This sermon delves into the Law of God as a starting point to understand the Grace of God. It emphasizes that while the Law reveals our need for grace, it cannot save or sanctify us. The message of the Law is summarized as 'be holy,' and its inability to make us perfect is highlighted. However, the Law serves to tutor us to Christ and reveal our sinfulness. The sermon explores how the demands of the Law are fulfilled through Jesus, who sets an example, pays the penalty, and empowers believers through grace for sanctification. It concludes with the importance of walking in the Spirit to fulfill the righteous requirement of the Law.

Growing in the Grace of God series, study number one, the Law of God. Let's pray together, shall we? Lord, we thank you for your good grace that has saved our souls, has sustained us through the years, and is at work in our lives even now as we trust in you. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to study on this grand theme of the scriptures, and we pray that you would move by the spirit of your grace to instruct us, equip us, edify us, encourage us, we pray, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. Growing in the Grace of God is our series of studies now. Growing in the Grace of God, grace for growing, we'll touch on scriptures that remind us that grace is for spiritual birthing, but the emphasis of these six studies, grace from God for growth and service and fruitfulness and victory and progress here in our pilgrimage on earth below. And interestingly enough, our first study in the series on the Grace of God is entitled, what else but, The Law of God. And if you've been in the scriptures some, you know that that is not a strange place to begin when you study on the Grace of God. Everyone starts out on this planet under law, condemned, alienated, separated from God, and they can only come into a relationship with God by grace, and law is God's way to introduce us to the Grace of God. Romans chapter 6, verse 14, a good starting place for us. Romans 6, 14, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. This is a great general statement by God Himself through the Apostle Paul to the saints of Rome, and any saints who would read this through the church age, we're not under law but under grace. In relating to God, in developing a life with God, Christians do that, believers do that, under terms of grace, not law. Law is about living up to rules and regulations by our own devoted ability. Grace is about God's provisions for us, and then His work in us, and then His ongoing work out through us. Praise the Lord that our relationship with Him does not begin or does it develop under terms of law. That doesn't mean the law is unimportant, it doesn't mean the law does not have a purpose, it's just that the law does not begin a relationship with God or develop a relationship with God. Galatians chapter 4, verse 21, this is a fascinating verse to introduce our study as well. Galatians 4, 21, tell me you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? You know, there is a natural human tendency to embrace the law, to want to function and live under the law, and I think one reason is because the law is so clear. Don't do this, you must do that. Grace is a bit more elusive at the start. It's not rules to keep, it's resources from God to receive, and it's a little bit more difficult to understand firsthand, first off. Another reason I think the law is kind of desired by man is the self-righteous tendency of humanity, that we want to qualify on our own performance for a relationship with God and the things of God. But here we read, tell me you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? Those who want to live under the law don't really hear how radical is the message of the law. In fact, we'll start there in our first heading, the law of God, its message. Then we'll look at the law of God, its inability. Then we'll look at the law of God, its ability. And then last in this section, the law of God, its fulfillment. So first of all, the message of the law, Leviticus 19. The message of the law, that is what it says. When you read the law, when you hear the law, what is it saying? Do the scriptures summarize the law so we can just get in a thought, the very heart of it? Leviticus 19 verse 1, and the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them, you shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father and keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols nor make for yourselves molded gods. I am the Lord your God. Here is a look at the law of God. In fact, some of the very parts of the heart of the law are quoted here. What is the heart of the law of God? Well, the Ten Commandments. And some of those Ten Commandments are mentioned here, are quoted here, are preached here, are cited here. And in this passage, which is about the law of God, there is a two-word summary of the law of God. A two-word summary, a way to take all of the law of God and just boil it down to two words. Do you see those two words? Be holy, be holy. That's what the law is saying. Be holy. How holy? Well, as holy as God. You shall be holy because I the Lord your God am holy. So the law demands holiness. And holiness is not measured by the most, quote, holy person you can find. It's defined by the only one who innately and always is infinitely and eternally holy, without sin, pure. Be holy, as holy as God. And of course, the implication is here, holiness, if you live up to the commandments, then you'll be demonstrating holiness. They are the holy commandments of a holy God. And then this passage is repeated in 1 Peter 1, verses 15 and 16. We won't read it. It just quotes right out of these verses. Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. So it's an Old Testament command and insight, and it's same God in the New Testament as in the Old, and it's repeated again in the New Testament. How else could we summarize the law of God looking to the word of God? Well, let's look at Matthew 5, 48. In Matthew 5, 48, here in Matthew 5, 48, the Lord has been teaching about the law, not everything that precedes here in the Sermon on the Mount is law, but there is a huge section of elaborating on the law of God, intensifying man's understanding of the law of God. Some of the Sermon on the Mount is not about law, it's about grace. Look at Matthew 5, 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's not law, that's grace. That's grace. To be blessed by being numbered among the poor in spirit, that is the spiritually bankrupt. Boy, that's strange. You mean it's a blessing to be spiritually bankrupt? Yeah, if you admit it, if you admit it, if you admit your righteousnesses are as filthy rags, that which we could do on our own is spiritually bankrupt, there's a blessing in that. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Why is that a blessing? For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven comes to those who admit their desperate spiritual state before God and ask Him to work in their lives. That's grace. But soon in the Sermon on the Mount, the teaching turns to an elaboration of the law of God. The pattern used is often, you have heard, but I say to you. You have heard that you should not commit adultery, but I say to you, you lust in your heart after another, you've already entered into adultery as far as God is concerned. And then, after intensifying our understanding of the law of God, Jesus gives a two-word summary of the law of God in Matthew 5.48. Therefore, you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Now, what's the two-word summary there? Be perfect. Be perfect. Not be better, not be better than the next person, but be perfect. Be perfect. What is the measure of perfection here in Matthew 5.48? God Himself. Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. The summary of the law is, be as perfect as God Himself. Again, Galatians 4.21, tell me you who desire to live under the law. Do you not hear the law? The law is not just saying, walk a path of an improved life. The Lord saved my soul the last week of 1965. Three years later, I was pastoring a little group in our living room. I thought it was just a home fellowship. They thought I was their pastor, and as it grew, it became a church and full church ministry, and we ministered there for 14 years with those dear saints. I seriously misinformed them early on as a pastor about the law of God. I think many a pastor has done that early on in their teaching. Here's how I would do it. I would read the commands of God. I would read the law of God. I would teach on it, and then I would summarize it. Here's how I summarized it. You'll notice I summarized it a little different than the Lord did. I summarized it like this. Here are these perfect high holy standards. Now, here's what God is saying. Do your best. Just do your best. And then I would add, what more could God require of you? I laugh now looking back. God was requiring of the saints way more than their best, right? The law says be as holy as God. Jesus said the law is summarized in be as perfect as the perfections of the Lord himself. I did not hear that. I did not see that. I was just using human reasoning. I mean, yeah, these are high and holy commandments, and God gives them, and my reasoning was just do the best you can. What more could God ask? And everybody's saying, thanks for that, amen, you know. But I was understating the law of God, the message of the law of God, be holy, be perfect. Now let's think in light of that, the inability of the law of God, Hebrews 7. The inability of the law of God, that is, what the law cannot do, Hebrews 7 verses 18 and 19. For on the one hand, there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness. For the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. Here the Lord reveals a weakness of the law, an area in which the law of the Lord is unprofitable, that is, that it does not bring with it a spiritual benefit. What is the weakness of the law? Where is the law unprofitable? Where is the law without provision? Well, verse 19, for the law made nothing perfect. The law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. What's the better hope? It's the grace of God. In our context, you can say it a lot of ways, but in our context of study, the better hope than the law of God is the grace of God through which we draw near to God. No one draws near to God through the law. You know, here's the law, Lord. Here's my performance. Now haven't I earned a place close to you? No one has ever drawn near to God that way. It's impossible. The law made nothing perfect. Now think about that. The law made nothing perfect. The law demands perfection, but it provides nothing by which to be perfected. It's the inability of the law. The law made nothing perfect. Now let's apply that, the inability of the law, to justification, then to sanctification. First in Galatians 2. In other words, apply it to new birth with the Lord, and then apply it to growth in the Lord. The inability of the law concerning justification, Galatians 2.16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh, no