Refuge Found: Where Mercy Meets the Mess
Joshua 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsIn this message, “Refuge Found: Where Mercy Meets the Mess,” we explore Joshua 20 and how God’s command to build Cities of Refuge reveals His heart for mercy. Pastor [Your Name] shares how Christ is our ultimate refuge, how we as believers are called to be refuge-bearers, and how our Community Center is a modern-day expression of God’s mercy in action. If you’ve ever felt like you were running from something—this message is for you. 📍 Watch now and discover how God builds spaces of refuge through people of mercy. 👇 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe! #RefugeInChrist #Joshua20 #GodsMercy #CommunityCenterVision #CityOfRefuge #FaithForward #ChurchOnMission
Notes
Transcript
🏛️ Title & Subtitle
🏛️ Title & Subtitle
Title: “Refuge Found: Where Mercy Meets the Mess”
Subtitle: How God’s Mercy Creates Space for Healing, Hope, and Home
🧭 Opening Paragraph
🧭 Opening Paragraph
Have you ever felt like you needed to run—run from your past, from pressure, or even from people who don’t understand you? Life can often feel like a chase, with guilt, shame, or fear right behind us. In Joshua 20, God instructs His people to establish Cities of Refuge—places of mercy in a land of conquest. These were not cities of comfort, but cities of compassion—spaces where justice met mercy. They reveal something deep about God’s character: He is not only a God of justice but a God of refuge.
As we step into this new season of building our Community Center, we must embrace this truth: “God builds spaces of refuge through people of mercy.” (Hook)
The Cities of Refuge
The Cities of Refuge
The Law
The Law
6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
12 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
The Mercy
The Mercy
9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
The Cities
The Cities
Then the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. 6 And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’ ”
We are called to be more than builders—we are to become refuge-bearers. Just as those cities were safe places in ancient Israel, we believe God is building three powerful places of refuge in our world today: Our Refuge in Christ, Our Refuge in Believers, and Our Refuge through the Community Center.
🧱 Sermon Outline
🧱 Sermon Outline
Point 1: Our Refuge in Christ – Mercy Has a Name
Point 1: Our Refuge in Christ – Mercy Has a Name
Christ is the refuge of mercy for the innocent and the guilty
Christ is the refuge of mercy for the innocent and the guilty
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Christ is our City of Refuge. He is where mercy meets us in the middle of our mess. Just like those fleeing the avenger of blood, we come to Jesus not because we are innocent, but because we are invited.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
🔨 Application: As we move forward in our building campaign, we must remind ourselves—and others—that the greatest foundation is Christ. Every brick we lay must point to the Cornerstone.
🔁 Hook phrase tie-in: “God builds spaces of refuge through people of mercy.”
Point 2: Our Refuge in Believers – Mercy Moves Through Us
Point 2: Our Refuge in Believers – Mercy Moves Through Us
The Cities of Refuge were given to the Levitical Priesthood.
The Cities of Refuge were given to the Levitical Priesthood.
6 “The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.
The Cities of Refuge were accessible, well-maintained, and spread throughout the land. This was intentional. Mercy was never meant to be hidden—it was meant to be within reach.
We serve as the priesthood of the Lord today.
We serve as the priesthood of the Lord today.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Just as these cities were open to anyone who needed them, our relationships and our church community should be marked by mercy, grace, and spiritual refuge.
🔨 Application: We must ask ourselves—are we a refuge for others? In our words, in our attitudes, and in our ministries? The world doesn’t just need another church—they need a people of refuge.
🔁 Hook phrase tie-in: “God builds spaces of refuge through people of mercy.”
Point 3: Our Refuge in the Community Center – A Physical Place for Spiritual Purpose
Point 3: Our Refuge in the Community Center – A Physical Place for Spiritual Purpose
God instructed them to prepare places before the crisis came. The Community Center is not just a construction project—it’s a prophetic act. We are preparing a refuge for people we haven’t even met yet.
It will be a place for the single mom, the struggling teen, the grieving father, the isolated elderly—it will be a tangible mercy point in our community.
🔨 Application: Let’s give, serve, and pray like this Community Center is not just for us—it’s for the ones who are on the run and don’t even know where to go.
🔁 Hook phrase tie-in: “God builds spaces of refuge through people of mercy.”
🔚 Conclusion
🔚 Conclusion
Joshua 20 reminds us that God’s plan always included mercy. Even in conquest, He made room for compassion. In Christ, we’ve found refuge. In one another, we offer refuge. Through our Community Center, we are building refuge.
Let us not just build walls—let us become windows to God’s mercy. Let us not just raise a building—let us raise a standard of mercy and grace in our community.
“God builds spaces of refuge through people of mercy.”
Will you be that person?
✅ Action Steps
✅ Action Steps
Run to the Refuge: If you’ve been holding guilt, shame, or fear—run to Christ this week in prayer and confession. He is your safe place.
Be a Safe Space: Choose one way to offer emotional or spiritual refuge to someone this week. A phone call, a meal, a prayer—mercy moves.
Invest in the Vision: Ask God how you can financially, practically, or prayerfully be part of making the Community Center a city of refuge.
🙏 Altar Call – Prayer Response
🙏 Altar Call – Prayer Response
Call to the Altar:
“Maybe you’ve been running. Maybe you’re weary. Maybe you’ve never found a safe place before. I want to invite you today to come forward and meet the God of mercy. This altar is your City of Refuge. Come and run into His arms.
If you’re carrying a burden—guilt, shame, fear—lay it down.
If you’re standing in the gap for someone else, intercede.
If you’re committing to be a refuge-builder, step forward in faith.
Let’s make this moment holy. Let this altar become your safe place.”
Pastoral Prayer Over the People:
Lord, You are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Thank You for Your mercy that meets us in our mess. I pray for every person standing here today—that they would run to You, receive from You, and reflect You. As we step forward in building this Community Center, make us a people of mercy. Make us builders of refuge. Let our lives point to Jesus—the ultimate City of Refuge. In His name we pray, Amen.
🤝 Small Group Discussion Guide
🤝 Small Group Discussion Guide
What does the concept of a “City of Refuge” reveal about God’s character?
How can we better reflect God’s mercy in our relationships and church life?
In what ways can the new Community Center serve as a city of refuge in our neighborhood?
