019 A Practical Guide To Using Scripture For Sanctification – part 1

Proverbs 2:1-22 (1-4)

September 21, 2025

Last Sunday morning we entered our third major section

In this study regarding “The Necessity of Sanctification”

· Having looked at THE DECREE OF SANCTIFICATION

· And THE DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION

Now we are examining: THE DYNAMICS OF SANCTIFICATION

That is to say, how it works.

Our desire here is to get really practical

Regarding what to do for our part in pursuing sanctification.

· We know that it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us.

· We know that apart from Him we have no shot.

· We know that He is at work in us to will and work for His good pleasure.

But we also know that we are required to take effort here.

Romans 8:13b “…if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Paul spoke of sanctification as something that we must do by the Spirit.

BUT WE MUST DO IT.

· We must enter the battle.

· We must strive for this.

· We must fight for this.

BUT WHERE DO WE START?

How do we do it?

That is why we are now looking at THE DYNAMICS OF SANCTIFICATION

We started last Sunday

Looking at Colossians and identifying USELESS SANCTIFIERS.

There are methods and strategies often employed by the religious community that are frankly of no value.

Paul outlined legalism, mysticism, and asceticism as those things that look good, but are ultimately of “no value against fleshly indulgence”.

So we definitely don’t want to fight using the wrong tools.

We don’t want to go down the wrong path in our journey.

We want to know what the useful sanctifiers are.

In order to identify them we must understand how sanctification works.

The most important verse regarding how we pursue sanctification is:

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

In short, sanctification occurs in us

By gazing upon the glory of Christ.

As we gaze on Him we (by the Spirit) will be transformed into His image.

That is the most basic reality

Of the dynamics of sanctification that I can give you.

In our pursuit of sanctification we seek to gaze upon the glory of Christ.

THE TOOLS that are best suited to help us do that are

· Scripture

· Prayer

· Fellowship

· Providence

· Obedience

These are the tools that the Holy Spirit uses

To cause us to gaze upon the glory of Christ

And thereby transform us into His image.

We started looking at Scripture Sunday night.

We examined 2 Peter 1:1-4 where we learned that

Through the Scripture we have been given “a true knowledge” of Christ.

We don’t trust legalism or mysticism or asceticism

To show us a true picture of Christ, but Scripture will.

And when we gaze upon Christ in the Scriptures

Sanctification begins to work out in us.

Peter said:

2 Peter 1:4 “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

It is by the Scriptures that “become partakers of the divine nature”.

Gazing on Christ in the Scriptures produces sanctification in us.

You can’t gaze on Him and be the same afterward.

That is how Scripture works.

That was the simple point of Sunday night.

But there is more to say in this regard.

I think it will be valuable for us to discuss a little

HOW TO READ THE SCRIPTURES,

And to see more practically how they produce Godliness in us.

And for that this morning we turn to Proverbs 2.

I was 23 years old when Shiloh Baptist Church in Crawford

Hired me to be their pastor.

· At that time I had preached a sum total of 7 sermons.

· I had no seminary training.

· My library consisted of about 4 books.

· The church had no internet.

And I showed up with the newfound responsibility of preaching twice on Sunday and leading an adult Bible study on Wednesday nights.

I WAS IN OVER MY HEAD.

During that time of absolute terror and total desperation

I developed a sort of strategy regarding how to study the Bible.

It was sort of a “Necessity is the mother of invention” approach.

My total lack of competence

Forced me into a specific approach in my study.

THAT APPROACH WAS THE ONLY WAY I SURVIVED (and still is)

And I only bring that up now because

· The approach I sort of adopted out of desperation…

· It wasn’t long before I saw that same approach outlined in Scripture…

· Almost as if the Holy Spirit sort of guided me to do it before I even saw it…

That approach that I learned out of desperation

Is recorded in the first 4 verses of Proverbs 2.

I think it will be beneficial for you to see it as well.

And also the results that follow such an approach.

So I’ve called this sermon:

“A Practical Guide For Using Scripture In Sanctification”

I want to break this chapter down into 3 main points; we’ll divide it further from there.

#1 THE OUTLINE

Proverbs 2:1-4

I’m calling this the outline because it is an outline of a reading plan.

This morning I’m going to give you an acronym.

