Sheryl Brady - The Transfer of Power

On your way down to your seat, high-five somebody and tell him about the transfer of power. While you’re finding your seat, I also want to remind you that this coming Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, and at 9 a.m., our Thanksgiving Day service is going to be online. So make sure, whatever you’re doing, that you take a second to turn on or log in so we can celebrate together for a little bit and give thanks to the Lord. It’ll be a blessing, amen?

Also, let me tell you this: on December 9th—somebody say December 9th! —we are having what we’re calling Christmas with Friends. Yes, somebody’s happy about that; somebody’s got friends! We are going to gather together at 7:00 p.m., and all of our ministry groups are coming together. It’s going to be a wonderful time. We’ve got some good food for you to eat, and we have a special guest who is a comedian, an influencer, and his name is Will Johnson. He’s going to be here to help us celebrate this wonderful, beautiful, godly holiday. I know the world has taken it and flipped it upside down. Do you know I walked around a big store the other day looking for anything that had Jesus? I said to myself, «They have just written you right out of your own birthday!» The world has turned it upside down, but all the more reason for the church to come together and get it right, amen? So we’re going to come together on December 9th. I think you have to register; I’m not sure. Where’s my help? Hey, I’ve got no help! It’s up here on the screen. All right, right there you can register and join us. It is limited, so our seating is limited. Do we have childcare that night, Lena? Can you help me? Yes? Okay, so I want you to make sure that you register quickly so we can have a good time together. I plan on being here; I believe the Bishop is planning on being here, and you know just being together is a good time.

Anyway, we are talking today about the transfer of power. Now, there is a word that we kind of left out, and that word is peaceful—but that’s what we are hoping for here. In our text, we have a few issues that are going on. You know the phrase «the peaceful transfer of power» is something that I’ve become more and more interested in or more attuned to over the last few decades. I didn’t grow up hearing the term «peaceful transfer of power» because I think that people just knew it was going to happen. Over the last few years, I have begun to listen for things that I feel will assure me that there will be a peaceful transfer of power. I didn’t hear that as a child, but it really does go back for ages and for generations. The concept of the peaceful transfer of power has deep historical roots, and those roots say that while you and I may disagree with each other, the people have spoken, and a smooth transition of power between political leaders must take place. Amen? I’ve got about half of you. We’re going to talk about that later.

The peaceful transition of power—what is that? It is a democratic principle of ensuring that though we have conflicting views with one another, we are not going to kill one another. Okay, amen? I mean, we’ve come pretty close, but when it is all said and done, we don’t allow our strong desire to have things our way today to jeopardize everyone’s opportunity to have a different tomorrow. Because of that, we’ve got to check our behavior and ensure that when those who have the power need to transfer it, they do so with peace, dignity, civility, and class. Absolutely! Thank you all—thank all three of you—for clapping for me.

Unfortunately, power doesn’t always transition peacefully, and our text today is a perfect example that power does not always transfer peacefully. Saul is the man who is the king; in his early years, God chose him, anointed him, and positioned him. Saul was humble; he was appreciative and grateful. He was actually meant to become a great ruler, but instead, he became someone to be pitied. He became someone who trusted in himself more than he trusted in God. His reign began triumphantly, but it ended tragically. One of the first steps in Saul’s downward spiral was disobedience, and I don’t have time to go into the whole story, but I would encourage you to go home and read throughout 1 Samuel and glean some nuggets from the story. The word of the Lord came to Saul, saying, «I want you to attack the Amalekites and kill everything that you see.» Somebody shout, «Everything!» Everything! God remembered what they had done to Israel, so He sent Saul to utterly destroy them, and Saul almost did what God told him to do.