Living in God’s Will | 2 Samuel 5

Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? It's good to see you. I hope all is well. My name is Timothy Ateek, and I'm one of the teaching pastors here. If this is your first time ever with us at Watermark, I know this is a big place, but I hope it feels like home very quickly.

I want to start by asking, by show of hands: Who here has wakesurfed behind a boat before? Okay. A lot of people. That's great. Awesome. Some of you have no clue what I'm talking about. Wakesurfing is one of the most popular water sports of our day. Here's the reality. There are boats that are uniquely designed for wakesurfing, and they are weighted in such a way that they produce a large wake, which is the V-shaped wave that comes out of the back of the boat.

What that wake does is it creates a perpetual wave. What's so enjoyable about wakesurfing is that you start out with a board that looks kind of like a surfboard and a rope, and the boat pulls you up, but if you find the sweet spot of the wave, you can actually drop the rope and be carried along by the wake of the boat.

If you live in the sweet spot, you can follow a boat around a lake for an hour with no rope. Let me show you a video of some random guy off the Internet actually doing what I'm talking about. He has no rope, but he has found the sweet spot of the wake. The boat is producing the wave, and he's able to ride it as long as he stays in the sweet spot of the wake.

If you've ever tried it, it takes some work to find it. It can be frustrating when you can't find it, but when you hit that moment where everything clicks and you find yourself in the sweet spot of the wake, it's extremely enjoyable. It's exciting. It's actually the most peaceful place to be on the water. Here's the deal. If you get too far behind the wake, you just stop moving and sink. If you get too far ahead of the wake, you're going to end up in the back of the boat.

If you go outside of the wake on a wakesurf board, especially on a windy day, the water is going to be really choppy. You're going to hit a bunch of turbulence that you don't want to hit, and you're probably going to fall, maybe face-plant. So, what you want is to live in the sweet spot of that wake. It's the least exhausting place to be because, when you do it right, you actually get caried along by the wake.

The reason I tell you that is my hope is for the people of Watermark Community Church to live in the sweet spot of God's will for your life. When I talk about the sweet spot of God's will, I am talking about walking with Jesus in a way that you experience the joy of knowing him, you experience the peace that comes from being with him, no matter how turbulent the waters of life can be, and I am talking about the least exhausting version of walking with Jesus.

Why? Because it's not about your effort. It's about being with God in such a way that you are being carried along by all he is doing in your life and in the world. So, today, I just want to talk about living in that sweet spot of God's will. As we step back into The Life of David, we're going to be in 2 Samuel, chapter 5. This is a very important chapter because this is finally the chapter where David becomes the king of the nation of Israel.

If you've been tracking with us, then it has been 20 chapters, which equals around 20 years from when David found out he was going to be king. Now, finally, after about 20 years, he actually becomes king over the entire nation of Israel. This chapter is interesting because it doesn't flow chronologically. It's actually snapshots of different moments during David's career as king. What we're going to see is, really, the thing that made David the greatest king the nation of Israel ever saw is, for the majority of his life, he lived in the sweet spot of God's will.

I just want you to think really quickly. If you and I were to sit in the coffee shop right outside this room after the service, and I were to ask, "Hey, what are one, two, or three words you would say describe your relationship with God?" what words come to mind? What words naturally rise to the surface to describe your relationship with God right now? Would you use words like exciting, enjoyable, peace-filled or would it be words like inconsistent or dry or difficult or exhausting or obligation?

My hope is for each person here to find themselves in the sweet spot of God's will, which is the most enjoyable, peace-filled, least exhausting place to be with God. As we look at David's life in this chapter, there are going to be four keys that rise to the surface in terms of finding the sweet spot of God's will. This is not an exhaustive list. This is just the list the text gives us today. Here they are. I'll go ahead and give you the four keys. First, trust God's timing. Second, know God's priorities. Third, be filled with God's Spirit. Fourth, seek God's direction.

1. Trust God's timing. Where do we see that in the text? Look with me at verses 1-5 of chapter 5. "Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, 'Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, "You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel."'

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years."

One word that is important in this text is the three-letter word all. We see it three different times. The reason it's important is this is the first time in David's life that all of the nation of Israel finally recognizes God's calling on David's life to be king over the nation of Israel. Up until this point, over about a 20-year period, there has always been someone important in Israel who has resisted or rejected God's plan for David's life.

