Sermons from Good News: believe in your heart

Church 12/13/2023

Sermon message:

Thesis: Believe in your heart

The Bible makes it clear that this is important.

Mark 11:23

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Believe, “…and shall not doubt in his heart”

Romans 10:9

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

It doesn’t say: “believe in your head” or “believe with your thoughts”

A saying by a wise man of the faith: “You can doubt in your head and faith in your heart and still receive. But it is better to believe in both your head and your heart.”

Romans 10:10

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Question of what is our heart:

Regarding the thing in your chest that pumps blood… that’s not what we are talking about.

The Bible doesn’t say to believe with a particular flesh and blood part of yourself.

But you can believe with your spirit.

Point #1: You are a three part being.

Your spirit is your core. You also have a soul (mind and emotions). And you have a body.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your spirit is the main thing. Your soul will go with your spirit when you die and exit the body.

You are a spirit that has a soul that lives in a body.

God made man in His image.

John 4:24 God is Spirit. Those who worship must do so in spirit and in truth.

Your spirit is the heart of man.

Believing in your heart means believing and agreeing in your spirit. This is why you need to guard your spirit and not let evil spirits

Point #2: Paul explains importance of spirit.

Romans 2:28-29

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Being a believer not outwardly but inwardly. Similarly circumcision not of the flesh but of the heart. (As a Jewish follower of God.)

It’s your heart and your spirit that believes unto God.

Jesus is explaining what it means to be born again to Nicodemus one of the Pharisees.

John 3:1-2

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

How do you get born again? Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 3:3-6

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Except a man a born of water and is the spirit…

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your spirit is born again.

Mark 11:23 and Romans 10:9

Our minds might doubt. We can and must renew our minds Romans 12:2 (see further down) to rid ourselves of the doubt.

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

1 Corinthians 14:14

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

When praying in tongues our spirits pray but our souls won’t understand.

Therefore 1 Corinthians 14:15

What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

My spirit can bypass the soul realm and pray directly to the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Sometimes we have to use our spirits to bring our bodies under subjection. Our spirits should be in charge, over our minds (souls) and bodies.

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The real you is a spirit. Your soul is your mind and emotions which needs to be renewed daily, and your body which must be brought under subjection.

Luke 16:19-26 - The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

The point of the above is that you will still exist after you die. The real you, your spirit, will go to another place.

☑We need to feed our spirits, in order to truly believe on Jesus in our hearts.

(My translation: to "tattoo myself on the inside with the Word of God" so that I can't help but think of it all the time, no matter what. And of course, you need to be doing this, too.)

This is why guarding your heart is critical. This is why you need to have the armor of God on all the time. This is why you need to renew your mind daily. This is why you must bring your body into subjection to your spirit. This is why you need to sow to the spirit and not to the flesh.