Run to the Refuge
Joshua 20:1-9
Preached at the Chattanooga Rescue Mission — Chattanooga, TN
September 9, 2026

It was good to be back at the Chattanooga Rescue Mission on Wednesday night, September 9. Usually when I pull into the parking lot, one of the first faces I see is Clint, the night chaplain. This time he wasn’t there, but Assistant Director Stan Jones was there to greet me. Stan is the one I communicate with each month about scheduling, and it was a blessing to get to stand there and talk with him for a few minutes before the service. I found out Clint was enjoying a well-deserved vacation.

When I preach on a Wednesday night at the Rescue Mission and don’t have a particular message already burning on my heart, I will often go back through my records and look at messages I have preached in years past. I’ll read through ones that catch my eye prayerfully and ask the Lord if there is something there He would use again.

This week I came across a message from Joshua 20 that I originally preached on May 23, 2012, while preaching through the book of Joshua.

As soon as I saw it, I remembered the burden of the message.

Run to the Refuge.

Joshua 20 tells of the six cities of refuge God appointed throughout the land of Israel. If a man accidentally caused the death of another, he could flee to one of those cities and find protection from the avenger of blood. God had provided a refuge before the fugitive ever needed one. The roads were to be kept clear. The way was open. The gates were accessible.

But those cities point us to something far greater.

They point us to Jesus Christ.

Every one of us stands guilty before a holy God. We have broken His law, and there is no amount of trying, reforming, religion, good works, baptism, church attendance, or promises to do better that can take away our guilt.

There is only one refuge for the guilty sinner.

Jesus Christ.

He took the sinner’s place at Calvary. He bore our sins in His own body. He shed His blood, died, was buried, and on the third day rose again. Justice was not ignored at the cross; justice was satisfied there. And now the gospel calls the guilty sinner to repent and believe—to quit trusting himself and rest the weight of his soul upon Christ.

One of the most solemn thoughts in the message comes toward the end.

You can be near the refuge and still be lost.

Abner died at Hebron, one of the cities of refuge. He died near the gate. He was almost inside. Almost safe.

But almost was not enough.

That truth seemed especially heavy on my heart Wednesday night.

After the service, one of the men walked up and handed me the hymnbook I had given him before the service. He smiled and said, “I like your preaching.”

I said, “Good! Praise God! Do you know the Lord as your Saviour?”

His answer deflated me.

With a grin on his face he said, “I’m trying. I’m trying to make it work.”

I had just spent nearly forty-five minutes preaching that very truth: trying will never save you.

I told him, “Well, that’s what I was just talking about. Trying’s not going to get it. You can try and try and never make it. Jesus is the only way, man. You put your trust in Him.”

He walked away shaking his head, still grinning.

And my heart broke for him.

I don’t know that I could have made the gospel any plainer that night. Yet somehow he still walked away thinking salvation was something he had to make work.

But the seed was planted.

And that conversation has stayed with me.

There are people everywhere trying to make it work. Trying to clean themselves up. Trying to overcome the past. Trying to become good enough. Trying to straighten out their lives so that maybe God will accept them.

If that is you, please hear me: You will never outrun your guilt, and you will never make yourself worthy.

But you do not have to.

Jesus saves sinners.

The gate is open. The road has been cleared. The blood has been shed. The price has been paid. The grave is empty. The Saviour is alive.

Quit running from God and run to God.

If you have never trusted Christ, I especially hope you will take the time to listen to this message. And if you know someone who is still “trying to make it work,” perhaps you could share it with them.

There is a Refuge for guilty sinners.

His name is Jesus.