What you see in the first three verses is all of the nation of Israel finally saying, "Yes! God called you years ago to be shepherd over the nation of Israel." Kings in the ancient Near East were referred to as shepherd kings. Then you look in verses 4 and 5, and those verses are so important because they are all about timing in David's life. So, look back at verses 4 and 5. It says, "David was thirty years old when he began to reign…"

When you read that, if you've been with us through this series, you should feel a weightiness in those words. Do you remember when David was anointed? It was all the way back in 1 Samuel 16. Do you know how old David was at that time? He was somewhere between 15 and 17 years old. He was a teenager, which means David has now spent about half of his life up to this point knowing that he would be king but waiting on God's timing.

Yet what happens when he turns 30? Even at 30, it doesn't work out. The full picture has not come into view yet. What does it say? "At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years." This means David went from about 15 to 30, living on the run, and there were these different moments where we were thinking, "Is this the moment where he's going to become king?"

Last week's message was one of those moments. The outgoing king is relieving himself in a cave, using the bathroom. It's like, "If there was ever a moment where this is your chance, David, to take the throne… Take it." Yet God convicts him, and David knows, "Now is not that time." Instead, it would be years later. He gets to the age of 30. Saul dies, and the natural thought is, "I guess this is David's moment," but instead, one of Saul's sons takes the throne.

So, David becomes king of Judah, which is this small territory amidst the rest of the country. It isn't until seven and a half years later, when David is about 37 years old, about 20 years later from finding out he's going to be king, that he actually becomes king over the entire nation of Israel. What I want you to see is that David trusted God's timing every step of the way. That's the first key to finding yourself in the sweet spot of God's will: to trust God's timing.

I love what we see in verse 2. Look at the wording. The people of Israel say in verse 2, "In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel." Do you see what that's saying? It's saying David was faithful right where God had him, but then it goes on and says, "You shall be shepherd of my people Israel…" David would be called shepherd by the nation of Israel.

The thing that made David a good shepherd to Israel was that he had first been a good sheep. David writes the most famous words in the Bible: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." David viewed God as his shepherd, and for about 20 years, he had been a good sheep. He had trusted God's path, and he had trusted God's pace. He trusted God's timing. One of the hardest parts of living in the sweet spot of God's will is trusting God's timing.

There are seasons of life where it feels like God's watch is off. His timing is not our timing, and there are times where it feels like God is late. So, one of the hardest parts of living in God's will is trusting him in the process. Let me explain it this way. Most services, when a message is given, right at the end of the message, the keyboardist will walk out and sit at the keyboard and will start playing right at the end of the message. That is called padding. Every week, we give the keyboardist a pad's cue to know when to come out.

Well, last weekend, I was speaking at Watermark's young adult retreat, which was called Launch. During my first talk, I had failed to give the keyboardist the pad's cue. So, I was in the middle of my talk, and I had about 15 minutes left, and I heard music start playing under my message. I was like, "This is interesting, because now these people think it's the end, but it's not the end." In my mind, I'm like, "Do I just change my talk? Do I just land the plane now and call it good? What do I do?"

So, I talked for about three or four minutes with the padding going. Finally, I reached the point where I just turned around and said, "Hey, Prince, I didn't give you the right pad's cue. All these people think I'm about to be done, but I am not about to be done. I've got about 15 minutes left. So, if you don't mind, you can just stop." Then Prince just had to sit there for about 15 minutes, waiting on me.

I tell you that because there are times in our lives where we want to give God the pad's cue, where it's like, "You know what? Hey, this season of being single has been great, but it's time to wrap that up," and God is going to look and be like, "You know what? It's actually going to be a little bit longer."

"You know what? This season of life where work is really uncertain… God, let's just go ahead and wrap that up." He's like, "Yeah, you think it's time for that to be over, but I'm actually going to stretch your faith a little bit longer." "God, you know what? It has been long enough that we've been living in pain. We've been begging you to heal. Please heal." And he's like, "I hear you, and I am with you, but it is not time for that yet."

"God, it is time for my kid to turn the corner toward flourishing. Enough of these difficult days." And he's like, "Would you trust me through it?" Trusting God's timing is one of the hardest things. We tend to find ourselves living outside of God's wake because we are trying to speed God up. So, we find ourselves anxious, frustrated, disappointed, and exhausted.

Yet what do we learn from David? I read it just a minute ago. It said in verse 2, "In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel." They're saying, "David, you didn't wait for the position to lead. Even when someone else had the position that was promised to you, you were faithful right where God had you." David was faithful right where God had him.

