Yesterday, Today Tomorrow

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-12

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have
rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am
sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

Yesterday’s Man
 Saul was 40 years of age when he became yesterday’s man

 Moses 80 years of age before he became today’s man

 You can be young and yet be yesterday’s man – yesterday’s man is a man that has lost God’s
favour; he has lost God’s blessing.

King Saul had a good beginning but a bad finish. King Saul was known to lie, have bouts of jealousy
and over step his calling. He became full of himself; he elevated himself above God. The last straw
was when Saul decided to oversee the sacrifice that Samuel was supposed to oversee. Signs of
becoming yesterday’s man:

1. Feeling threatened by someone else’s anointing

12
Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul.
1 Samuel 18:12
2. Consumed with jealousy
7
As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of
thousands.” 8 Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited
David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands.
1 Samuel 18:7-8

3. Intent of containing other ministries

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And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. 10 The next day an evil spirit
from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David
was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled
it, saying to himself, “I'll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
1 Samuel 18:9-11

You can be yesterday’s man, and still function in your gifts. Spiritual gifts are without repentance in
other words they are irrevocable. Saul continued as king for many years after the anointing had left
him.

The scary thing is that you can be yesterday’s man without even realising it. You could not have told
Saul that he was yesterday’s man; he was still wearing the crown; he was still in office.

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Today’s Man
When you are today’s man:

1. Sometimes, God calls you to distance yourself from yesterday’s man. This may mean that
you need to move church at some time. It may be that you need to leave a church that
everyone think is still doing great things – Samuel was the only person that knew the God
had rejected Saul.

2. God will often put you in a difficult position: Samuel had to anoint the king whilst the old
King was still reigning.

Arthur Blessit - Paige Street.

Sometimes God asks you to do things that you would not normally do. The
difference: yesterday’s man does his own thing; today’s man leaves his own plan and
follows God’s plan.

In the 1700s, John Wesley was offended because George Whitfield preached in the
fields. As a result thousands came to Jesus.

You see that today’s man is not afraid of controversy, but will do things God’s way,
even when it brings trouble with others or when others misunderstand and question
their integrity.

3. May send you to find tomorrow’s man – discernment of Spirit’s – is not only discerning of
evil spirits, but of discerning those on whom rests the anointing of the Holy Spirit
a. recognise the Spirit
b. identify what the Spirit is doing and move in that direction
Paul; Busker; Jeff Lucas

Tomorrow’s Man
Finally, we come to tomorrow’s man or tomorrow’s woman. Again, three things distinguish
tomorrow’s man or woman:

1) Don’t Seek the Anointing

David’s was an anointing that he didn’t seek. Many people may have though that he was
nothing. Even his own family thought he had nothing – Jesse brought out all of David’s
brother’s for Samuel to see. Samuel asked if there was another – well there was the
youngest; a young, small insignificant person in the eyes of man, but someone very special in
the eyes of God.

The point is that it does not matter how you started. You may have been born under
privileged, in poverty, without any obvious natural ability. You may have been through a
traumatic upbringing; terrible things may have happened to you. It doesn’t matter; your start
is not important – its only you finish that counts.

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 2) Saw things with a different perspective

David was born into a dangerous world. There was constant war with the Philistines. Shortly
after his anointing Goliath came and confronted Israel, and everyone was scared. David was
set apart from everyone else because he saw things differently. Everyone else looked at
Goliath and thought that they couldn’t touch him because he was so big – David looked at
him and thought that he was so big that he couldn’t miss.

The proof of tomorrow’s anointing is that you see things with a different perspective.

3) Waiting patiently and uncomplainingly for the anointing to be fulfilled

Tomorrow’s man waits for his anointing to be made known. When David was anointed it was
a secret anointing; only Samuel, David, and David’s family knew of this anointing. David did
not run around bragging about it to his friends. He simply sat and waited for God’s timing.

Knowing that you have the anointing, but no opportunity can be painful. I knew that God had
called me to preach at 16 years of age, but I had to wait 10 years to preach a sermon.

Tomorrow’s man needs to wait patiently, without promoting himself. Wait for God’s timing –
sometimes that can be painful and frustrating, but God’s timing is always perfect.

Conclusion
I hope that none of you are yesterday’s man. But some of you are today’s man.

 Are you ready to distance yourself from the ungodly?

 Are you willing for God to ask you to do difficult things – to speak up in awkward
circumstances?

 Are you ready to find tomorrow’s man? To help to mould him and shape him, and prepare
him for works of service?

Or are you, tomorrow’s man?

 Are you waiting patiently; not losing patience or giving up, but waiting for God’s perfect
timing?

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