A Practical Guide To Using Scripture For Sanctification - part 2

Sep 21, 2025 • Rory Mosley

020 A Practical Guide To Using Scripture For Sanctification – part 2

Proverbs 2:1-22 (5-22)

September 21, 2025

We started looking at this chapter this morning.

We want to know how to practically approach and use Scripture

As a means of sanctification.

We know that the Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to reveal to us the glory of Christ, and this is foundational to our sanctification.

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.”

As we behold the glory of Christ, the Spirit transforms us into His image.

And yet at the same time we understand that sanctification is a cooperative effort.

· We do not sit idly back waiting for the Spirit to magically sanctify us.

· We pursue it.

· We, “by the Spirit are putting to death the deeds of the body.”

So, if the Spirit uses the Scripture to show us Christ,

Then we run to the Scripture to see Christ.

THIS MORNING we started looking at Proverbs 2 to get a real practical explanation regarding how to do that.

We looked at the first point:

#1 THE OUTLINE

Proverbs 2:1-4

We saw a simple acronym for how to read the Bible.

RECEIVE

“receive my words and treasure my commandments within you.”

EXAMINE

“Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding”

ASK

“cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding”

DEVOTE

“seek her as silver And search for her as hidden treasures”

That’s as clear a passage as I can find in all of Scripture

To outline for us how to go about reading the Bible.

TONIGHT we want to go forward and examine the effect of such an approach.

The Outline

#2 THE OUTPUT

Proverbs 2:5-19

If you will follow the counsel of the writer in the first 4 verses

Here he shows you the immediate results you will obtain.

And I want to break these down a little more two.

There are two here.

1) DISCERNMENT (5-11)

You see this promised twice.

· (5) “Then you will discern…”

· (9) “Then you will discern…”

He links the arrival of discernment

To your devotion in seeking God’s word.

Certainly you are aware of

The necessity of discernment in your Christian walk.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;”

Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

We certainly want to be able to

Tell the difference between what is evil and what is good.

But there is much more than just that.

We want to discern the truth about our own lives.

Psalms 19:12-13 “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.”

If we are serious about sanctification

Then we need to be able to discover the areas where we fall short.

We need to have the areas of failure revealed to us.

And beyond that.

We want to discern the truth of who Christ is.

Since gazing on Christ is the how the Spirit transforms,

It is absolutely necessary that when we gaze into the Scriptures

We see Him rightly.

All of this matters.

WE NEED DISCERNMENT.

Well the writer here promises that if we will seek the truth in the Scriptures rightly that discernment will be the immediate effect.

And he specifically mentions two types of discernment we will gain.

FIRST IS: KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST

(5) “Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.”

In short, we will come to know who God is.

· We will come to understand who Christ is.

· We will also develop our fear of Him.

Michael Reeves spoke at a recent Ligonier Conference

And gave a sort of doctrinal message on sanctification.

In it he spoke about the fear of the Lord.

(I’ll put the link in the notes if you want to listen to it)

He quoted puzzling verses like:

Psalms 130:4 “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”

Forgiveness so you will be feared?

That seems strange.

Or like when Moses brought the people to Sinai and said:

Exodus 20:20 “Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”

Do not be afraid…in order that the fear of Him may remain?

What are we talking about there?

A fear of God that drives out fear?

He went on to quote from prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 32:40 “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.”

· It was Jeremiah who revealed the New Covenant.

· That God would write His Law on the hearts of His people.

Jeremiah wasn’t speaking of a fear that makes them afraid,

He was speaking of a fear that makes them draw near.

Michael Reeves went on to quote:

Jeremiah 33:9 ‘It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’

“fear and tremble because of all the good…”

So clearly when Scripture speaks of “the fear of the LORD”

As we see here in Proverbs

We are not talking about some sort of scaredness of God.

Hosea 3:5 “Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.”

They come trembling or fearing to God’s goodness.

That is such an interesting way to describe it.

Michael Reeves went on to refer to it as a filial fear.