I remember years ago, I was a student pastor in Austin, and I was living in months of uncertainty. I had sensed that God was preparing my heart for a change in ministry, but I had no clue what it was going to be. Kat and I had been living in months of just wondering what God was doing. In the midst of those months, we had our second son Andrew. So, we had two boys who were 2 and under, and I had no clue what I was going to do with my life. I had, in a sense, worked my way out of a job.

I sensed God was telling me I wasn't going to know what I was going to do for a couple more months. I will never forget walking out of the hospital. Andrew had just been born. I remember having the thought, "What I do know for sure is God has called me to be a husband and a father." That's what I knew for sure. That day, my responsibility, what God had made perfectly clear, because we had just had our second child… What I knew for sure was God was calling me to be a faithful husband and a faithful dad.

I tell you that just to ask: What do you know for sure you are called to do today?When you are faithful right where God has you, no time is wasted. Be faithful now even in the uncertainty. Sometimes God has to do a work in you in the midst of the uncertainty so he can do a greater work through you. I tell you that just to say, "Trust God's timing."

Think about Jesus who is the greater David. Satan offered him the ability to rule the kingdoms of the world without having to suffer, yet what did Jesus do? He trusted God's path. The path was through crucifixion. He trusted God's pace. What was God's pace? It was that he would suffer but he would endure, and then he would lay his life down, and on the third day, he would take it back up again.

Even as you read the Gospels, there are these moments in the gospel of John where it says his hour had not come. Then, on the night Jesus is betrayed and arrested, it says his hour had come. Jesus entrusted himself to God. He trusted God's timing. Because Jesus perfectly trusted God's timing, he gives us everything we need to now trust God's timing. So, if you want to find yourself in the sweet spot of God's will, trust God's timing.

1. Know God's priorities. Where do I find that in the text? You're going to have to track with me on this to see where I get that from. It's very important, though. Look at what happens in verses 6-8. Remember, this chapter is just snapshots of David's career. Here's another snapshot. Here's what it says.

"And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, 'You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off'—thinking, 'David cannot come in here.' Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. And David said on that day, 'Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack "the lame and the blind," who are hated by David's soul.' Therefore it is said, 'The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.'"

This is a weird story. If you don't read it carefully, you're going to walk away thinking David hated the lame and the blind. That is not what is happening here.What you need to understand is David is doing something very strategic as a leader. This is possibly his first act as king. What does he do? He finds a new capital city for the nation. Remember, Israel has been divided. David has been reigning over Judah, this one small territory, and the capital has been at Hebron.

So, what does David do? He chooses a non-Judah city to make it its new capital to unify the country, but in order to do that, he has to conquer the Jebusites. Now, the Jebusites use this language of lame and blind. Do you know what they're doing? They're taunting David. They're basically saying, "Look. The lame and the blind, the weakest among us, will destroy the strongest among you." So, when it says David hates the lame and the blind, it's just a way of saying David hated all of the Jebusites. That's what's going on there.

Now, do you want to know why David conquering the Jebusites was so monumental? This is where I get my point know God's priorities from. The reason it's so important is the Jebusites were sworn enemies of God, and God had plans to conquer the Jebusites for about 800 years. Let me show you what I'm talking about.

All the way back in Genesis, chapter 15, God promised Abraham he would give his descendants a land, and that land, at the time, belonged to all of these different foreign nations, one of which was the Jebusites. What God was telling Abraham was, "I'm actually going to give this land to you." It says this in Genesis 15:

"On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.'"

So, the nation of Israel in the book of Joshua enter the land of Canaan that God had promised to them, and they begin to conquer the people who are in the land. But listen to this interesting verse in Joshua 15:63. It says, "But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day."

So, David becomes king, and what does he do? He sets his sights on driving out the Jebusites. By doing so, David is zooming out from the moment he is in and stepping into a greater story. He seeks to fulfill one of God's promises that was 800 years old. David is jumping into God's greater story. Isn't this what Jesus, the greater David, does? He fulfills promises God made to Abraham 2,000 years before his time on earth.

Jesus became the ultimate King who was promised to come from Abraham, and it is through Jesus and the salvation he brings that all of the peoples of the earth are to be blessed, which is what we find God promising to Abraham all the way back in Genesis 12. Two thousand years later, Jesus shows up, and he steps into a story God had been writing throughout all of Scripture.

