OUGHT TO's

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:19-31

Many times, we find ourselves saying something like this: “I ought to do this, or I ought to do that.”

There are many things we ought to do, and in fact, need to do. As we look at the Christian life, we find things that we

This passage tells us at least three things we must do as we draw near to God. These are not listed in the order of the greatest importance to the least – just that they are all vital to our drawing near to God.

 First of all –

The Christian OUGHT TO go to worship services

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:25-27

We are commanded to assemble ourselves together.

Why? To exhort (encourage one another.

There is danger in failing to assemble together.

Willful sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth.

“He that remembers not to keep the Christian sabbath at the first of the week, will be in danger before the end of the week --- that is the danger of forgetting, in his daily living – that he is a Christian.

There is another danger when we skip the gathering with fellow Christians in weekly worship together – Flaming Fire – the penalty of eternal destruction.

For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8  - 

As we consider our call to worship together, we find that:

The Christian OUGHT TO support the church financially

1 Corinthians 16:2 – “On the first day of the week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper…”

I read once of a person from a foreign country visiting with a friend here in the US, noticed his friend placing an offering in the plate during the worship service.

He asked his friend, “Do you have to pay to go to church?”

His friend said this in answer to the question: “No, but I give 10% of my income to the church for God’s work.”

Later, at lunch in a restaurant, the visitor also saw his friend putting money at his plate, and he asked his friend why he did that.

The American friend told him that “it is customary to leave a 15% tip for the waitress.”

The foreign visitor then said, “Oh, then you think more of her services than you do of God’s services?

Next,

The Christian OUGHT TO support the church in giving of talents and time

Paul writes to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:14) –  

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

– Do not neglect the gift that is in you.

1 Corinthians 7:7 – “….. each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.”

In 1 Corinthians 12:25, Paul speaks of another area of support – Support and care of one another.

“…so that there may be no divisions in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.”

What does this same care for one another look like:

1.    Suffering with one another.

2.    Rejoicing with one another.

3.    Why? We are members of the same Body – many members, but One Body (vs 20).

How do we repay kindness? D. L. Moody said he once showed kindness to a friend. The friend hopes to one day be able to repay the kindness. But Moody said: “Don’t wait to repay me. Repay it to the first person (in need) comes along.”

The third “Ought To” for the Christian is:

The Christian OUGHT TO - READ THE BIBLE.

Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.

At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.

2 Timothy 4:14-17

The Scriptures are our Guidebook – they contain the truths that are able to make us wise unto salvation.

2 Timothy 2:15 encourages us to study to show ourselves approved – fit, able to accurately handle the truth.

We must read God’s Word to know what we believe and why we believe it.

Robert Ketchem wrote in ‘God’s Provision for Normal Christian Living this: “The Bible lying on your table at home is much more than you might think.”

It is not simply a book to find verses to comfort a friend; or for a devotional talk; or a text for Sunday’s sermon….

What can the Bible be to you – and should be to you? The Bible can be – and should be – the Lord Jesus Christ – Himself – as you read it, believe it, obey it – and share it.

So many people say – as their reason (excuse) for not reading the Bible – “I don’t get anything out of it, I don’t understand it.”

When that is the excuse for not reading the Bible – I don’t get anything out of it – then what they are really saying is this: “I am getting nothing out of Jesus.”

Another “ought to” for the Christian is that we:

The Christian OUGHT TO Pray

Paul tells us in 1Thessalonians 5:17 – “pray without ceasing.”

James tells us in his letter to Christians: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and PRAY for one another (why?) so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,”

Paul teaches in Ephesians 6:18 that the prayers from the church preserve the saints.

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”

He goes on to request that the church prays for him that he will preach boldly what he ought to speak.

And then,

The Christian OUGHT TO be a Soul Winner. 

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The simple – but vital – message in those verses is this: Go – Teach – Baptize – Teach.

Romans 13:11 says it is high time to wake up from our sleep. Salvation is nearer than we think.

The sharing of the Gospel message should be contagious.

Romans 13:11: “Do, this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep: for now, salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

 In our language, we would say it like this: “It is high time to wake up from our sleep.”

Belief in Jesus Christ as Lord – the Savior of the world – should be contagious.

A preacher once had a sermon he called, “What Kind of Religions Do You Have?”

His three points were:

1.    Do you have religion?

2.    Do you have the catchin’ kind?

3.    How many have caught it from you?

You know, it is a great thing when a little boy looks up to his Daddy so much that he decides he wants to be just like his Daddy.

The story is told of a little boy who told his mother, “When I grow up, I want to be a church member just like Daddy. Nobody knows whether he is a Christian or not.”

That is a really sad situation – a tragedy – This dad was so quiet about his relationship with the Lord that his immediate family never heard him talk about Jesus. And his little boy wanted to be just like him.

These words were penned by an unknown author:

“If you really love the Savior and your all in Him have found,

You’ll be happy for the privilege just to “pass the word around.”

If your Christianity is worth saving – it is worth sharing.