flesh, not one human being shall be justified. That is, declared righteous, declared godly, declared holy and acceptable, declared innocent of sin. Can't happen. The law cannot justify. And it's amazing, this verse states that three different times, three different ways. That no one is justified by works of the law, we're only justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Saved by grace through faith. Okay, there's one inability of the law right there. It can't justify people. It can't start people out with God. It can't begin a relationship for them with God. The law perfects nothing. Let's add to that, though, not how you start out with God, but how you go on with God. Not justification, but let's think about sanctification, daily progressive sanctification, and see that the law is weak there too, is unable to help. Just go to the next chapter, Galatians 3, verses 2 and 3. This only I want to learn from you, did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Now, this is staying on the theme of starting out with God. Did you receive the spirit initially, the spirit coming to dwell in your life, new birth in the spirit? Did that happen to you by works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Well, of course, it wasn't by works of the law. No one ever received the spirit by looking at the law of God, trying their hardest to live up to it until such a level of performance, God said, oh, that does it, okay, you now qualify for my spirit to bring your life and come to dwell in you. No, the law can't do that. No one's ever received the spirit that way. No one's ever been born of the spirit that way. Well, look at verse 3. Are you so foolish having begun in the spirit are you now being made perfect by the flesh now the shift has come to growth the shift has come to sanctification are you so foolish having begun in the spirit having been born again by the spirit having started out with God by the spirit of grace giving you new life are you now now that you're saved now that you're justified now that the holy spirit dwells in your heart are you now being made perfect by the flesh being made perfect that's progressive sanctification day-by-day transformation ongoing are we that foolish i've never met a christian who hadn't been that foolish at one time in their life including myself uh if you if you never thought this way you're probably quite the exception though there probably are no exceptions period you know God convinces us that we're sinners we're guilty we're alienated and we're far off from God and and and we want to walk with God we want to be God's child we want to be in his family when we want to come someday to his heaven and we humbly bow before him Lord Jesus I'm spiritually bankrupt I'm poor in spirit I call upon the name of the Lord I ask you forgive me a sinner and we're born again and justified in the sight of God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and we're a babe in Christ and here's an immature thought we have as we begin to grow okay now I know the Lord I'm forgiven I'm so appreciative I'm just going to do everything I possibly can to honor the Lord please the Lord serve the Lord and be like Christ and we just go for it and we're thinking you know that's all it takes appreciation devotion and my commitment you know watch me be a spiritual conqueror for the kingdom of heaven and sooner or later and usually sooner we fall flat on our face you know and often we get up and just okay I got to try harder I guess you know and we see some of the law of God the perfect holy standard of God okay I got to get going man I'm way short of that you know and and what's happening we are so foolish having begun in the spirit we think we can now be perfected by the flesh that is by by just using every ounce of natural human resource but now dedicated to the service of God it's one of the reasons Galatians was written to rescue us from that foolishness yes the law has an inability in it one of its inabilities it cannot justify people here's a second inability the law cannot sanctify people you might say then why even have the law around it's a bit of a burden you know anyway and someone might think in their recesses of their heart and mind I'll just ignore that no the law is important the scriptures say the law is holy just and good if one uses it lawfully by the way what would be unlawful uses of the law of God what would be illegal in the use of the law of God well trying to get people saved by the law or transformed by the law trying to get people justified by the law or sanctified by the law not allowed because the law can't do it then what can the law do my goodness if it can't save people or transform lives what can it possibly do well let's look at the ability of the law of God what God's law can do and it's very significant first let's take a general perspective Genesis through Deuteronomy often called the law the Torah or the Pentateuch the first five books of the Old Testament when you read those books when you study those books when you hear them preached what's happening there what what is the benefit when it comes to this issue of the law well that's the basic explanation of God's law right there in the first five books of the Bible it's first revealed there then expounded upon and taught upon then you go to a place in scripture like Matthew 5 6 and 7 the Sermon on the Mount and you find more instruction on the law of God even then intensifying from just external behavior to internal attitudes and desires what is the benefit of those sections of scripture for us