Here's why I think this is so important. Remember, the point is know God's priorities. The reason this is so important is we live in a very individualistic culture, and it's so easy to become self-focused and only focus on what God is doing in our personal lives, yet one of the best things we can do is to know God's priorities, zoom out, step into God's greater story, and play the part God has made us to play in what he's doing, not just in our own little worlds but in the world.

What is God's greater story for his people of which you and I belong to? God is wanting to glorify himself through his people making disciples of all nations. That's the greater story. God has every intention of glorifying himself through his people making disciples of all nations. A day will come where there will be people in heaven from every tribe, tongue, and nation. That is going to happen by God working through his people to make disciples.

So, I want you to think about it. While David's rule extended throughout Israel upon conquering the Jebusites, Christ's rule will extend throughout the earth as he conquers hearts through his people making disciples. The reason I tell you that is if you want to find yourself in the sweet spot of God's will, if you want to feel fully alive, then my encouragement to you is to help someone else know and follow Jesus. This week, help someone else know and follow Jesus.

Start sharing your faith more. Start discipling a small group of younger men or women. Get involved discipling a small group of younger adults or teenagers or children. Invest in the next generation. Help someone else know and follow Jesus. I talk to people who are crushing it in their careers, yet when they've reached the top of their careers, there's something that is still lacking. They feel antsy. The world looks at them and thinks they have everything, yet they still don't feel satisfied.

Do you know what the issue is? They need to step into God's greater story. So, my encouragement to you is to jump in and make disciples. Look at what verses 11 and 12 tell us. This is a different snapshot of David's life, but it relates. It says, "And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house." That's when you know you've made it: when other people are building you houses.

Verse 12: "And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel." Why did God elevate and empower David? For the sake of his people. That's why. Second Samuel 8:15, just a few chapters later, says, "David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people."

The reason I share this with you is you need to know when you are living in the sweet spot of God's will, others will be served by you and others will flourish in their faith because God is using you in their lives. God will never elevate you simply for the sake of you. The greatest beneficiary of your life should never be you.

So, let me encourage you. All of life comes down to knowing Jesus and making Jesus known. That's it. If you want to know why you exist, if you want to know the point and purpose of your life… You don't have to believe me, but my hope is, at some point, you're actually going to seek out to see if what I'm telling you is true.

If you want to be fully alive, if you want to find yourself in the sweet spot of God's wake, being carried along through life by his purposes, then make your life about knowing Jesus and making Jesus known. Step into his greater story. Know God's priorities, which are to know him and then to make him known by making disciples of all nations.

1. Be filled with God's Spirit. Where do I get that from? Look with me at verses 9 and 10. "And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him."

So, why did David become greater and greater? Was it because he was a good-looking guy? Nope. Even though he was, it wasn't because he was a good-looking guy. It wasn't because he had leadership giftings, even though he did. It wasn't because he had a bunch of woo, even though he did. Why did David become greater and greater? The text tells us. It's because the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

What does it mean for God to be called the God of hosts? What that is referring to is that God is the commander of armies both in heaven and of Israel. So, it's good for us to realize David succeeded not because of who he was but because of who God was. It says David became greater and greater as he conquered. That's why, just a few chapters later, in 2 Samuel 8:13, it says, "And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt."

I want you to think about this. It says David became greater and greater, and it says he became famous. Doesn't that sound good? Some of us resonate with that. Some of us want that to be our story. We want the words surrounding us to be "And I became greater and greater." Not many people want their story to be "And I became more and more mediocre." Nobody is really leaning into that. Like, "You know what I'm up for? Mediocrity. Sign me up."

We love the idea of getting better and better, greater and greater. You might not say, "I want to be famous," but the reality is you want to be known for your accomplishments. You don't want to be a nobody. You want to be somebody. You want to be significant. David became greater and greater by conquering, but here's what I need you to understand.

What does true greatness in the Christian life actually look like? What I need you to understand is it is not conquering; it's being conquered. True greatness in the Christian life doesn't come through conquering; it comes through being conquered. It is the rule and reign of Christ conquering the most resistant aspects of your life. It is the greater David, Jesus Christ, the King who conquered sin and death, becoming famous in our hearts and through our lives.

So, how does this practically happen? Well, the good news is the text tells us. It says David became greater and greater…he conquered…because God was with him. The good news is if we know Jesus Christ, God isn't just with us; he actually lives inside of us through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit. So, it's good to realize the Spirit of God's aim in your life is to conquer. The aim of the Spirit is Christlikeness in your life. He aims to make you more like Jesus.

