and could be removed but he was too busy he didn't want to mess up his golf game or he didn't want to mess up his schedule so he just patted you on the back and gave you a pain pill and said you'll be all right you later find out that that tumor could have been operated on but now it's too late you wouldn't think much of that doctor would you what would you think about a pastor that would know there's things in your life that are heaven and hell issues he says always won't have a happy church service this is Taba this is have a good church service in this let's go on you stand that day on Judgment Day I'm gonna tell you you would not only be in trouble but I would be in trouble two numbers chapter 35 and verse 9 and and the Lord spake unto Moses saying speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them when you become over Jordan into the land of Canaan then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you that the Slayer may flee thither which killed any person unawares and they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the Avenger that the manslayer die not until he stand before the congregation in judgment and these cities which ye shall give 6 cities shall you have for refuge ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan in three cities you shall give in the land of Canaan which shall be cities of refuge these six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for the Sojourner among them that everyone that killeth any person unawares or that word unawares means by accident may flee thither I want to preach tonight on six cities of refuge six cities of refuge now I know it's a little bit heavy and I set the tone a little bit heavy tonight but I promise you having a program here at this chair that not only identifies someone's sin but helps them to make a pathway back to God is a blessed program put your Bibles down lift your hands up to God God it may be me one day God it may be my wife or my family one day god it maybe my grandchildren one day God it may be someone that has been at this church since it started you're a merciful God strengthening God you died for our sins you give us a ministry to help equip us god I pray tonight that this church becomes a city of refuge for the fallen I pray tonight God that those that are watching by way of the internet understand that not only do we want them to follow our heartbeat from missions but we want them to follow our heartbeat for being a city of refuge a place where the broken can come and be made whole a place where the mercy of God can flow now Jesus tonight if you'll help me teach and preach I will give you praise and honor and glory for thou has prepared mercy for me thou has prepared mercy from me O God Oh hallelujah thou has prepared mercy from me in Jesus name I pray and before you seated if you're a recipient of mercy I want you to give God the best praise you could be give I am a recipient of mercy I am a recipient of mercy hallelujah haha merci merci maybe seated sounds like we have a lot of people that are the recipient of mercy six cities of refuge I'd like to give you the facts about these six cities of refuge the six cities of refuge was God's plan it was God's plan he gave the ministry which were the Levites he gave the Levites 48 cities to live in but six of the 48 cities God's idea was to give Israel cities of refuge the word refuge refuge means safety the word refuge means protection safety the exact number of the cities is 6 there's a lot of debate of why there were six did he choose six simply because six cities would be sufficient or does the number six have a symbolic meaning if it has a symbolic meaning we know that man was made on the sixth day we understand that the city is made for men God made the city for man I would tell you about the six cities of refuge that their exact division three cities on the east of Jordan and three cities on the west of Jordan three cities in the wilderness that would typify the world three cities on Kanan side that would typify the church these three or six cities served for three classes of people it served for the Israelites it served for the strangers and it served for the soldiers these six cities the Israelite had a right to go a stranger a non-israelite had a right to flee and a sojourner a sojourner the names of the six cities were given Kadesh Shechem he brought these are Raymond and Golan we understand that the Old Testament was all trying to paint us a picture paint us a picture of Jesus Christ I believe he is our refuge to paint us a picture of Jesus Christ in doing so even the names of the cities have significance Kadesh the name to dish means holy and separate holy and separate we understand that in first Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30 of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption you understand today we have no holiness of our own our holiness is as filthy rags in the sight of God so I'm glad that I have no holiness today but I also know that I am NOT without holiness today because Jesus Christ is my tradition Jesus Christ is my holiness thank God shekel shekel the name Shechem means shoulder or strength Christ is our strong refuge he is our second means of shoulder the Bible talked about upon his shoulder the increase of his kingdom would come upon his shoulder upon his Shechem upon his shoulder so I understand tonight that my strength and my holiness is not something that comes from me it's something that I come to I have no holiness emanating from me but my holiness is what I go to my strength my shoulder the Bible said in Psalms 18 and 2 can I get a witness the Lord is my rock and my fortress my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my tower I'm glad tonight he's not just my tradish he's not just my holiness but he has become my shoulder I'm strong when I'm in Jesus