Verse by verse teaching - Hosea 9:13 "Planted in Pleasant Places"

Hosea chapter 9 verse 13. God willing we'll be expounding this first this morning. We have a healthy online presence this morning. I'm grateful for that. The tile the mesh this morning is planted in pleasant places. Planted in pleasant places. There's a common saying in real estate that the value of property is all about what? Location location location and some people have the privilege of dwelling in pleasant places. Such as Martha's Martha's vineyard. Some tropical island somewhere. Some fine estate or Maybank. Something like that. They have the ability, they're blessed to dwell in pleasant places. In our text this morning God speaks to the prophet Hosea about such a pleasant place that's called Tyris. He is comparing the northern kingdom of Israel and remember that's called Ephraim. Anytime you see Ephraim, he's talking about the northern kingdom of Israel. And he's comparing Ephraim to the city of Tyris. Thus making Tyris an example of Israel. Okay, we're going to get deep into the scriptures this morning and I'm looking forward to it. What we learned about Israel this morning. We will learn about Tyris this morning, the city of Tyris. And by learning about Tyris and Israel will be learning about us. We will learn the wisdom of ancient pleasant places and what they mean to us today. Look with me now in Hosea chapter nine verse thirteen. God begins by saying Ephraim as I saw Tyris. Let's pray. Father we thank you for your precious word. We thank you for the wonderful time we've had in Sunday school class this morning. I enjoyed seeing the praises online from the people who were watching. And I enjoyed coming in this morning to the sanctuary and having someone tell me what a wonderful Sunday school they had here. Lord it's always wonderful when your word is understood by your people. It's liberating. It's empowering. It's growing us up into the image of Jesus. And Father we look to you now once again this morning. Not to me. Not to us. Not to our wit or education or intellect. We look to you Father. The only one who can teach the souls of men the things of your spirit. We look to you and your word this morning. Feed us from heaven we pray in Christ's precious name. Amen. Ephraim as I saw Tyris. I started to include a slide of a picture of Tyris on the map. And I was running short on time so I did not include that. I was going to include that this morning but I wasn't able to get that in. But Tyris was an ancient Phoenician city that was north of Israel not far from where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And God is saying that he sees Ephraim the northern kingdom of Israel as he saw this ancient city of Tyris. If you're just joining us this morning we're in Hosea chapter 9 verse 13. He's telling us that Ephraim and Tyris are comparable to one another. He sees them both the same in the sense that Ephraim like Tyris, look back in your text now, is planted in a pleasant place. Ephraim like Tyris is planted in a pleasant place. Now Tyris today is still occupied. Now it's called Tyre, simply the city of Tyre. It is part of Lebanon. Tyre, Lebanon. So if you were to pull up Tyre on a map today, you would see it's still in the same place. It's still just north of Bethlehem and you would see that it is a city that's situated on the Mediterranean Sea, a nice coastal city. And you would see something very interesting about this. You know the coastline may go like this, you know, around the coast. But when it comes to Tyre it kind of juts out a little bit, almost like an island. It juts out just a little bit and then comes back down. And back in the day Tyris was a wealthy, strong city. It served as a harbor for international trade. I mean they were wealthy. They say the city was walled. It was fortified. In fact the name Tyris means a rock. Kind of makes you think you're Brother Shepard when you think of Tyris now doesn't it? Strength, wealth, and the supply of food and beauty from the sea. Tyris would have been a destination spot. It was planted. The people of Tyris were planted in a very pleasant place. God said I saw Israel like Tyris. They both are planted in a pleasant place. Israel was a pleasant place. Israel still is a pleasant place but back then Israel was really a pleasant place. In fact the Bible referred to the land of Israel as what? A land flowing with what? Milk and honey. Very pleasant place. But as pleasant as Tyris was, as fortified as Tyris was, they would soon be conquered by Babylon. And after Babylon got through with them, they would be conquered by Alexander the Great. Here's a kingdom truth for you this morning. Being planted in a pleasant place does not make it a permanent place. Being planted in a pleasant place does not make it a permanent place. How many of you all think heaven is a pleasant place? I tell you what, nobody would say, "Oh I don't think heaven's a pleasant place. " Everybody has all these grand ideas of heaven. Most of them are silly. Like clouds and harps and people sprouting wings when they die. None of that stuff is true. Or your favorite fishing hole and all that stuff. That's silly. It's nonsense. But heaven is the most pleasant place of all. Do you know why? Because God's there. The most pleasant place of all. But you know what? Being planted in a pleasant place does not make it a permanent place. Lucifer was planted in a pleasant place, wasn't he? He was planted in the most pleasant place of