Let me just ask you. Have you ever prayed for the Spirit's work in your life? That's a good prayer to pray. "Spirit of God, make me more like Jesus." What's the fruit of the Spirit? It's things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These are things that are produced by the Spirit of God in you. It's the Spirit who makes you look more like Jesus.

The reason I say, "Be filled with the Spirit" is that the more and more you are filled with the Spirit, the more you're going to become more like Jesus. That is you becoming greater and greater. Why? Because Jesus is becoming greater and greater in you and through you. But do you know what our tendency is? Our tendency is to resist the work of the Spirit.

It's like when my third son Jake, who's 5 years old now… When we used to change his diaper when he was a baby, right when we unstrapped the diaper, he would flip. He would throw all of his weight. Then he would throw it this way, and he would use his leg. He would swing kick. So, he could have the messiest of situations. Here he was, arching his back and flinging like that.

It became so difficult to clean him. I mean, you had to pin his arms, and you were like, "Well, that doesn't feel right." It was a two-person job. It took so much to do something that was so helpful to him. What was I trying to do? I was trying to lighten his life. I was trying to clean him up, and he was resisting it.

What is the Spirit of God trying to do in our lives? He's trying to clean us up. He's trying to make us more like Jesus. While we might be positionally clean by God, there are things, practically, that still need some work. So, one of the best things you can do… When I talk about being filled by the Spirit, I'm talking about surrendering to the work of the Spirit in your life.

If true greatness is Christlikeness, then here's what you need to understand. Without the Spirit, Christlikeness is impossible. When filled by the Spirit, Christlikeness is inevitable. So, what you want to do is stop resisting. Here's why this is so important. Look at what happens in verses 13-16. This is another snapshot of David's life.

It says, "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem…" Doesn't that feel way out of place with the rest of this chapter? "…after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua…" Anyone looking for good baby names? You don't need to Google it. Here you go. Second Samuel 5:15. "…Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet." All of those work.

What does that tell us? It tells us that while David was a great king, he was an imperfect king. David took more wives and concubines, which was direct disobedience against God's law. All the way back in Deuteronomy 17:17, God actually gave a rule to kings of the nation of Israel. Listen to what it says.

"And he…" That's a reference to kings of Israel. "…shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold." What was David's greatest failure? It was adultery, and that adultery led to murder. These verses feel so out of place in the midst of a chapter of David's faithfulness.

So, it's good to answer the question…What's out of place in your life? I remember when I was in college, Gregg Matte, who was the director of Breakaway Ministries… We were at lunch, and he said, "Small holes sink big ships." It's good to remember that a small leak in your life might just feel like a small leak in your life, but something small now will become big at some point if it is not addressed.

What is a small leak now might leave you under the waters of compromise and brokenness if left unattended. I say that as someone who has experience in this area. I've shared about it before. There was a time in my life where I had to actually step off of staff at Watermark. Why? Because there were leaks in my life. There were cracks in my character, and I failed to allow the Spirit of God to do a work in my life to plug them. The result was I found myself drowning in the waters of compromise.

The reason I tell you that is that maybe it might be worth asking… Maybe one of the exercises from this message this week is for each of us to go to our Community Groups this week and ask one another, "What are the small leaks in my life? What are the small holes? Where are the cracks in my character? What is something in my life that I'm acting like it's not a big deal when, if I'm not careful, it's going to become a huge deal not long from now?"

We want to allow the Spirit of God to do a work in our lives. See, this is one of the beauties of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. He gives us his Spirit, and the Spirit is seeking to make us more like him. What is our response? It's not as much to do for God; it is to surrender to God doing a work in us.

1. Seek God's direction. I don't have time to read you verses 17-25, but it's two different episodes of David going to battle with the Philistines. What I want you to see is there is one common phrase that is repeated in each episode. We find it the first time in verse 19. Listen to what it says. "And David inquired of the Lord…" In the second episode against the Philistines, a different battle, it says in verse 23, "And when David inquired of the Lord…"

Do you see what he's doing? David isn't assuming; he's inquiring. He doesn't assume to know what God is doing or what God wants to do; he is asking God to show him what he wants. What's interesting is in the first episode, David inquires of the Lord, and God says, "Do this." Then in the second episode, they go to battle with the Philistines again, and it would have been so easy for David to be like, "Well, I've done this before. I'll just run the same play," but he asks God, "What do you want me to do?"

