Respond to Sunday, October 20th , 2019
“A Place of Refuge” – Joshua 20 | Pastor Rickey Primrose
Truth: God provides refuge for the vulnerable. God sets up places of refuge for certain vulnerable people amongst the nation of Israel. This shows us a kingdom truth about God. God is our sanctuary and our place of refuge. Whenever you are in trouble and need protection, you can flee to the Lord because He provides refuge for the vulnerable.
Response: Where do you go or to whom do you turn when you feel in danger? How can you make God your dwelling place, your refuge, your shield, in times of trouble? Do you model a life living in God’s refuge? Commit to intentionally and vulnerably seeking God in your trials, and your triumphs, this week.
Truth: We must promote the values of the God who provides refuge for the vulnerable. God’s provision of these cities of refuge exposes two specific, unchanging values of God. We see that God values life. Every single human being is created in the image of God and therefore possesses essential dignity and worth. We also see that God values justice. He’s passionate about protecting the innocent, and He’s passionate about prosecuting the guilty.
Response: How are you involved in promoting the values of God regarding His value of life and justice? Are you willing to be inconvenienced in standing for life and justice? Are you willing to stand with someone who is vulnerable? Ask God to show you areas, or people, around you who are vulnerable and need your support as they fight for life and justice.
Truth: We must flee to the provision of God for refuge as the vulnerable. We are a needy, vulnerable, helpless people. The concept of refuge is a recurring theme throughout Scripture. However, the place of refuge is transformed from cities to a Person – God Himself. We see the fullest revelation of this place of refuge in the person of Christ. Christ is our place of refuge.
Response: How is Christ like a city of refuge for you? In what specific ways has the Lord provided protection and refuge for you? How are you allowing the community of believers to help you find God’s refuge? Seek out a few fellow believers this week to discuss and pray how you can be a refuge to others and a guide to help others find refuge in Christ.
Family Response
Truth: God cares so much for the lives He’s created that He’s made sure there is the just hope of safety and protection. In the Old Testament, God did this through the requirement of witnesses and through the designation of cities of refuge.
Response: I think we’ve all played some form of hide-and-seek or tag. There are all kinds of variations but most include a “you’re it,” some “not its,” boundaries, and a home base. The object for the “not its” is to make it to the home base before being tagged by the “you’re it.” Once they make it to the refuge of base, they’re safe and cannot be tagged. The object for the “you’re it” is to catch one of the “not its” before he/she makes it to the safety of base so the “you’re it” can become one of the “not its.” Simple enough, right? Play a couple of rounds with your family using these traditional rules, then try playing without the safety of home base. Play long enough, and most of the family will be frustrated by the lack of a home base because the “not its” no longer have any hope of winning; they no longer have a refuge from the “you’re it”. Give thanks to God for providing the perfect “home base” for us in the refuge of Jesus Christ.
Prepare for Sunday, Oct. 27th, 2019
Pray for the Church
- Leaders in worship: Pastor Rickey Primrose, Brandon Ramey & the Music Ministry.
- God will meet with us through His word and by His Spirit, lead us to worship Christ and grow in Christ-likeness.
- God will help us to be a church of zeal and hope, passionate about ministry and confident in His promises.
- God will make us more passionate about and obedient to His mission of leading people to trust and follow Christ.
Prepare for the Message
Joshua 21 | Pastor Rickey Primrose
As we continue our series from Joshua, “Seizing the Promises of God,” Pastor Rickey will be bringing us a sermon this week from Joshua chapter twenty-one. Read through all of chapter twenty-one this week in preparation for this sermon. Consider reading through 1 Peter 2:1-10 also which describes the priesthood of all believers. This chapter in Joshua describes the cities and lands allotted to the Levites. The Levites were the tribe from which the priests of Israel came. Why don’t the Levite’s get an inheritance like the rest of Israel’s tribes? What was God’s purpose in the placement of the Levites? What is the connection of the Levites and their priesthood to us as believers today? How does this chapter lead you to praise God, repent of sin, and trust in his gracious promises?
Music for Sunday
All Hail The Power of Jesus Name
Everlasting God
The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power