all. Lucifer was planted in heaven. But because Lucifer sinned against God, his pleasant place was not a permanent place for him. He got kicked out of heaven. Listen, these people, they'll say, "Well now, you can't really know you're saved until you get to heaven. Then you know you're saved. But while we're here on earth, you can't really know until you get there. " Have you all heard anyone say that? Yeah. Well listen, being in a pleasant place does not make it a permanent place. Just because you get to heaven doesn't mean that you're saved forever. Lucifer was in heaven. And Lucifer couldn't say, "Well I'm in heaven. I'll always be here. " Because a pleasant place does not make it a permanent place. Places aren't permanent. But God is. See, that's the difference. That's the difference. Lucifer sinned against God. So his pleasant place was not a permanent place for him. In the same way, Tyreus was a pleasant place. But it would not be a permanent place for those who rebelled against God as the people of Tyreus did. Especially the Prince of Tyreus. As the Prince of devils fell from his pleasant place in heaven, the Prince of Tyreus would fall from his pleasant place as well. Turn with me now to Ezekiel chapter 28. Ezekiel chapter 28. And if you can't find it, then you can look up here on the screen. By God's grace, thank God for supplying these forests so our people can keep their eyes on God's word and not get left behind. Ezekiel chapter 38. We'll get deep into God's word here and I believe we're going to learn some wonderful things. Look here with me now in verse 1 through 3. Ezekiel says, "The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 'Son of man, say unto the Prince of Tyreus. '" So now God is prophesying through Ezekiel. God is speaking to the Prince of this ancient Phoenician city, Tyreus. "Thus saith the Lord God, because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, 'I am a God, I sit in the seat of God in the midst of the seas, yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God. '" Now Paul's right there just for a moment. Is what God is saying to the Prince of Tyreus, does that remind you of anybody else what Tyreus is doing? Who? What? What does it remind you of, brother? That's exactly right. Who else thought, "I'm like God. " Who else thought that in the Bible? Say that out loud. Lucifer. That's absolutely right. Everyone in the Genesis/Jesus class should know that. That was his problem. So when you hear God talking to Tyreus, it almost sounds like he's simultaneously talking to the devil. And you know why? He is. He's talking to both at the same time. As God is prophesying against Ephraim, he's simultaneously prophesying against Tyreus. Tyreus hasn't fallen yet, but it's going to fall. Ephraim hasn't fallen yet, but it's going to fall, and Tyreus will fall like Ephraim. Tyreus will fall like Ephraim, who would also fall as the devil did. You see how that works? Where was the devil? He was in a pleasant place. He fell. Where was the Prince of Tyre in a pleasant place? He will fall. Where was Ephraim in a pleasant place? They would fall. God is showing us there's no security in pleasant places. Look back in your text now in verse 2. "Son of man, say unto the Prince of Tyreus, said the Lord God, because thine heart is lifted up and thou hast said, I am a God. I sit in the seat of God in the midst of the seas. " Notice that seas, is it singular or plural? Where was Tyreus geographically? In the midst of many seas, in the midst of one sea. In the midst of one sea, the Mediterranean Sea. God is addressing Tyreus, but in so doing he's dressing Lucifer as well. Lucifer sat himself as God and was sitting as God, and today still sits as a God in the midst of the seas. When you look at the seas in Bible prophecy, the seas represent the nations. The chaotic nations, the seas. Satan, Jesus called Satan the God of this world. Not meaning the God of the earth that God created, but the God, the little gee, the God of the chaotic, fallen, rebellious world system run by man today who rejects God. The devil is their God, that's what he's saying. Not their God in the sense of creation, but their God in the sense of their obeisance to him. So look here now, in verse 3, what he says to Tyreus, and also says to the devil, "Behold thou art wiser than Daniel. " Now do you think the king of Tyreus was wiser than the prophet Daniel? Nope. Look what God said, "There is no secret that they can hide from thee. " Not Tyreus. He's speaking simultaneously to Satan. Listen carefully to what God's saying to the prince of Tyreus, for when God is speaking to Tyreus, he's speaking to Lucifer. This is called a double reference prophecy. It's very common in the Bible. Listen to Jesus doing something like this. Remember, Jesus is the one speaking to Ezekiel here. It's all God. Listen to Jesus speaking to Peter in Matthew 16, verse 23. "But he turned and said unto Peter, 'Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offence unto me, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. '" So Jesus is speaking directly to Peter, yet he's speaking indirectly to the devil. How does that work? Jesus is speaking to both Peter and Satan at the same time, just as he spoke to both the serpent and the devil at the same time after Adam and Eve sinned. Here's a kingdom truth for you. God sometimes addresses two when speaking to one when both are guilty of the same thing. God sometimes addresses two when speaking to one when both are guilty of the same thing. Look back in Ezekiel 28. 