I'm strong oh when I'm in here he's not only my condition ah'd only my second he is my Hebrew the word he bran means company or fellowship Jesus is my living fellowship 1st Corinthians 1 in 9 God is faithful by whom also ye are called into the Fellowship of his son Christ Jesus our Lord it's a living fellowship it's a daily fellowship it's not a historical happening of salvation but I'm glad today to know that he's my he Braun he wakes me up in the morning I can talk to him if I see something good I can praise him if I come across something bad I can ask him for help because he is my he Braun he is my ever-present help in the time of trouble I don't have to fear because I'm I'm never alone he is my Chinese she is my Shechem and he is my he Braun tonight he is my living fellowship he is my Bazar the word Bazar the city means a strong stronghold means secure it means once you get there nothing can penetrate beaser was a place that could not be penetrated once you've got into its walls no wonder Romans 8 and verse 39 talking about the love of God the Beezer says nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus I'm I'm glad I'm glad I'm glad o friend I praise Him tonight I get to preaching about this beaser I get to preaching about this city and I find that once I can get inside the walls of Beezer once I can get inside those walls that cannot be penetrated once I can get inside those walls and I shut the voice because the reason I gotta have a City of Refuge is because there is an Avenger that's on my trail there's someone that's willing to take my life there's someone that's willing to end my life and the only hope I have is to get to one of the cities of refuge hallelujah the only hope I have can I tell you you're gonna know you're living for God when you know that you've gotta be living in today's when you know you've gotta be living in Shechem when you know you've gotta be living in Hebron and when you know you've got to get to be Tsar oh the Avenger says I'm gonna get you the Avenger says I'm gonna get you you liar I'm going to get you you fornicator I'm going to get you your adulterer I'm going to get you you I give you murderer but all if I can get to be Tsar if I can get to that city that cannot be penetrated oh no wonder no wonder in saw in Romans 8:34 it says who is he that condemneth question March he said I want to know who's here to condemn you I want to know who's in bazaar because the enemy shall not get into these are it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who maketh intercession for us can I tell you tonight he is my bazaar he is my fortress that the devil cannot penetrate if you could see a line of blood if you can get on the right side the line of blood the adversary oh I believe I believe he wants to hide us tonight I believe he wants to hide us tonight I believe tonight to the wounded the vultures of hell or circling the wounded but God is coming up and has revealed a pathway back because we're going to hide the wounded because Colossians 3 and 3 says for ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God there's an adversary after you young lady there's an adversary after you young man there's an adversary after you mama and there's an adversary after you daddy but we got a city of bees are we got a City of Refuge that we want you to run to I think we ought to take a praise break right now can't miss Shechem Hebron these are Oh hallelujah whoa maaaah I want my son to run this did get Kadesh I want my daughter to run to second I want my grandbabies for no there's a Hebron I want every member of the church to understand something when you fall you're not out because we're gonna have a way that you can find your way oh but there was more cities they was Ramos and Raymont means high or high place you see in the Bible days the higher ground had the advantage if you could get on higher ground the higher ground had the advantage no wonder in the gospel seasons 2 and 6 and he hath raised us up together we already gettin higher right now he had raised ups up to get and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus can I tell you I don't know what's got you got you in this grill but you have the advantage on it I don't know why it may have you in its grip the child of God you have the advantage and no longer not only that there was a city of Golan Golan simply means a circle or an enclosed because he is our Golan he is as Jobe 1 in 10 says he is our hedge all about us our hedge just another moment lift your hands and thank God for the cities of refuge the wonderful the wonderful cities of refuge I don't want to draw your attention back to one thing for just a moment it was God's idea chapter 35 verse 9 of numbers it is God's idea chapter 35 verse 9 it's God's idea but chapter 35 verse 10 it's Israel's responsibility you see brother Eric's and everything that's God's idea it's not necessarily automatically going to happen because it's got to be the church's responsibility to prepare the cities in studying about the cities of refuge also read where that certain requirements of the Levites were to go out into the streets the roads that led to these six cities and to make sure that these roads were kept clear of a fallen tree something that washed out overnight these Levites were responsible for maintained they were the first road maintenance crew the Levites walked the roads went to leave I said oh that's a tree that's fallen over said get that tree out of the way why you don't get the tree out of the way said because when that man or woman comes running for mercy they don't need to have anything in their way they don't have it need to have anything that would that would slow down their pace to get in and and I studied where the Levites kept the roads had to maintain the roads but also read where they have unearthed stone signs that were