Maybe this will help you in your own personal study.

The acronym is READ

So let me give you the steps.

1) RECEIVE (1)

“My son if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,”

It should go without saying that

If the Bible is going to be of any use to you at all

Then you are going to have to receive it, that is to read it.

It doesn’t work by osmosis.

Putting in the back window of your car won’t help.

Abandoned Bibles have no power.

Charles Spurgeon once said,

“Some of you have enough dust on your bibles to write the word ‘damnation’ with your finger.”

The Bible only helps if you read it, or listen to it,

But either way, you’ve got to get it into you.

1 Peter 2:2 “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,”

James 1:21 “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

The word of God is a great tool for sanctification

But it won’t help you if you don’t read it.

God has made His word central to your growth and sanctification.

Ephesians 4:11-13 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

When God gave spiritual gifts to the church

We see the list here which all relate to the handling of the word of God.

· Apostles revealed the word

· Prophets proclaim the word

· Evangelists spread the word

· Pastors apply the word

· Teachers explain the word

You can see God’s commitment to getting His word into His people.

IT MUST BE RECEIVED.

The writer here said “My son, if you will receive my words…”

· How many times do we hear Jesus say, “He who has ears, let him hear”?

I was studying Mark’s gospel this past week

And again coming upon the PARABLE OF THE SOILS.

And how often Jesus says the same thing in regard to that parable.

· You have to hear the word.

· You have to listen to the word.

But Jesus went on to say:

Mark 4:24-25 “And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

What a fascinating statement.

Most of the time we think of the analogy Jesus used there

IN REGARD TO GIVING.

You know if I give much, God will bless it much.

But Jesus used the analogy here in regard to listening.

First, “Take care what you listen to.”

· That’s a good warning.

· What are you putting in your mind?

Secondly, “By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.”

THAT IS TO SAY,

“How badly do you want the truth?”

“How much of the truth do you want?”

It is hard to imagine a man

Saying He wants to be conformed into the image of Christ,

Who never reads the word, or who reads it sparingly.

How badly do you want it?

THEN READ THE WORD.

WHAT PART?

ALL OF IT.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

READ IT ALL.

Put as much in as you can, “And treasure my commandments within you,”

See the wisdom they impart as a valuable and good thing.

By using the word “treasure”

The writer encourages us away from the cursory or distracted reading.

I don’t have anything against a Bible reading plan.

· That can be a really good thing.

· But the goal can’t be just to check off the box.

· The words must be genuinely received and treasured.

If you read for 20 minutes but you spent the whole time in a distracted brain fog where you were reading but thinking about something else, that’s hardly treasuring God’s commandments.

There is no way around this requirement.

You’ve got to read the word.

Mine have varied over the years.

· Back at Crawford when I was so green I was reading 9 chapters a day to get through the Bible 3 times a year. (I have not always sustained that)

· Sometimes I read the same chapter or group of chapters over and over and over.

· I’ve used the: Read a Psalm a day, and write down something new you learn of God

THE POINT IS RECEIVE GOD’S WORD

Figure out a time, figure out a place, figure out a plan, but read it.

It won’t help you if you don’t.

That’s the first leg.

2) EXAMINE (2)

The writer says, “Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding;”

The point here is vital as well.

It’s not just reading we’re striving for, it’s “understanding”.

Let me tell you about A GLORIOUS THING THAT GOD WILL DO FOR YOU when you start reading His word with a commitment to understanding it.

God will throw you up against a verse you don’t understand.

It happens to me all the time, multiple times a week.

There was a time early in my ministry that this caused me a lot of anxiety, because Sunday was coming quick.

But now, I actually love it when I come across those passages that don’t make sense to me.

· I love it (and it happens often) when I read part of a verse I don’t understand.

Because I know that I’m about to

Learn something new about the Lord.

I’m about to grow in my understanding of who He is.

I have not even come close

To swimming in the depths of the knowledge of God.

Paul said:

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

There is a depth to God that I will never fully exhaust in this life.

I won’t know fully until I stand before Him.

But that also means I’ll never be bored in this life!

I’ll never corner the market on the knowledge of God.

· Every time I sit to study there will be something new to learn of Him.

· Every time I gaze I’ll see an aspect of Christ I’ve never grasped before.