3 again. When speaking to Tyreus, God said, "Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that they can hide from thee. " And again, this is a clear reference to Lucifer because Tyreus was not wiser than Daniel. Now skip down to Ezekiel chapter 28, verse 11. Ezekiel 28, verse 11. We're learning about Tyreus this morning, which is referenced here in Hosea. Ezekiel 28, verse 11, "Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 'Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyreus, and say unto him, 'Thus saith the Lord God. '" Now listen to what God's about to tell the king of Tyreus. He says, "Thou sealest up the psalm, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, thou hast been in Eden the garden of God. Every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the barrel, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuckle, and gold. The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covers. " Now hang on a minute. Those of you who have been in the Genesis Jesus class before, what is a cherub? Say it loud. It's an angel. There's two types of angels. You want to remember what they are? Cherubim and cherubim. That's it. Cherubim, cherubim, and seraphim, falling down before thee. That's what they're talking about. And now here's God telling the king of Tyreus that he is the anointed cherub that covers. Tyreus was not a cherub. The king of Tyreus was not a cherub. Lucifer, who Tyreus is a picture of here, was an anointed cherub. He was created by God as the anointed cherub that covers. Remember, in the most holy place, now we hadn't gotten there in the Genesis Jesus class now that was going through there. We hadn't gotten there yet. But in the most holy place, there was the mercy seat and there were two cherubim facing each other with their wings spread covering that mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. That was a picture of God's holiness in heaven being guarded and protected by cherubim. Lucifer had a place in the most holy place of all in heaven, an anointed cherub that covered in the most pleasant place of all. And he got tired of covering. He started coveting and then he wanted to sit on the seat of God. And now here's this king of Tyre. He's guilty of the same thing. Oh, he's not in the most holy place in heaven, but he is in the pleasant place. It's a place God created and here he gets, he starts looking around, he thinks, "Look at me. I'm in a strong place. We're wealthy. We've got everything we need and here I am ruling in this city. I'm like God. " He says in verse 14, "Thou art the anointed cherub that coverth. I have set thee so. Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God. Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created till iniquity was found in thee. That cannot be the king of Tyreus because Tyreus was born in Adam. Tyreus was born into sin. But Lucifer was created. Look here now. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast born? No. Lucifer wasn't born. He's an angel from the day thou wast created until iniquity was found in thee. I created you perfect. I created that angel perfect and then that angel having will of its own instead of choosing to obey me chose to sin against me. Verse 16, "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence and thou hast sinned. Therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God. I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. " Tyreus was not a cherub, but Lucifer is a cherub. Tyreus was not in the Garden of Eden, but Lucifer was in the Garden of Eden. You see now how Tyreus is tied to Lucifer, is tied to Eden. You see all this? Once again, God addresses two when speaking to one if both are guilty of the same thing. "As the prince of the devils fell from his pleasant place in heaven, so the prince of Tyreus would fall from his pleasant place because their hearts were both lifted up with pride against the Most High God. As Lucifer, so Tyreus. " God told Lucifer that he was in Eden, the Garden of God. Satan was in the heavenly Eden. Adam was in the earthly Eden, both paradise. Satan was trying to get Adam to transgress in his earthly Eden as he, the devil, had transgressed in his heavenly Eden. "And as Lucifer was cast out of his Eden, so Adam was cast out of his Eden, so the prince of Tyreus would be cast out of his Eden, so Israel would be cast out of their Eden, so all who reject their Creator will also be cast out of their Eden, their pleasant places. " Just because your place is pleasant doesn't mean it's permanent. God put Adam in Eden. God put the devil in heaven. But the same God that put Lucifer in heaven put him out of heaven. The same God that put Adam in Eden put him out of Eden. Security is not in a place, it's in the God who put you there. Here's the kingdom truth. Security is not in a place, it's in a person. Security is not in a place, it's in a person. It does no good to be planted in a pleasant place if you're not planted in the person who makes things pleasant. Israel was in jeopardy of being put out of the pleasant place where God had planted them because they weren't planted in the God who put them there. We'll say that again. Israel was in jeopardy of being put out of the pleasant place where God had put them because they were not planted in the God who put them there. Psalm 92 verse 13. Listen to this. You ready? "Those that be planted," say it with