“What is this fear of the LORD? Ultimately it is Jesus own fear as a Son before His Father. A filial fear that believers are brought to share. So our fear of God, yes we fear God as a transcendent and awesome creator, but it is more than that. The right fear of God also shares the Sons fearful delight in His Father. Filial fear is the attitude of a child marveling at all the perfection of our Father.”

https://learn.ligonier.org/conferences/we-believe-2024-winter-conference/of-sanctification (at 43:39)

AND WHAT A PERFECT WAY TO LOOK AT IT.

When you diligently search the Scriptures with the right heart and dedication.

· You will “discern the fear of the LORD”

Or, as Michael Reeves helped us understand,

· You will “discern and marvel at all the perfection of our Father”

You will behold His glory and marvel at it.

Which is why the writer also said you will

“discover the knowledge of God”

You will know God better.

Isn’t that a great reason to dive into the scriptures with dedication?

Isn’t that a great reason to receive, examine, ask, and devote yourself?

So that you might be captivated by the perfections of Christ.

THAT IS THE FIRST THING WE DISCERN: CHRIST

Well that is what will happen when you read the Scriptures rightly.

How do we know that?

(6) “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

· On one hand we know that we will discern the knowledge of God because God is generous to give it.

· God didn’t give the Bible to hide truth from you.

· He gave you the Bible to reveal it.

· When you seek it rightly, He gives “knowledge and understanding.”

But we also note where such wisdom comes from.

“From His mouth…”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

· Or as the NIV says, “God breathed…”

· His word is the source of our discerning who He is.

· SEEKING THE SCRIPTURE IS THE SOURCE OF DISCERNMENT

And then look at this next amazing statement.

(7) “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright…”

TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR BIBLE.

Do you know what that is?

It is a storage unit of sound wisdom.

· It is God’s compilation of wisdom for you.

· It is God’s gathering of everything you need to know to live this life correctly.

· God has stored it all up for you.

Like when David was told he couldn’t build the temple, he went to gathering and storing all the supplies that Solomon would need.

When Joseph was warned that famine was coming, he started storing provisions to save Egypt and his brothers during the great famine.

God has stored for you all the treasure you need for life and godliness.

Now, I want you to pay attention here at the end of verse 7

Because a new theme of sorts is introduced,

And it relates directly to our sanctification.

(7b-8) “He is a SHIELD to those who walk in integrity, GUARDING the paths of justice, And He PRESERVES the way of His godly ones.”

Are catching on?

God reveals true wisdom and knowledge of Him through His word

That He might use that to protect you in this life.

Protect you from what I wonder?

SIN

· It is to protect you from the sinful impulses of your own flesh.

· It is to protect you from going astray.

· It is to protect you from the deceptions of your own heart.

· It is to protect you from your own foolish thoughts.

God has given you His word ahead of time

To keep you from doing something dumb!

WHAT A GREAT TOOL THE SCRIPTURES ARE!

It is a tool that helps us discern who God is

· So that we might run to Him and not to the world.

· So that we might love Him more than the world.

Through His word He doesn’t just give us something to run from,

But someone to run to.

That is why the Scripture is such a powerful sanctifying tool.

· He shows us His glory and captivates us with it.

· He replaces our amazement with the world with an amazement of Him.

· And this is protects us from the world’s crafty temptations.

Do you notice how when you are faithful to read the word

How you grow less interested in the things of the world?

But the flipside is also true.

Neglect His word and you’ll see how the flashes and attractions of the world will once again begin to call your name.

Scripture helps us discern who Christ is, and that is a protection.

But that’s not all God’s word helps us discern.

SECOND: RIGHTEOUSNESS

(9) “Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course.”

The Scriptures also help us discern the right path to walk.

They help us recognize good from evil and evil from good.

When we neglect God’s word

· Those lines get real blurry real quick.

· It’s amazing how quickly the things God says are wrong can start to seem right.

· It’s amazing how quickly the flesh can start whispering to us and justifying our sinful thoughts and actions.