just in a very general sense and we'll get more specific well both of those sections of scripture reveal God's character his holiness the law also reveals God's standards how he measures lives also those sections of scripture on the law of God reveal his will God wants people to be introduced to a holy life and then grow in it you might say that these sections of scripture show that the law of God is like a spiritual yardstick to measure life but it is not a resource to cause spiritual life to begin or to develop thinking about that term measuring rod or yardstick when I was young and growing up we had yardsticks around the house you know three foot long piece of wood we measured things with them and parents had other creative uses for them and I certainly experienced probably the creative use of them more than the measuring use but it makes me think of our children we have three children they're grown now like 37 38 39 and when they were young they loved the use of the yardstick for measuring that was a big thing it was like a a breakthrough plateau of development to go from a sub three foot person to higher than three feet you know and we had marks on the door frame here's the three foot goal you know we had little marks and initials as they grew up to that and our oldest of three is our only daughter Heidi a sweetheart she and her husband serving with us in the ministry and she was the smallest of course of our three though she was the oldest her brothers quickly outgrew her but she loved to be measured in those early days oh she wanted to reach that three foot plateau you know so we would back them up you know to the door stop and then and our door jam and then measure and put a mark you know and and so picture this Heidi stretching up to meet that standard and I measure her and oh sweetheart I'm sorry you're four inches short of the mark what if what if I had broken off four inches of that yardstick and said sweetie go in your room and chew on this and when you've eaten it and digested it come back and we'll measure again you know now why is that a ridiculous perspective on growth because a yardstick has nothing to do with causing growth it's only there to measure how much growth is developed how much life is there so it is with the law of God the law of God doesn't cause spiritual birth or growth it measures what's there or what's missing it's a measuring rod for spiritual life and of course we stand up there you know and we want to be measured by the Lord and we've tried hard and we're stretching up tall as as righteously as we can stand standing uprightly you know the Lord measures us and we fall woefully short for all of sin and fall short of the glory of God the law what is its ability well Romans 3 brings it to us in a couple of specifics Romans 3 19 and 20 now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin what is the ability of the law well here we're told three things number one every mouth is silenced before God by the law of God we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law you might think well that's the Jewish people yeah sure they were given the law but Gentiles also have the law where written upon their conscience so this is a word to everyone on earth Jew and Gentile alike and it stops every mouth the law of God what what if you and I stood before the Lord at the end of our lives and he said here's my law here's your life what's your explanation I mean you know what would you say you couldn't get you couldn't utter a self-justifying word the law silences every mouth but also it pronounces all the world guilty that all the world may become guilty before God it's the measuring rod we fall short the declaration from the law we are guilty and then third end of verse 20 by the law is the knowledge of sin we know what sin is because God has revealed it in his law the law of God it has much that it does and though it cannot birth or cause a life to grow it cannot justify or sanctify it can declare that we are desperately in need of justification and then subsequently following that sanctification of course in Galatians in Galatians chapter 3 verse 24 Galatians 3 24 therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith here is the great ultimate work of the law tutoring us to the Lord Jesus Christ before we came to know Jesus every time we heard the law read the law we're around when the law was taught or preached here's what the law was saying to us you need a savior and that's Christ Jesus the Lord the law was read you need a savior oh how many times I heard the law of God I grew up in a wonderful Christian home my daddy was in ministry all of his life from 19 when he was saved to 84 when he went home to be with the Lord gave a lot of his life to prison ministry and they kind of nicknamed him chaplain ray and he was a wonderful man and a godly man and we had a godly home and and we were at church it seems like seven days a week but I was playing games and sinning I wasn't listening and repenting but I heard the law a lot sometimes they literally laid the law down on me and though I fought against it not openly and loudly but quietly and firmly every time I heard that law was saying you need a savior Bob you need a savior you're a sinner Bob you need Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior God is so persistent I resisted guess who won out oh how great it was that end of 1965 to just say Lord I'm sorry I repent I'm guilty I'm a fool I need Jesus Lord forgive me a sinner it was the law that tutored me to that point and you as well also purpose of the law 