1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,872 So we're talking about the life of the Christian as he walks in his justified state, living 2 00:00:05,872 --> 00:00:06,973 that life of sanctification. 3 00:00:07,207 --> 00:00:09,442 And as I said, we have touched on this a couple of times before. 4 00:00:09,909 --> 00:00:13,480 There's a few more things just to make sure we get going here. 5 00:00:14,114 --> 00:00:16,549 Sanctification is not a simple thing. 6 00:00:16,750 --> 00:00:18,718 It's not automatic. 7 00:00:18,852 --> 00:00:19,552 It takes work. 8 00:00:20,253 --> 00:00:25,158 So even though sanctification always grows out of justification, sanctification is something 9 00:00:25,158 --> 00:00:26,993 you consciously work at. 10 00:00:27,093 --> 00:00:28,395 It takes effort. 11 00:00:28,395 --> 00:00:30,697 It takes commitment on your part. 12 00:00:30,930 --> 00:00:32,098 It doesn't happen simply. 13 00:00:33,099 --> 00:00:33,733 That's a given. 14 00:00:34,067 --> 00:00:38,004 And most of you who have been living the life of sanctification for a while know that. 15 00:00:39,205 --> 00:00:40,173 Not an easy thing. 16 00:00:40,907 --> 00:00:41,908 It takes real diligence. 17 00:00:42,675 --> 00:00:44,911 So we need to realize that. 18 00:00:45,111 --> 00:00:51,484 And we need to realize that faith always produces good works. 19 00:00:52,485 --> 00:00:52,919 Always. 20 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:54,954 It is not an option. 21 00:00:56,356 --> 00:01:03,296 And our problem that we have as Lutherans is because faith alone saves us. 22 00:01:04,364 --> 00:01:05,065 Faith alone. 23 00:01:05,899 --> 00:01:06,433 No works. 24 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:08,368 Good works are bad. 25 00:01:09,035 --> 00:01:14,774 Because faith alone saves us, we have a problem with wondering, well, what about good works? 26 00:01:15,975 --> 00:01:21,047 Luther was fond of saying, faith alone, but, I think Luther said this, but not him, at 27 00:01:21,047 --> 00:01:21,815 least Kolb. 28 00:01:21,815 --> 00:01:24,050 Faith alone, but faith is never alone. 29 00:01:25,852 --> 00:01:28,988 We are saved by faith alone, but faith is never alone. 30 00:01:29,622 --> 00:01:32,292 So in other words, faith will always lead to good works. 31 00:01:32,992 --> 00:01:34,294 Always always always. 32 00:01:34,694 --> 00:01:40,033 The good works do not save, do not confirm the faith, do not make the faith stronger, 33 00:01:40,133 --> 00:01:42,769 do not make the faith better, do not make you more saved. 34 00:01:43,069 --> 00:01:45,572 The good works are always the outcome of faith. 35 00:01:46,072 --> 00:01:46,272 Always. 36 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:50,210 And if there are no good works, what is the only conclusion you can reach? 37 00:01:51,344 --> 00:01:52,545 There is no faith. 38 00:01:53,346 --> 00:01:54,147 That's exactly right. 39 00:01:54,481 --> 00:01:56,883 Which leads us back to the whole church discipline thing again. 40 00:01:58,051 --> 00:01:59,152 Chris, you got a thought? 41 00:02:00,153 --> 00:02:04,023 Yeah, I was just going to say, well then that gives us the ability to judge. 42 00:02:04,591 --> 00:02:07,527 Which a lot of people really harp on us. 43 00:02:07,794 --> 00:02:08,027 Yes they do. 44 00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:12,532 Jesus said, judge not lest you be judged, and you get that verse quoted at you all the 45 00:02:12,532 --> 00:02:17,770 time, but St. Paul also said, and Jesus also said, by your fruits you will know them, and 46 00:02:17,770 --> 00:02:22,208 St. Paul said, judge the brother, and judge each other's works. 47 00:02:22,709 --> 00:02:25,979 So the fact of the matter is, we are supposed to judge within the church. 48 00:02:26,112 --> 00:02:27,547 That's what we do when we care about each other. 49 00:02:27,947 --> 00:02:31,885 The not judging rule is, you don't judge someone else's faith standing before God, because 50 00:02:31,885 --> 00:02:32,252 you don't know. 51 00:02:32,352 --> 00:02:33,086 That's God's business. 52 00:02:33,586 --> 00:02:34,621 I don't need to judge unbelievers. 