me, "in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. " Oh, now. "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord," not in Israel, not in Tyreus, not in heaven, but those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish. " That means they're going to take root, they're going to bear fruit, and they're going to grow in the courts of our God. Israel was planted in a pleasant place, but they weren't planted in the house of the Lord. That's the difference. Had they been planted in the house of God, they would have flourished in the courts of God. The house of God represented the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's where God dwelt with His people. It's where the blood was placed on the mercy seeds. And the courts of God, they that are planted in the house of God will flourish in the courts of God. The courts of God, if you'll remember how the tabernacle or the temple was made. You had the tabernacle, but then on the outside of the tabernacle, you had a fenced wall. Remember that? And if you all have ever seen a . . . oh, hang on a second. Look here now. I could have used this this morning. Zoom in on it, brethren. It's got plastic on it. Miss Sherry got this for me for use in the Genesis to Jesus class. Look at that. That is the Ark of the Covenant with those cherubs on top, see? So you had this in the most holy place. Then you had the holy place out here where the candlesticks and the showbread and everything was. And this was a tabernacle, a tent. But outside the tent, you had a fence that blocked everything off. And when you entered that fence, the first thing you came to was the brazen altar where the sacrifice for sin was made. And that's the courts of our God. The house of God is the temple of the tabernacle. The courts of God are . . . it's that the court inside that fenced in area. And that fenced in area separated the house of God from everything else in the world because the church is called out of the world. And those that are planted in the house of God are called out, which is why the church in Greek is ekklesia, which means called out. We're inside the courts. We're separated from Adam. We're cut off from the world through our death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. If you're planted in the house of God, you're going to flourish in his courts. The house of the Lord is what separated Israel from every other place in the world. To be planted in the house of the Lord is to be planted in the covenant of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The house of the Lord was all about the gospel. The showbread, the light, the incense, the ark of the covenant, the blood that went on the mercy seat, and in the courts, the brazen altar. Where the sacrifice was made. When Israel despised God's house, they despised the saving, redeeming covenant of Christ. Israel delighted in their place, but they despised the person that made it pleasant. Satan, Adam, Tyre, and Israel all got their eye on the place and lost sight of the person. And if we're not careful, we'll do the same thing. If God has blessed you, and if you're in a pleasant place in life right now, if everything seems to be going your way at this time, don't let your present pleasure distract you from your eternal purpose. That's what Israel did. Don't fall in love with the place you're in and neglect the person who put you there. When Jesus came, Jesus was crucified because people were afraid to lose their pleasant places in the temple and thrown to him. It's as simple as that. They loved their pleasant places. They loved the chief seats in the synagogues. They loved being priests in the temple. They loved, like Herod, being sat on the throne, and everybody wanted to kill Jesus. They were so in love with their spot in life that they were willing to crucify the one who put them in that spot. God said Ephraim was in a pleasant place. Look back in your text. "But Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. " Ephraim's in a pleasant place, just like Tyreus, just like Satan. But Ephraim, pleasant place or not, shall bring forth his children to the murderer. Because they had forsaken the house of God, their pleasant place would become a painful place. That's what happens. Shortly after this prophecy, Ephraim was conquered by Syria, and they were driven from their homeland. Unlike Judah, unlike the southern kingdom, they weren't allowed to return and build back like Judah was. God made Eden a place of pleasure. Sin made Eden a place of pain. God is telling Ephraim here, "You're in a pleasant place. Nevertheless, you're going to bring forth your children to the murderer. You're going to give birth to children to die. In this wonderful, pleasant place, you're going to give birth to children to die. " Again, God made Eden a pleasant place. Sin made Eden a painful place. Like Ephraim, Adam forsook the God who made Eden pleasant. And by doing so, just like Israel, he brought forth his children to the murderer. In Adam, we all die. You see how that happens? Same thing. Sin begets death. But through the gospel, through the house of God, the house of God is not this church. This is not the house of God. This is a building. The house of God consists of the temple of God, which is all about the Son of God. And when we believe on Jesus, the Bible says we become members of Jesus' body. The Bible says, in fact, that we become living stones in the temple. Do you know what the temple is? The house of God. Remember what Jesus said? He