In short, when we neglect God’s word

We lose our discernment of evil things.

But God’s word, when used correctly, brightly illumines our path.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Psalms 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”

That is how we discern how to walk.

Think about the youth studies on Wednesday nights.

· How do you know what to do when someone curses you?

· How do you know what to do when someone persecutes you?

· How do you know what to do when someone weeps?

· How do you know what to do when someone rejoices?

· How do you know what to do when your brother is in need?

God tells us how to walk.

I’ve always loved:

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”

God didn’t tell us everything,

But He did tell us everything we need to know for obedience.

(10) “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;”

· No one likes to walk in ignorance.

· No one likes the feeling of not knowing what to do.

Well read the word.

It will enter you soul and counsel you to discern the path to walk.

And then again:

(11) “Discretion will GUARD you, Understanding will WATCH OVER you.”

There’s that protective measure again.

· It protects you from the wrong path.

· It protects you from the wrong direction.

· It keeps you from getting lost.

When I was about 13 my parents and my sister and me stopped at a roadside park outside of Taos, NM that had a trail head at it.

We decided to walk it.

· On the way home my dad spotted a trail that shot off to the side and decided

that we should take it.

· 8 hours and two mountains later we walked down a dirt road where we found

two women who couldn’t close a gate.

· They drove us to a convenient store where a man agreed to drive us back to

where we started for a beer.

· 23 highway miles later we returned to our car and my grandparents.

It would have been nice if someone had been standing at that fork in the road saying, “DON’T TAKE THIS PATH”.

That’s what God’s word does for us.

It is a guardrail of protection.

IT PROVIDES FOR US DISCERNMENT.

1. Discernment of the knowledge of God.

2. Discernment of the path or righteousness.

Receive it, Examine it, Ask God to clarify it, Devote yourself to it.

So the FIRST OUTPUT of rightly reading the word is DISCERNMENT.

There’s a second output

2) DELIVERANCE (12-19)

And you see this a couple of times too:

· (12) “To deliver you from…”

· (16) “To deliver you from…”

What does God’s word ultimately deliver us from?

Two things here.

FIRST: EVIL MEN

(12-15) “To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;”

That is a fitting description of our culture even today isn’t it?

· Men who “speaks perverse things”

· Men who “leave the paths of uprightness”

· Men who “walk in the ways darkness”

· Men who “delight in doing evil”

· Men who “rejoice in the perversity of evil”

· Men “whose paths are crooked”

· Men who “are devious in their ways”

It’s almost like the writer has lived among people.

There is nothing new under the sun.

I want you to think about these men for a second

BECAUSE YOU ENCOUNTER THEM EVERY DAY.

We live in a day of information

Being more readily available than ever before.

And I’ll tell you why that’s especially terrifying to me.

It’s because in my flesh I AM VERY GULLIBLE.

I hate it, but I am.

Don’t send me a salesman and expect me to be strong.

· I took a sales class in college where we all had to give a sales presentation.

· I nearly bought a rainbow vacuum cleaner in that class and I didn’t have any money, coupled with the fact that the house I lived in didn’t even have carpet.

In my flesh I am prone to deception.

Men who stray from the truth and give backward arguments that sound legitimate would get me every time.

I desperately need God’s word to help me see through it.

If I didn’t have God’s word through which to filter what I hear,

There’s no telling where I might end up.

It is only the Scripture that delivers me

From the backward thinking of this world.

I will love the Scripture forever for that.

· I absolutely love it when the Scripture corrects my thinking.

· It is just another area where the Scripture shows me that I was suckered by

backward worldly thinking, and it liberates me from it again.

But it’s not just from the lies of evil men that you need to be delivered.

Look at the next area of deliverance:

SECOND: THE STRANGE WOMAN.

When Zek went off to school Cindy Glass told him to watch out for “Hoochie Mommas”

(16-19) “To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life.”

Boy isn’t that one needed in our culture too!

