Fulfilling God's Law “In order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). If the Holy Spirit resides within us, we will be able to fulfill the demands of God’s law. Augustine once said, “Grace was given, in order that the law might be fulfilled.” When God saves us He, by His Spirit, creates within us the ability to obey His perfect law. Because we now live “according to the Spirit”—walking by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit—we are able to do the righteous things God’s law requires. Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord no longer expects His law to be lived out only by means of an external code of ethics? Now holiness, righteousness, and obedience to the law are internal, the products of the indwelling Holy Spirit (see Ezek. 11:19-20). God’s salvation is more than a spiritual transaction by which He imputed Christ’s righteousness to us. It is more than a forensic action by which He judicially declared us righteous. As great and vital as those doctrines are, they were not applied to us apart from God’s planting His Spirit within our hearts and enabling our lives to manifest the Spirit’s fruit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). We need to remind ourselves regularly that God’s purpose for us after He redeemed us was that we might live a holy life filled with good works (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14). Whenever you are disobedient to God’s will and purpose, you are quenching the Holy Spirit and fighting against yourself and what you know is right. Such disobedience makes about as much sense as the person who holds his breath for no reason and therefore makes his lungs resist their natural function. The believer who disobeys, especially one who persists in a sin, prevents the Spirit from naturally leading him along the path of holiness.

Sermon Summary: "The Running Man" (Jonah 1) This sermon, preached at Covenant Church of Perrysburg on September 14, 2025, explores the opening chapter of the Book of Jonah, focusing on the theme of human rebellion against God's call and His sovereign pursuit in response. Titled "The Running Man," it portrays Jonah as a reluctant prophet who flees from divine mission, highlighting God's relentless grace amid disobedience. The message draws directly from Jonah 1 (ESV), emphasizing that no one can outrun God's purposes. Below is a structured summary with main points, subpoints, and key Bible verses quoted verbatim from the English Standard Version (ESV). Main Point 1: God's Sovereign Call God initiates His plan by commissioning Jonah, revealing His concern for even the most unlikely recipients of mercy (Nineveh, Israel's enemy). - Subpoint 1.1: The Word Comes to Jonah God speaks directly to His prophet, underscoring that divine missions often involve uncomfortable obedience. Key Verse (Jonah 1:1-2 ESV): "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.'" - Subpoint 1.2: The Urgency of the Task Nineveh's wickedness demands immediate action, showing God's heart for repentance over judgment. Main Point 2: Jonah's Foolish Flight Despite knowing God's character, Jonah chooses self-preservation over submission, illustrating the futility of running from the Creator. - Subpoint 2.1: Deliberate Rebellion Jonah heads in the opposite direction, from Israel's heartland toward the distant Tarshish, symbolizing a rejection of God's global compassion. Key Verse (Jonah 1:3 ESV): "But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord." - Subpoint 2.2: The Illusion of Escape Jonah's actions reveal a deeper prejudice against God's mercy for outsiders, a common human tendency to limit divine love.

Question 37 How does the Holy Spirit help us? The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word. EPHESIANS 6:17–18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Commentary JOHN OWEN The Holy Spirit dwelling in us gives guidance and direction. Fundamentally, habitually, he enlightens our minds, give us eyes, understandings, shines into us, translates us from darkness into marvelous light, whereby we are able to see our way, to know our paths, and to discern the things of God.… He gives a new light and understanding, whereby, in general, we are enabled to “discern, comprehend, and receive spiritual things.” … Strength comes as well as light, by the pouring out of the Spirit on us; strength for the receiving and practice of all his gracious discoveries to us.… From this indwelling of the Spirit we have supportment. Our hearts are very ready to sink and fail under our trials; indeed, a little thing will cause us so to do: flesh, and heart, and all that is within us, are soon ready to fail.… The Spirit helpeth, bears up that infirmity which is ready to make us go double. LEO SCHUSTER I’ve always been struck by Jesus’s words: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” They are a humbling and refreshing reminder that our need, from first to last, isn’t partial, but total. By giving us the Holy Spirit, Christ has given us all we need and more, from first to last. The Holy Spirit gives us life. He fills our life and points us to the One who is life. He gives us life in that our starting point is not simply that we’re spiritually needy, but that we are dead in sin. Our spiritual life begins when the Holy Spirit regenerates us, giving us new life. When he turns our heart of stone into a heart of flesh, he makes the truth of God’s Word real to us, and we freely embrace Christ as he’s offered to us in the gospel. This reminds us that being a Christian isn’t about being a better person but about being a new person, by God’s grace alone, through faith alone.

Question 35 Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through faith alone, where does this faith come from? All the gifts we receive from Christ we receive through the Holy Spirit, including faith itself. TITUS 3:4–6 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Commentary FRANCIS SCHAEFFER We must realize that Christianity is the easiest religion in the world, because it is the only religion in which God the Father and Christ and the Holy Spirit do everything. God is the Creator; we have nothing to do with our existence, or the existence of other things. We can shape other things, but we cannot change the fact of existence. We do nothing for our salvation because Christ did it all. We do not have to do anything. In every other religion we have to do something … but with Christianity we do not do anything; God has done it all: He has created us and He has sent His Son; His Son died and because the Son is infinite, therefore he bears our total guilt. We do not need to bear our guilt, nor do we even have to merit the merit of Christ. He does it all. So in one way it is the easiest religion in the world. Collin Hansen, ed., The New City Catechism Devotional: God’s Truth for Our Hearts and Minds (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 153–154.