walked into the temple. He said, "It is written, 'My house should be called a house of prayer, but you've made it a den of thieves. '" Do you know what Jesus was telling us? This is the house of God. Where the sacrifice is made, where the blood is put on the mercy seat. This is the house of God. The Bible says, when we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we become living stones in that house of God. Do you know what that means? The moment you put your trust in Christ, you are planted in the house of God, Brother Doug. Oh, you may be in a rotten place, but you're planted in a pleasant person. The pleasant person is going to take care of the rotten place when he comes again. But if you're planted in a pleasant place and you're not planted in the house of God, you're not planted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, you're not a member of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones by believing in him as your Savior. You could be in the pleasant place all you want to, but sin is going to make that pleasant place a painful place because an Adam all died, no matter where you live in this world. Boy, what a wonderful thing. If you've got a permanent person that you're planted in, you've got a permanent situation. You're going to be in a pleasant place forever because Jesus said, when he comes again where I am, there ye shall be also. The house of God, man, they destroyed the temple made of stones. Jesus told them they would. But you know what Jesus said about his church, the true temple of God? He said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. " Nobody's going to knock any single stone out of the Lord Jesus Christ, not a single person who's ever put their faith in Jesus is ever going to fall out of him. Not one. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus is the person that makes the place pleasant. Where I am, there ye'll be also. I don't care where he puts me, just keep me in Jesus Christ, and I'll be happy forever. Through the gospel, as we begin to close, God's going to restore his house here on earth, the church. He's going to make this world a pleasant place again. It's backwards with the people who don't have Christ. They may live in a pleasant place, but not being planted in a pleasant person. They're going to lose it all. But those of us who may live in a rotten place, we're planted in a pleasant person, we're going to gain it all. He's going to make it good again. He's going to make this world a pleasant place again. He is going to bring Israel back to himself through the gospel and restore our Eden back to us. He's going to restore the pleasant place back to us. Isaiah 51, as we close, Isaiah 51, verse 3. Listen to this. "For the Lord shall comfort Zion," who's Zion? That's the people he's prophesying against here in the book of Hosea. "For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places. " They may be in a waste place now, but a waste place is going to get renewed when Jesus comes. He will comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like what? Eden. "And her desert like the garden of the Lord, joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. If you are planted in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you'll dwell in the pleasure of God for all eternity. " "Praise the Lord that I am planted in the house of God. I'm a living stone built upon the rock, Christ Jesus. " Oh, Tyreus was called a rock. But you know what? They weren't founded on the right rock. "Upon this rock," Jesus said, "I'll build my church, in the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. " I thank God if you want to know that you're planted in a pleasant place, you just come stand right on top of the cross of Jesus Christ. Stand on the promise of his death, burial and resurrection for you, and by standing on the promises, you're standing on the rock. And the Holy Spirit will glue you to that rock for all eternity. The gates of hell will not prevail against you. Jesus said, "Whoever falls on this rock shall be broken. " Whoever this rock falls on, it'll grind the powder. I thank God I've come to the rock. I've fallen on the rock. I've been broken in the sense that I confess my sins to God, and I realize all my pride is gone. I'm not like Tyreus. I don't lift myself up like God. I'm broken, and I'm kneeling down on the rock, Jesus Christ. And I say, "Lord, God forbid I should glory, save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. " Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your precious Word. We thank you, Father. Lord, about the warning of pleasant places. We thank you for the examples that you've given us to not put our trust in our present circumstance, but our eternal God in the promise of the gospel that you've given us, which you illustrated for us in the house of God, which is rebuilt, where the mercy seat was, where the sacrifice was made. Thank you for giving us the promise that though we may not be planted in a pleasant place, we're planted in an eternal, purposeful, wonderful person, Jesus Christ, when we believe in Him. And then we know, eternally, we will flourish in the courts of our God. In Jesus' precious name we pray. We love you so much. I pray you'll give these ladies wisdom today about if they're going to have their conference today or next week. And I pray that you'll give everyone a safe trip home as well, and bless those who are sick. Thank you for our church. We love you so much. Amen.