I’m not an expert on every society or culture that has ever existed…

But it’s hard for me to imagine a society in history

Where women were more aggressive and provocative than ours.

Incidentally, calling the woman “strange” is Bible language for describing someone who is mingling where they don’t belong.

Jude 7 “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

Jude referred to the homosexual behavior of Sodom as people who went after “strange flesh”.

That is to say that did that which was peculiar for them to do.

Here we’re talking about women

Who go after men who aren’t their husband.

This woman is “the adulteress”

· And her danger is seen in the fact that she “flatters with her words;”

· She leaves her own husband, “the companion of her youth”,

· She forgets the vows she took and “the covenant of her God”

· And she runs after a man who is not hers.

And the writer here specifically warns against her

Because of the ramifications that come with entertaining her.

He says (18-19) “For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life.”

That’s one of the nicer references to her.

TURN TO: PROVERBS 5:1-23

TURN TO: PROVERBS 6:20-35

TURN TO: PROVERBS 7:6-27

Danger – Danger – Danger

Is his point.

There is no happy ending there.

And in a culture that is as hyper-sexualized as ours,

You’d better have something to bring sanity to your lusts.

You had better have something

That will confront your flesh and utter the dire warnings of judgment.

You had better have something

To help you see through her advances and her offers.

And the writer says that the Scripture is that for us.

· It not only provides us with discernment

· But it also provides deliverance.

· It warns us of sin and it instructs us on how to leave it.

· It tells us of judgment and instructs us on how to avoid it.

· It illuminates the path of righteousness

· It paints a warning over the path of evil.

And what does all this add up to?

SANCTIFICATION!

Do you see how the Scripture is a sanctifier?

· When you Receive it.

· When you Examine it.

· When you Ask God for clarity.

· When you Devote yourself to it.

The immediate output is that you gain DISCERNMENT.

· You learn who God is and you learn what righteousness is.

And the effect of that is that you gain DELIVERANCE.

· It warns you against the lies of the evil man

· It warns you against the offers of the strange woman.

So that at the end of the day you are a man

Walking the righteous path in pursuit of God

Instead of the wicked path in the gratification of the flesh.

We need the scriptures and we need to be devoted to them.

The Outline, The Output

#3 THE OUTCOME

Proverbs 2:20-22

David said:

Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

Psalms 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”

Psalms 19:11 “Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

There is an outcome to devoting yourself to the Scriptures.

It produces discernment and deliverance.

NOW LOOK AT THE END RESULT of having discernment and deliverance.

(20) “So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous.”

Isn’t that what we’re after?

Isn’t that what we want?

Aren’t we striving to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,

To please Him in all respects?

Well that process begins with your devotion to the word of God.

BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER THAN THAT.

Look at what happens when you are sanctified before God.

GOD REWARDS IT.

(21-22) “For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.”

You see blessing.

· Namely you get to live in the land and remain in it.

This was the blessing of God to the children of Israel in the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 6:1-3 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”

The result of obedience has always been blessing from God.

THAT HAS NOT CHANGED.

Now, before, in the flesh, we didn’t have the strength to obey.

BUT WE NOW HAVE THE SPIRIT.

· And now, with the Spirit, we turn to God’s word

· With the power to obey

· And with the reality of blessing in our grasp.

You now can be blessed of God.

You now can rejoice in God’s goodness to you.

THAT IS THE OUTCOME OF SANCTIFICATION.

But fail to achieve sanctification…

“the wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.”

It doesn’t end well for the unsanctified.

Psalms 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”

That is what we are understanding here.

So do you want the blessing of God in your life?

THEN BE SANCTIFIED.

Do you want to be sanctified?

THEN YOU NEED DISCERNMENT AND DELIVERANCE

· Protection from evil men and strange women.

· You need to know who God is and what path to walk.

Do you want that discernment and deliverance?

Then RECEIVE the word.

Then EXAMINE the word.

Then ASK God to clarify the word.

Then DEVOTE yourself to the word.