chiseled pointing people in the direction of the cities of refuge because they said when a man's out there running for his life the last thing he needs to be wondering is he going the right direction he sees the sign two miles to condition a mile and a half to Golan so it was God's idea but it was instrument so tonight having a place of refuge here at FAC and to those of they were watching restoration is God's idea but it's going to have to be the responsibility of the church to make sure that God's idea is followed through cities of refuge had one small but large problem they were only for the guilty or excuse me they were only for the innocent the city was only for the innocent because we read in numbers 35 15 these six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for the Sojourner among them for every one that killeth any persons unaware in other words if you took a life it hadn't to be accidental and if he smite him verse 36 to you and if he smite him with an instrument of iron so that he die as a murderer the murderer shall surely be put to death verse 17 covers the same thing verse 18 verse 19 all cover the same thing so we know the law was incomplete because the law just covered the innocent but Jesus has a greater City tonight because the cities that Jesus has built not only covers those that accidentally did this but it covers also the guilty it covers those it covers those that knowing they knew they knew what they were doing was wrong they did it they did it they did it but yet God said my cities in the New Testament will be greater than the Old Testament cities because it will not only be from the Occident but he will be for those as sinned on purpose it's interesting to note he Luke chapter 10 verse number 25 the Bible says and behold a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Jesus saying master what shall I do to inherit eternal life jesus said unto Him what is written in the law how Rita style and the answer he said thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart thought I saw all that strength thought I mind and thy neighbor also that's an interesting word here about neighbor because it was commonly believed among the Jews that a neighbor was anyone who was Jewish anyone of Abraham descent was a neighbor we must understand something tonight as the church we have to understand we're all the neighbors we're all the loved here we all need to love when one member suffers all of a sudden and when one member rejoices we all rejoice we are not a fragmented group of ragtag people that meet here we are the spirit field we are the blood washed we're one body one spirit and one people with one purpose and there's no big eyes or little use there's no people that don't matter everybody matters from the youngest to the oldest every body matters that the world not put the elderly on ventilators that's the world's crazy problem but when it jumps to the church we'd put them on a ventilator if we could if there's 110 years all of it put them on because everybody's important here mean that everybody's important we're not a bunch of scattered families you just have a little doctrine in common we're the church your children my children my jewelry got you I wish we just I wish we just have a little praise right now because God's speaking in the Holy Ghost tonight God speaking in the Holy Ghost tonight hi mama Monday yeah yeah yeah bye hiya can I tell you your your mayor family's my family we are one in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is our head and we are his body we're a foot were a hand we're a leg we're an arm we are the body of Christ and we should matter and he said unto him in verse 28 jesus said thou has answered right do this and out shout live but the lawyer willing to justify himself said unto Jesus and who is my neighbor well just who is my neighbor Jesus answer he said a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves which stripped him of his raiment wounded him and departed leaving him half dead if that's not a picture of a wounded needing to be restored child of God half dead which would mean half alive they've got the memory of how they used to live but they're living in the present day of death leaving him half dead and by chance there came down a certain priest that way and when he saw him he passed by on the other side well how's that for compassion that priest oh by the way you're supposed to be dealing he's supposed to be the mediator the preacher the minister is the mediator between the holy God and the lost man but will be to us when the priests know the problems there but I really don't want get over there cuz I get over there I might endanger myself and oh by the way there's a whole group of whole people that need me to come speak at their meeting there's a whole group of people that are hold that need me to come in this guy's over here don't even have enough clothes on and he should have stayed in Jerusalem and I don't know why he left and I can tell you you know I'm trying to assess the prop to assess why he's laying over there all the time blood is oozing out all the time he's he's growing weaker by the minute well I want to get over there in the committee and try to decide why wonder why he left use them I wonder why he left you know he left I wonder why he live wonder why you would leave you'd have to be crazy to leave I wonder why he would leave so the priests blown by a while later a Levite came by now leave us not a priest he's a worker in the church he's an usher he's a sunday-school teacher he's a he's somebody that's that's a that he mows the grass at the church he's a he's somebody that that works at the church and so the Levite he came by and when he did a little bit better when he was at the place came and looked on him and passed by on the other side you don't want to say he's taste something