1st Timothy chapter 1 1st Timothy chapter 1 verses 8 through 10 but we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous person but for the lawless and insubordinate so the law is for the rebellious and certainly that would apply to every sinner every unredeemed sinner but sometimes it there's an implication and an application for believers times of rebellion and hard-heartedness and self indulgence and as Galatians puts it walking according to the flesh Galatians 5 18 but if you're led by the Spirit you're not under the law put that together if you're led by the Spirit you're not under the law Christians when they don't let the Holy Spirit lead they practically put themselves day by day under the law God doesn't view believers as under the law we saw that in Romans 6 14 you're not under law but under grace but sometimes we try to put others under the law sometimes we ourselves are so indulgent and carnal and rebellious that we need to let the law do its work again the law can minister rebuke and need for humbling to rebellious carnal believers who are not walking by the Spirit so they're practically placing themselves back under the law that is a performance kind of life so the law of God though it cannot save and it cannot sanctify it can do all kinds of important things it's wholly just and good if you if you use it lawfully if you let God do with it what he intends to do with it and we do not try to use the law in unlawful areas like justification and sanctification well one other arena and this one's huge and we'll consider it for a few minutes we've looked at the message of the law be holy be perfect we've looked at the inability of the law the law can make nothing perfect we've looked at the ability of the law we've seen that the law silences every mouth it makes all the world guilty before God it gives us the knowledge of sin it tutors us to Christ and even can humble a proud rebellious carnal believer but what about this what about its fulfillment how are the demands of the law met in our lives you know in Matthew 5 17 Jesus said that he didn't come to abolish the law he came to fulfill the law we don't want to be abolishers of the law we don't want to go into the carnal trap of lawlessness so how is the law fulfilled in our lives well Jesus came to fulfill the law his demands the demands of the law be holy be perfect Jesus came to fulfill those demands free simple ways we can think of Jesus work in ministry to fulfill the law first by example he lived the life that exemplified the law of God if someone would say to us well what would a life look like that is in line with the law of God since all of sin and fall short of it what would a life look like well the ultimate answer to that is the Lord Jesus Christ he said I always do those things pleasing to the Heavenly Father he never transgressed the law of God even once so he fulfilled it becoming our example second he fulfilled the penalty of the law the soul that sins must die the wages of sin is death and the penalty separation from God Jesus fulfilled that part of the law too that's why he died on the cross third Jesus wants to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law by empowering us day by day along the path of godliness Colossians 1 27 Christ in you the hope of glory Christ living in us demonstrating his holy life out through us he wants to fulfill that as well now concerning the fulfillment of the law let's go back to justification and sanctification and see how the Lord wants to fulfill his law his holy righteous demands of his commands in the area of justification and sanctification and this is kind of leading up to our study next time together which is entitled the grace of God as we see the way the Lord fulfills his law is by a work of his grace Romans chapter 3 first justified freely by grace that's how he fulfills the demands of the law when it comes to new birth he justifies us freely by his grace Romans 3 21 but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets but now now in the church age now in the age of grace now in this great epistle which is about the gospel of grace but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed very key phrase apart from the law why because throughout the old testament and in the teaching of Jesus there is sermon on the mountain all the righteousness of God was being revealed but it wasn't apart from the law it was through the law being witnessed by the law and the prophets the righteousness of God in the law was the old testament revelation and when the prophets preached and wrote they talked about the righteousness of God but as a standard that was being transgressed again verse 21 but now now in the gospel now in Romans now in the church age but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed the righteousness of God is going to be spoken of not as a standard to be measured by but a resource of grace to receive verse 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe for there is no difference for all of sin and fall short of the glory of God so now there's a message coming from God through the apostles throughout this church age yeah it's about the righteousness of God but now not concentrating so much on the law as a righteous standard but God's grace as a resource to take care of our unrighteousness now we need to be found in that category of verse 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus justified freely by his grace that's how the demands of the law are fulfilled for that initial issue of new birth into the family of God being declared though