But there must be a commitment on your part to seek it until you find it.

You must “Make your ear attentive to wisdom”

You must “incline your heart to understanding”

Otherwise you are missing the value of what is there.

It is true that some nuggets in Scripture sit right on the top for everyone and anyone to easily find, but there is a wealth that sits below the surface.

· Dig! Think! Meditate! Ponder!

· Read commentaries

· Read other translations

· Look up the meanings of the words

· Go back and reread the context

ASK:

· Why did the writer say this?

· Why did he say it here?

· What is his point?

I can give you another example from studying Mark.

Over and over in Mark’s gospel the point is made

That Jesus warned those He healed to TELL NO ONE.

But when you come to Him healing the Gadarene Demoniac

Jesus specifically tells him to go and tell everyone.

WHY?

I don’t know yet, but I will.

Or I can think back to times I’ve had to preach difficult passages like Romans 5 or Romans 7 that are incredibly deep thoughts by Paul.

And how you have to dig until God grants you understanding.

But how wonderful that understanding is, after He grants it.

I think of the Ethiopian Eunuch

Acts 8:27-35 “So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.”

I LOVE

· How the Ethiopian is reading and pondering and seeking.

· How God provided the explanation by supernaturally placing Philip there to give the explanation.

That Ethiopian didn’t just roll up the scroll

And say, “Oh well, who knows?” and drive on!

He was searching, he was meditating, he was examining.

He wanted to know what it meant.

There must be that sort of commitment in you when you read the word.

When you come across that which you don’t understand

Then stop and study until you do.

Where else are you going to go?

· Just read and meditate and pray and seek until you understand.

Volume in reading is not as important as comprehension.

Stay there until you get it.

There’s a treasure there for you

That God is inviting you to possess, don’t leave it behind.

Listen to David describe his day:

Psalms 119:27-35 “Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders. My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Your law. I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me. I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame! I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.”

Psalms 119:48 “I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love. And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.”

Psalms 119:97 “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

There is a man who read and pondered.

· He read and meditated.

· He constantly thought about that which he did not understand.

What a way to spend the day!

What a thing to ponder!

Receive the word and then examine what you read until you understand it.

3) ASK (3)

“For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;”

Now we are talking about how badly you want it.

This is also why I believe you should strive to enter a teaching role in your Christian life.

The writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 5:11-14 “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

Every believer should strive to be in a teaching role of some type.

· Whether it’s Sunday school, or even as a back up or fill-in.

· Whether it’s an auxiliary group like SALT or WOM

· Whether it’s a bible study among friends or coworkers

· Whether it’s a family study

Now, many people don’t, and the reason they give is,

“I don’t know enough to be a teacher.”

THAT’S WHY YOU NEED THE ROLE!

One of the reasons we are never desperate to understand the word

Is because we never put ourselves in a situation

Where we have to understand it.

You say, “I don’t know the word well enough to teach it.”

Well welcome to the crowd.

I don’t either (on Monday)

But I can tell you what teaching will do for you.

It will smash you up against the Bible

And force you to study until you understand.

Fear of embarrassment can be a great motivator.

LET THAT FEAR DRIVE YOU.

Drive me to what?

PRAYER

“If you cry for discernment, Lift you your voice for understanding.”

It is a constant prayer which comes from the chair in my office.

· “God, you know that if you don’t show me this I won’t get it.”

· “God, you’re going to have to help me understand this.”

· “God, you’re going to have to show me.”

· “God, it’s FRIDAY! I need understanding.”

It’s amazing how devoted to prayer you can become

When you are called to preach a text you don’t yet understand.

WHAT A BLESSING THAT IS!

IT DRIVES US TO DESPERATE PRAYER!

It forces us to appeal to the God who has promised that

“If we seek Him we will find Him,

when we search for Him with all our heart.”

Prayer is an integral part of Bible study,

You can’t understand the Scriptures without it.

We know, for example:

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

· This is not a human book.

· This is a divine book.

· It was written by a transcendent God.

There’s only so far your brain can go regarding comprehension.

You need insight from the Author.

Peter said the same:

2 Peter 1:20-21 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

· These words are God’s words.

· He is the Author.

· If you don’t understand the book, then ask the Author.

James said:

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

The disciples did this regularly:

Matthew 13:36 “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

Matthew 15:15 “Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.”