Do you know what God does? He gives him a different playbook. He inquires of the Lord. Do you know what the difference is between David and Saul? Saul assumed; David inquired. So, let me encourage you. What we want to do is to cultivate a daily, moment-by-moment, desperate dependence upon the Lord where we ask God what he wants.

How do we hear from God? Well, we hear from God through reading his Word. We know his ways through his Word. We can know his ways through meeting with God's people. God uses his people to speak to his people. Then God speaks to us through the leading of the Spirit of God in our lives. One of my mentors, Doug Sherman, is such a big advocate for conversational prayer with God. All throughout the day, Doug is just asking God questions.

"God, I have five minutes in my car right now. Is there anyone you want me to call and encourage? God, as I walk into this meeting, what posture do you want me to have? What do you want me to do in this meeting so I can be a blessing to these people? God, I'm about to walk into the house and engage with my spouse and my kids or my roommates. What would you have me do? What would you have me say? How can I position myself in a way that will be a blessing to those I'm engaging with?"

What's he doing? He's not assuming to know what God wants. He's asking God, "What are you doing? What do you want to do through me? How do you want me to glorify you in this situation?" What did Jesus, the greater David, do? He inquired of the Lord. He said, "If this cup can pass, let it pass, yet not my will but your will be done." And he went to the cross and faithfully endured for your sake and for mine. Let your life be a response to God's leading. Seek his direction.

So, what do we do with a talk like this? Where do we go? How do we respond? Let me give you a few things. First, what I want you to know is we are only able to live in God's will because Jesus perfectly accomplished God's will through his death, burial, and resurrection. Because Jesus has perfectly accomplished God's will, he has made it possible, through faith and through the sending of his Spirit, for you and me to live in the sweet spot of God's will.

Then I'll just take you back to wakesurfing. Do you know what any good boat driver who's pulling someone who's wakesurfing does? When someone gets outside of the wake or ends up falling, a good boat driver circles back around and says, "Let's go at it again." Some of you came here this morning, and it was a fight for you to even come. You feel deep shame. You feel deep regret. When we talk about living in the sweet spot of God's will, it's easy for you to say, "That is something I know very little about."

What you need to know is that God's grace is sufficient for you this morning. He loves you, and he is inviting you back in. He's inviting you to repent, to turn from your sin, to turn toward him, to allow him to refresh you, and to do a new work in your life. You can still live in the sweet spot of God's will if you will simply turn to him.

Do you know what is doing the majority of the work when you wakesurf? It's the boat. It's the boat that's producing the wave that will carry you along. I tell you this because I don't want anyone leaving here confused. Living in the sweet spot of God's will isn't about you doing for God as much as it is about allowing God to do something in you and through you. So, the goal this morning is not as much action as it is submission.

If you go and look up wakesurfing, you're going to see pictures of people doing it together. I saw pictures of a husband with his wife on his shoulders, riding on the board. I got a video from a friend this morning after he heard it at the 9:00 a.m. service, and he had his kid on the board with him. I tell you that to say it is really enjoyable to live in the sweet spot of God's will alongside other people.

What if Watermark Community Church was a church of thousands of people who were committed to living in the sweet spot of God's will? Just imagine what this community would look like. Imagine how neighborhoods would be impacted. Imagine how the city would be impacted if we were relentless about enjoying the center of God's will.

I'll just finish by saying this. If you're here this morning and don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, here's the main difference I want you to know between David and Jesus. David conquered his enemies; Jesus saved his enemies. Jesus Christ went to the cross, and on that cross, he made a way for you and me, enemies of God, to become children of God, and it's only by the grace of God. If you don't know Jesus, would you come to him today? Would you know him and enjoy entrance into the family of God? Let's pray together.

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are the greater David, and I thank you, Jesus, that you did come and you faithfully accomplished God's will perfectly. You endured the cross, and you conquered the grave. You've made a way for each person in this room to enjoy the sweet spot of God's will. If there's anyone here who doesn't know you this morning, I pray that they would call out to you in faith, that they would put their trust in you.

God, may we be a people this week who take a step. We don't need to remember all four points. Is there one point, God, that you want us to leave here with, whether it's trusting your timing, stepping into your greater story by knowing your priorities, being filled by your Spirit, or just asking you for clear direction? Lord, may we be a people who find ourselves today being carried along by the wake of your goodness. In Jesus' name, amen.