we are sinners being declared by a holy God justified not guilty righteous in his sight that is done freely by God's grace free to us but it costs God everything it costs the father his dearly beloved son it cost his dearly beloved son his very life justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus redemption is about a price paid the price paid to buy us back from the slave market of sin and death and self it can only be found freely by his grace and this is a verse on justification how does God fulfill the demands of the law when it comes to new birth he justifies us freely by his grace if we just trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and his gracious work but our study series is not going to concentrate on justification oh it'll come up time and again but we're going to be concentrating on sanctification why because that's our subject growing in the grace of God this is a series of studies basically for believers who've already been justified by the grace of God oh it's good to be reminded of that and how it works and all but the great question for us is how to be sanctified how to grow in godliness how to grow in grace and it is again a matter of grace our last verse Romans 8 verse 4 amazing verse verse 3 what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh the weakness of the law here is uh drawn out that is our flesh you know we couldn't live up to the law that's another weakness of the law for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh our inadequacy God did what the law couldn't do God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin he condemned sin in the flesh the law could not remove the sin problem so God took care of it by sending his son and to what end did his son come and carry out redemption's work to this end verse 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit familiar verse probably but let me ask you how long has it been since you stopped meditated on it thought and prayed about it and were struck again by the absolute majesty of this verse Jesus coming to deal with sin at the cross was to this end this was included in it verse 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us I ask you what is the righteous requirement of the law could you give me a two-word summary of the righteous requirement of the law be holy be perfect that's the righteous requirement of the law the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to die at the cross and be raised victoriously over sin and death and the resurrection it was that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us in us in our lives you mean there's a way to be holy be perfect yeah there's a way to proceed in that to progress in that to grow in that Romans 8 4 is not a verse about justification we've read a lot of verses on that theme it's not about justification Romans 4 is about sanctification sanctification Romans 8 4 is not about new birth it's about new growth there's one word in Romans 8 4 that makes it absolutely clear that it's not a justification verse which would be an instantaneous Lord I believe in you Lord Jesus declared immediately righteous in the sight of God it's not that kind of verse it's more about the day by day progress in the faith do you see the one word in Romans 8 4 that makes it a sanctification verse walk walk in the spirit walk we are born again of the spirit now that we're born of the spirit God wants us to learn to walk in the spirit see walk is a day by day step by step progressive term and that's the place that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us in our daily walk you might say well wait a minute I know some Christians said there's no indication the righteous requirement of the law is being fulfilled in them in a developing growing day by day walk in godliness well sure and the reason is the rest of the verse fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit when we walk according to the flesh day by day whether it's fleshly indulgence or whether it is fleshly self-righteousness hey how am I I'm doing great aren't I I'm trying hard and coming through you know no whether it's fleshly indulgence or fleshly self-righteousness the righteous requirement of the law is not fulfilled in that life but those who walk according to the spirit they want to trust in the spirit by the way twice in the bible the holy spirit is called the spirit of grace in Zechariah 12 and then in Hebrews 10 the spirit of grace those who walk yielded to the holy spirit day by day the spirit pours out grace upon their lives that's how the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us by the spirit of grace applying the grace of god not not just as a forgiving receiving graciousness but as a transforming resource from heaven above that just changes where we think and walk and talk and live sanctified by grace that will be the central theme those who walk in dependence upon the holy spirit they're allowing Jesus to live in and through their lives which is God's grace dynamically at work in us God's law reveals our great need for his grace God's grace applied by dependent humble trust changes our lives day by day more and more to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ well let's pray together shall we Lord we thank you for your law we thank you for the appetite it gives us for grace we thank you that your grace is your way to fulfill the demands of your law Lord as we study in this series of teachings together may each of us be learning how to be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in his name we pray amen