53 00:02:34,888 --> 00:02:39,559 But do I judge my fellow brother, and I say, your Christian walk stinks right now, that's 54 00:02:39,559 --> 00:02:39,993 appropriate. 55 00:02:40,793 --> 00:02:41,794 It's absolutely appropriate. 56 00:02:41,995 --> 00:02:43,163 We need to be doing that. 57 00:02:43,396 --> 00:02:44,664 And I expect others to do that for me. 58 00:02:44,664 --> 00:02:48,334 Someone will look at me and say, you're being a little bit hypocritical or whatever. 59 00:02:48,535 --> 00:02:49,402 That's appropriate. 60 00:02:49,769 --> 00:02:51,538 We do that because we care about each other. 61 00:02:52,105 --> 00:02:53,373 And you're exactly right. 62 00:02:53,673 --> 00:02:57,710 As soon as you try to talk that way, you get jumped on as being unloving, you're judging, 63 00:02:57,944 --> 00:03:02,482 you can't do that, and you get all these people who think they know their scripture, who are 64 00:03:02,482 --> 00:03:05,552 about this deep and know nothing about the real application. 65 00:03:06,352 --> 00:03:09,088 And they're usually the most annoying people you have to deal with. 66 00:03:11,191 --> 00:03:11,724 All right. 67 00:03:12,625 --> 00:03:13,326 I'm sorry? 68 00:03:14,494 --> 00:03:14,961 Yeah. 69 00:03:15,328 --> 00:03:16,696 This is the whole point of James. 70 00:03:17,063 --> 00:03:19,232 Good works, faith without works is dead. 71 00:03:20,233 --> 00:03:20,867 He's right. 72 00:03:21,501 --> 00:03:22,402 He's exactly right. 73 00:03:22,769 --> 00:03:24,070 Now, do those works justify? 74 00:03:24,337 --> 00:03:24,637 Never. 75 00:03:25,338 --> 00:03:26,105 It's a different issue. 76 00:03:26,339 --> 00:03:28,274 But the works are always there. 77 00:03:29,342 --> 00:03:32,712 So that's why we can say things like, good works are necessary. 78 00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:34,147 Because they are. 79 00:03:34,681 --> 00:03:38,885 And that's why we can even say things like, you have an obligation to do good works. 80 00:03:39,719 --> 00:03:40,353 Because you do. 81 00:03:41,854 --> 00:03:42,722 For salvation? 82 00:03:43,022 --> 00:03:43,289 No. 83 00:03:43,556 --> 00:03:44,290 Of course not. 84 00:03:45,725 --> 00:03:46,693 For the sake of your neighbor. 85 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,964 For the sake of, this is what God wants you to do to accomplish his purposes. 86 00:03:51,364 --> 00:03:55,368 So you do good works because this is God's will for you to do them. 87 00:03:55,468 --> 00:03:59,005 And because faith prompts them and drives them. 88 00:03:59,372 --> 00:04:00,506 Faith produces this. 89 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:01,507 It can't help it. 90 00:04:02,976 --> 00:04:06,613 Luther had this rather famous quote which gets quoted in the Formula of Concord where 91 00:04:06,613 --> 00:04:10,583 it says, faith is a living, busy, active thing before it even is told to do some good 92 00:04:10,583 --> 00:04:10,750 works. 93 00:04:10,850 --> 00:04:11,684 It's already doing them. 94 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:13,052 That's the idea here. 95 00:04:13,186 --> 00:04:14,787 Faith just pops out good works. 96 00:04:15,054 --> 00:04:15,989 And it does that. 97 00:04:17,190 --> 00:04:17,991 Not always. 98 00:04:18,358 --> 00:04:18,992 But it does. 99 00:04:19,826 --> 00:04:20,059 You know what I mean? 100 00:04:20,093 --> 00:04:23,763 There are times when you might have faith but you're still kind of struggling with the 101 00:04:23,763 --> 00:04:24,330 good works thing. 102 00:04:24,430 --> 00:04:26,666 And sometimes you do good works just because you know you need to. 103 00:04:26,699 --> 00:04:29,102 And that's what we talked about on Monday a little bit. 104 00:04:30,470 --> 00:04:30,870 All right. 105 00:04:31,271 --> 00:04:36,576 One of the best ways for us to do good works or where we do our good works is in our vocation. 106 00:04:36,576 --> 00:04:41,047 And this is one of the things that Veith has a nice chapter about vocation. 107 00:04:41,614 --> 00:04:43,683 And I really encourage you to just zip through that one. 108 00:04:43,983 --> 00:04:45,351 The idea of vocation.