brother actually might put your see gonna write a book him he's gonna write a book you're not gonna put this in the book and give me the credit for it okay beware people that suddenly want to talk to you now that they know you've fallen I just look at it this way if you can't talk with me while I'm walking don't come talk to me when I have fallen because are you just talking to me to get a little the dirt did you know how the priest didn't even come over there priest didn't even come over there where he is that he just kept on going but the Levite he had to come over there and check it out are you just over there checking it out so that you can go on down the road and tell everybody he's cut from his ear around to the other ear man he's got smelled little beer on him smelt a little smoke on it smell a little junk on him you know all of that can I can I tell you something beware that you want to talk to people only after they've fallen your heart may be deceitfully wicked you need to understand something a fallen person the last thing they need is a wagon town telling everything that they've done I'm gonna tell you something if it was your boy you wouldn't look at tongue a wagon if it was your girl you wouldn't want that tongue a wagon if he was your husband you wouldn't want that time man you tell I'm educated a wagon but a certain Samaritan what's a Samaritan he's a half-breed he's half Jew and half Gentile kind of like you and I have we got the Holy Ghost we have flesh and half spirit he came as he journeyed he came where he was and when he saw him he had compassion on him can I tell you tonight from the pulpit to the back door I don't care who you are in this church trusty elder I don't care who you are gifted spirit I don't care I've known it singer you better understand whatever has had but to anyone in the church could happen to you so when we go to looking at people we better first look at them through the eyes of compassion oh we've got to look at you through the eyes of confession oh god I want to look at you how would I want somebody to treat me if I was falling how would I want somebody to treat me if I've been found living in sin for the erikson pastoral team we have spent a lot of time talking about this ministry a pathway back and I don't take it as a coincidence we stayed up late one night talking about this ministry early the next morning I got a text on my phone and I will not name the state but I got a text on my phone from a protocol pastor not just a prodigal but a prodigal past a man that I stood in the pulpit led a congregation preach the gospel he's a hypocrite the whole time oh we don't need judges we need first responders we need emergency medical help we're Lisa muscle on that she didn't have anything no you don't know that don't judge somebody judge your own self but don't judge somebody and in the name of the Lord Jesus I speak to every prodigal preacher evangelist missionary pastor church worker that's watching me right now and I want to tell you there is a path back to God merci merci merci first when the first text messages of my day a prodigal pastor takes me and said brother Carpenter please lift me up in prayer today lift me up in prayer today and I told him you should have never stopped praying you should have never got out of the organization you should have never stopped this oh you know I didn't do that you know what I said I'm praying for you brother I'm with you brother I told him brother I'm gonna be at the church in 30 minutes and I'll be calling your name I'll be calling your name brother God still love you you know so naughty tonight we're gonna be a house that brings up that we're gonna be a house it breathe or are you saying are you are you saying are you saying that they're gonna come listen listen to me stop that you leave where that person goes when they get back to them and God oh I feel the Holy Ghost oh mercy oh mercy oh mercy oh mercy Oh God that person watching right now well that person sitting in these pews that The Devil's made you feel ugly and hopeless my brother was not one hour separated not one hour separated from 34 and a half years of incarceration he is one hour separated from bars and Bob wire until he steps across the threshold at a restaurant hoping the door for him and he stepped in and when he stepped in the greeter at the restaurant welcomed us good to have you here today and my brother's froze his solid has a concrete statue I bumped into him and dimmed a minute I saw that he wasn't moving his eyes were darting across the room I say hey Jerry hey Jerry it's okay hey hey we don't have to stay coming weekend we can go instead no Kenny I got to get used to this he said I've done went through a class that told me that when I would walk into public that I would fight the feeling that everyone in the room was looking at me and knowing my story I believe tonight that the devil I believe tonight that the devil has conditioned a lot of people's minds not to come back to the church because they feel like when I walk in everybody's going to look at me and know my story and the truth of the matter is if we can pray mercy love and restoration enough if they're looking at you it's just to come across an aisle or to shake a hand or to sit down with you and say welcome home sister welcome home brother good to see you back welcome home you see what I'm planning on doing I'm planning on making a pendulous out of our churches you all need to just spread out across Mary bill spread out across the city and kill all the products come on back home devil you are a liar I said devil you are a liar he came when he was that and he had compassion on him musicians would you come and he went to him and he bound up his wounds pouring in oil and wine and he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him can I tell you if we're going to