The Battle Of Identity 2 by Pastor Poju Oyemade: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Inward Man and the Outward Man

We have been speaking on the series of the new man in Christ Jesus — his work, his warfare, and his worship. The real essence of this series, termed in theological circles as new creation realities, is foundational to what we have today as the charismatic faith movement — truths that may be sleeping away today.

You have the inward man and the outward man. 2 Corinthians 4:16 talks about the outward man that perishes — though your outward man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day. Everything and function that the outward man carries out, the inward man also has the exact spiritual dimension to it. As the outward man feeds, the inner man feeds. As the outward man puts on clothes, you can also wear clothes in the inward man — and just as a person can be naked in the natural, a person can be naked in the realm of the spirit.

The Bible talks about putting on the whole armor of God, putting on Jesus, putting on the new man who is created in a certain way, and putting off the old man. The outward man feeds — that is what Jesus was saying when he said man shall not live by bread alone. But the inward man feeds upon God's word.

The emphasis of Christianity is not with the outward man. The emphasis of Christianity is with the inward man. That is why Peter says let it not be the outward adorning — not that you shouldn't do that — but the emphasis is on the hidden man of the heart, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit in the sight of God.

Jesus was saying your life is more than the food that you eat, the clothes that you put on. Don't let all your prayers be about catering for the outward man. Let your prayers be directed toward strengthening the inward man — that you are strengthened with might by his Spirit in your inner man. If the inward man is developing and growing as he should, he will be the one that will take care of all the outward things. He will be in a position to speak to the storm and the storm will be still. He will sustain the infirmities of the flesh — the spirit of a man will sustain the infirmity of his flesh.

The Inward Man Never Dies

When someone dies, what happened is that the inner man who was living in that body simply changed his geographical location. The Christian worldview on death is that the same way a person may be living in your neighborhood and then relocates to another country and you feel their absence — so it is when a person dies. The outward man is what remains. That is why James 2:26 says as the body without the spirit is dead. The spirit simply left and relocated somewhere else.

Jesus spoke about this in Luke 16:19-24 — the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. Lazarus was a beggar lying at his gates full of sores. These were outward man dynamics. But when the beggar died, the inner man dynamics came into view — he was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died and was buried, and in hell he lifted up his eyes. He could still see, still recognize, still feel — the inner man was alive. He had a tongue. He could feel the heat. He thought the same dynamics from earth applied in heaven — still trying to send Lazarus as an errand. That is the urgency of the hour: the inner man is the one that really, really counts.

The inner man will change things on the outside — don't misunderstand — but the focus of Christianity first of all is that inner man. If you get the inner man right, you have things on the outside. But if you are not feeding the inner man the same way you lose physical strength from not eating, you lose spiritual strength from not reading the word of God. 1 Peter 2:2 — as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word of God, that you may grow thereby.

Known After the Flesh vs. Known After the Spirit

2 Corinthians 5:16 — henceforth we know no man after the flesh. Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him no more after the flesh. There are people who say they know you, but the person they know is that outward man. They have no idea who the inner man is. No man knows the things of a man except the spirit of that man.

When people say they know you — "we were classmates," "we were roommates" — and they are still interpreting you after the flesh, that is a problem. Sometimes God is raising somebody and people are still interpreting that person by what they used to be. If you surround yourself with people that know you after the flesh, you won't accomplish anything on this earth.

The Battle of Identities in the Life of Jesus

Look at the life of Jesus in Matthew 13:54-57 — when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, and they were astonished. It was the inward man teaching. They said, "Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works?" Then they went to the flesh — "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his brethren James, Joses, Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" They could not understand how the man they thought they knew was doing things they could not comprehend.

In John 6:42 — they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?" The one speaking was the new man — that is the identity Jesus was conscious of. He wasn't living by what they said he was. He was living by who God said he was.

No natural man knew — but demons knew. Because it is a spiritual thing. When he came out, they said, "We know who thou art — thou art Christ." Once you step into your new identity, that is where warfare starts. Any time Jesus talked about his identity, there was a battle.

John 6:35 — when they asked for bread, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." When he said, "I and my Father are one" — John 10:30 — the next verse says they took up stones immediately. Warfare. "Many good works have I shown you from my Father. For which of these works do you stone me?" They answered, "For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy." To give yourself this identity was considered blasphemy.

If you stand with your identity before God and develop it, people will enjoy the benefits. But the day you tell them who you are, you must remain in the cage they have assigned you. They will take the benefits of your identity but fight you for claiming it.

John 8:56-59 — Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." They replied, "Thou art not yet fifty years old and hast thou seen Abraham?" Next verse — Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am." They took up stones immediately. Any time you declare your identity, warfare comes.

John 11:25 — Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Because of that consciousness, when they told him Lazarus was dead, as far as he was concerned, the man was asleep and they were going to wake him up. Raising the dead was as easy to him in his consciousness as waking someone up. If something is hard for you, God cannot do it through you — it has to become possible to you.

When they sought to crucify Jesus, the things they used against him were all these identity declarations. Mark 14:57-59 — they bore false witness saying, "We heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands." He knew his body was the temple. He was saying God is not in the building — he is inside me.

The New Creation Reality You Must Walk In

Galatians 2:20 — I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me. The life in you is Christ. The way he was talking is the same way Christ is talking through you now. You are one spirit together with Jesus, a joint heir.

We have come to a place in Christianity where if you speak about who you are and the fact that the environment cannot dominate you, people will criticize you. But Daniel and his friends — the environment could not dominate them.

Your Words Authorize What God Can Do

All spiritual truths are activated with your voice — which means they are made operational. Jesus constantly must have been saying, "I am the resurrection and the life." Constantly must have been saying, "I shine in darkness." Constantly must have been saying, "If I lay my hands on the sick, they will recover." He was continuously speaking forth these things.

God cannot do in your life what your words do not authorize him to do. If you speak according to the limitations of the flesh, God is bound by those words. If he intends to do something through you and has made you someone — that is why people like John the Baptist, when asked "who are you?" brought out his identity from scripture: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Jesus opened scripture and said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." What we are looking for now is that you bring your own identity out of scriptures.

If you say, "I cannot succeed in Nigeria except I leave this country," then it is until you leave that the possibility opens — not because of the country but because of what you said. God goes to look for someone who will open their mouth wide, who will speak according to what the Spirit of God has revealed.

When God went to Abraham, he didn't give Abraham a gift — he changed his identity. He said, "A father of many nations have I made thee" — and he changed his name to reflect that.

Hebrews 11:13 — they saw the promises afar off, were persuaded, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They became strange to people around them. As a Christian you cannot be blending in.

Look at Jairus — Mark 5:21-23. He came to Jesus and said, "My little daughter lieth at the point of death. I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her that she may be healed, and she shall live." Jesus went with exactly what he said. Later they told him, "Thy daughter is dead. Why troublest thou the master any further?" Jesus said, "Be not afraid, only believe." When he entered the house, he took the damsel by the hand — because Jairus said, "Come and lay your hand." He raised Lazarus without touching him, but with Jairus, he operated exactly according to what Jairus said. He knows more than what you are saying, but he can only do what you are saying.

Jesus was raised up from the dead on the third day because he gave God the legal authority to do it by the words he spoke before he died. He said, "I will die and on the third day I will rise again." In other words, prepare for all inevitables with your declaration. Declare what will happen next.

Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we thank you for your word and by the power of your Spirit, we ask that you establish us in this truth and cause it to bring forth massive fruit in our lives, in Jesus name. Amen.