And we find that when we ask, and beg,

And plead with God for understanding, HE GRANTS IT.

1 Corinthians 2:10-13 “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”

If you want to understand God’s word

Then you’re going to have to read it, meditate on it,

And ask God to grant you understanding.

And based on my personal experience,

This process may take 20 minutes and it may take several days.

But do you want to know more of God or not?

· Are you committed to learning the truth?

· Do you want to know what the Author of Life says?

Jesus looked at those who claimed to believe in Him and said:

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

· Do you really want to know?

· Are you willing to continue in His word?

· Do you want to know the truth?

· Do you want the freedom it brings?

We live in a world where truth cannot be found with any certainty

EXCEPT IN ONE PLACE.

What can you listen to?

What can you read?

That you know is absolutely 100% true?

· Are you getting that from the news?

· Are you getting that from social media?

· Are you getting that from the guy in his basement with a camera and a

podcast?

BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT IS ALWAYS TRUE.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

And if you want sanctification then this is where you must go.

· If you want wisdom…

· If you want understanding…

· If you want sanctification…

· Then RECEIVE God’s word.

· EXAMINE what you read.

· ASK God to grant you understanding.

HOW LONG?

Until you understand.

4) DEVOTION (4)

“If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;”

Have you read

· Of the woman who had 10 coins and lost one so she tore her house apart until she found it?

· Of the shepherd who had 100 sheep and lost one, so he went on a frantic search until he found it?

Zech sat at the table Sunday night and told us about how

He had emailed all of us Monday because HE LOST HIS PHONE.

He wanted us to call him so he could find it.

No one was responding, so he got online and searched until he found a way, through his email account to make his phone continually buzz.

· He finally searched online for a way to use his email to make his phone buzz

· He enacted that, and then started listening.

· He could hear a buzz, but couldn’t tell where it was.

· He literally tore his room apart listening.

· Moving even mattresses to the living room.

· Sticking his ear up against the wall.

Finally, finding it under the seat of his car in the garage.

You’d probably do the same for your phone.

· Or maybe for your car keys.

· Or maybe for the remote control.

To you those are treasures you can’t live without.

And you will search for them diligently until you find them.

Here the writer likens it to mining.

Job talked about this process.

Job 28:1-11 “Surely there is a mine for silver And a place where they refine gold. “Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. “Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. “He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men. “The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire. “Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. “The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it. “The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. “He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. “He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. “He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light.”

Have you ever pondered what men have endured

In order to bring gold or diamonds or even coal out of the ground?

Job continues to make his point.

Job 28:12-22 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? “Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. “Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. “Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. “Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’”

Job says, you can dig for gold and diamonds

But where you are going to find wisdom and understanding?

· You can’t find it in mines or in the ocean.

· You can’t buy it with gold.

· You can’t trade pearls for it.

Where do you get wisdom?

Job 28:23-28 “God understands its way, And He knows its place. “For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. “When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure, When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt, Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

It takes work to pull a diamond out of the earth.

You’ve got to be DEVOTED to it.

· Men who would turn a mountain upside down…

· Men who would plumb the depths of the sea…

· Men who would dig until their strength fails them…

All to get an earthly treasure.

The writer of Proverbs uses their devotion as a gauge

For the devotion required in reading Scripture.

“If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;”

How badly do you want it?

How important is the truth to you?

THIS IS HOW YOU READ THE BIBLE.

You Receive it

You Examine it

You Ask for understanding

You Devote yourself to obtaining it

When you do that I can assure you that God will grant you the truth.

And He will use that truth to reveal Himself and sanctify you.

In fact, verse 5 goes on to say, “Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.”

Scripture is a wonderful tool of sanctification.

Scripture has the ability to show us Christ like no other tool.

God didn’t give you this book to hide the truth from you.

God gave you this book to reveal the truth to you.

The only question is how badly do you want it?

How much of it do you want?

Do you want to behold Christ or not?

Here is a practical way in which you enter the fight.

Here is a practical way in which you strive for sanctification.

Read this book and search of Christ.

TONIGHT we’ll look at the rest of this chapter and see what the outcome is for a person who does receive, examine, ask, and devote themselves to understanding.

It is no less than sanctification and the accompanying blessing of God.