be a Church of restoration and we're going to have the ministry brother Erickson's gonna tell us about we can't be in mature spiritually immature that measures the success of a service but how big are chill bumps or how many came up around the altar and danced but I think we can measure the success of a service by how many prodigal make their way back to God it may be a slow the person suffers a stroke they go through rehabilitation holding the fork then you're through speech classes and you might walk in and hear them you may think man they can't talk right but to the therapist she looks around says you ought to been here when we first got started why can't they hold their fork you oughta pit here when they first got started you know what I'm looking for I'm not looking for them for the Big Bang of restoration I'm just looking for a man or a woman that hasn't raised their hands in a while maybe somebody that's not even been in church on Sunday night maybe somebody that's not even been here on Wednesday night just show up on Wednesday night razor and in worship yard you may say oh that's not much but I would say you know what I saw when they first we're proud of you we're salad right damn it we're proud of you at a lab our second is that protocol evangelist I'm walking in the Holy Ghost tonight to that protocol evangelist is watching me on those southies pewter although I can't see you see those spirits coming off your face right now oh no I can't see you our Father sees you come on Jesus knew your work come on my Monday oh yeah oh I feel like there's a rebirth of ministry tonight ah I feel like that this something that got cold and you gave up your positions here in this church but something's beginning to warm up on you tonight come on help me pray right now in the spirit some things are happening right now in the spirit some things are happening in this room there's a mother and father here tonight then you have a son that once preached the gospel do you have a son that once led praises unto God strapped and yet talked across his back and stepped out on a stage and begin to lead the praises of God but he stumbled along the way and he failed but I've come to tell that man tonight I've come to tell you that you can make your way back tonight there's a God all right I wanna ride my mom ooh oh my mule is comfortable I got all my grandchildren my children I hear the counters Erickson's heaven I'm riding my muse but you see if I'm only the church that Jesus Christ says I'm to me I'm to come aboard now that does not that person that is beaten and dead and I got to stop and say you know what you need you don't need to follow me down to the hospital you need to ride my muse you need to get on the back of my new look that means I may have to walk I may not get my service with the big tube up I may not get my minister - I may be ministering to the person and it fell you took him to the end that's the church and he spent the night with him come on listen well this is that let the Lord have his way right now come on all over this every mine on restoration right now every mine on restoring we're not throwing nobody away and nobody getting throwed away you'll admit you need help I'll stop my meal for a while healing men you need help I'll stop my mute come on come on just pray with me right now I believe the Holy Ghost is either doing something in this room or something online right now the name of Jesus the name of Jesus the name of Jesus come home tonight come home tonight Oh God come home tonight I've made you in Jesus name come home tonight I met you I've been you to step out of that scene right now I beg you to step out of that seat in the name of Jesus you to make your couch an altar I beg you to make your couch an altar right now some of you've got prodigal children stop blaming the church why you waste your time blame in the church hell is getting deeper in the play you're not trying to go children you need to be around why don't we in this service and a massive prayer meeting you got a prodigal child your immediate give me orders too crowded give me arms sweet Jesus sweet Jesus can all us travail in the spirit come on let's call out on y'all pastor breanna prime ministry brenda threat tonight come on boy your car on the side of the road come on do you have to get down beside the couch sorry sure so you clearly open spine sorry in I was worth saving so you came and changed she made me decide you know almost a day so it's a love live today where nothing else yes come on sing that from your heart thank you God come on us a little bit what if the spirits gotta go we are just marinating in this right we're just marinating praise God oh yes oh yes I need all of you tonight to become a minister with me a minister to reach those that were once on our peers or once overviews would you accept that tonight there's more places to minister than just a preacher how many would say with your hand lifted tonight I'll help you pastor I helped the pastor I help you help you Pastor yeah come on I got my Bible study Becker helping me man come on help me I got my Bible high up the faster that's right I'm one of that song to go on little bit kind of just marinate us in this now Wednesday night Wednesday night I just came out of this but God has given brother Erickson what I consider to be some spiritual insight some steps and you don't want to miss I don't know I don't know 3 week 4 week series when he talked to massive but Eric's and you this has got to be a series and and we got to have it for the church and it's it's got to be something that we implement here at our church and I believe God's gonna do some great God's gonna do something God's gonna do some great things maybe next Sunday night I can say shake hands I don't know probably not all right but until then just turned your neighbor not god bless you