These are the notes taken live during services as captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing. This is not a word for word transcript. For the exact wording, please consult the audio recording.

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Where did the summer go? Camp is over. What goes on is the reality of a stressful life. Decisions to make. What to do; what to do. Sometimes it seems like God has forgotten us. The car A/C breaks. We lose our jobs. We battle relationships. We live paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes we can’t find time to pray, study, or fast. Even knowing this weekend was a fast weekend, and the leaders of the Church have asked us to fast, there were obstacles. Maybe we won’t even do it. Has God forgotten us? Have we forgotten about God? Where are our priorities? Sometimes we snooze past the alarm and have no time for prayer. A lot of times God gets the blame. “I guess it was God’s will that the water pump went out.” “I guess it was God’s will that the siding fell off.” Is it God’s will that our car breaks down? Or because we lack the maintenance? Is it God’s will that we have a strained relationship with our spouse? Or our kids? Or our friends? Or is it because we look to ourselves and try to suck from the relationship? Be careful that we don’t shift the blame onto God for things that are consequences of our decisions. When it comes to decisions we make every day, what logic do we use? Do you have some formula? Simply the cheapest and easiest way? We all make decisions multiple times a day. Some are big; some are smaller. Sometimes, we try to determine God’s will in our human daily living. Each life is filled with choices; those choices have consequences. Time and chance plays into that equation. We have a lifetime of opportunities to gain the character God wants to see developed for us to achieve salvation. The physical aspects of our lives were not predestined. They have little to do with God’s will for you.

We are free to choose the what, the where, the who, and the when of daily life. We get to choose whether to use God’s word in making those choices. We have the choice to listen to His guidance or not. God has given us a capable mind, and an environment with opportunities of all sorts. If you need help choosing wisely, read Proverbs. It is filled with how to choose on a daily level. God’s will for you is not focused on the success of your physical life. So what is God’s will for you? What does he expect of us? Scriptures show clearly that His will is focused on you becoming a member of His family. That is what He wants. 2 Peter 3:9 Vs. 9 – “Slack” in Greek means to tarry, or to be slow, or to process some sort of delay. G1019 βραδύνω bradunō brad-oo'-no From G1021; to delay: - be slack, tarry. Thayer Definition: 1) to delay, be slow 1a) to render slowly, retard 1b) to be long, to tarry, loiter Part of Speech: verb A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G1021 The Lord is not slow or hesitant to give out His promises. Does that give us a false hope? Does that mean God will hold out indefinitely for me? God will wait because He doesn’t want me to perish? That we can take our time and get around to things that please Him when we get time? Let’s be careful not to use this as an excuse scripture. We can’t think I’ll work on that sin later. I’ll get to know others in my congregation later. God does not want us to perish, but He will not delay His plan for us. We can catch the train or watch it go by. God will not delay His plan.

Matthew 7:21 God desires that no one perish, like we read in Peter. Those that live according to God’s will are those who will enter the kingdom of God. “Will” means what one wishes or has determined shall be done. What God wishes to be done by us. G2307 θέλημα thelēma thel'-ay-mah From the prolonged form of G2309; a determination (properly the thing), that is, (actively) choice (specifically purpose, decree; abstractly volition) or (passively) inclination: - desire, pleasure, will. Thayer Definition: 1) what one wishes or has determined shall be done 1a) of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ 1b) of what God wishes to be done by us 1b1) commands, precepts 2) will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure Part of Speech: noun neuter A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from the prolonged form of G2309 Citing in TDNT: 3:52, 318 Those that do what God wishes to be done by us will be the ones that enter the kingdom of heaven. That is a fair way to put it. We all want to be in the kingdom. To be in the first resurrection and have a hug fest with the brethren. But only one type of person will enter the kingdom of heaven. Going through the motions of Christianity is just wasting your time. Not praying; not studying is wasting your time. God has a will for us. He has something He wants us to do. If we are not willing to follow that, we are wasting your time. Justifying why you need to alter a command is wasting your time. It is not just a matter of going through the emotions. There are many scriptures that say you will be filtered out. You will be a goat. You will be virgin who is locked out. You will be a tare blowing in the wind when the wheat is harvested. Sometimes we fumble through life. Maybe we like Wednesday night Bible study, because we think, okay, once a week we will study. This is a very serious commitment we made at baptize. We committed to putting Him first. To be growing in His nature. It is one of two serious commitments in the Bible; the other is marriage. We are not trying to scare anyone, but Jesus Christ says if we want to be in the kingdom, we have to be willing to do God’s will. Are we doing the will of God? We all want to be in the kingdom and part of the first resurrection. Are we doing what is necessary?

1 John 2:17 Again this admonition that God expects something from us. If we abide forever, we have achieved that crown. Many times, people prioritize life and try to see how it fits. We have many time saving devices. TV remotes. Fast cars. Fast planes. Microwaves. The flat escalator at the airport. We all have decisions about clothes to wear. We have to decide whether to get more education. In all this, do we seek God’s will? I wonder if we often we misinterpret God’s will for us. Does God want us to get the red car or the blue car? Does God want us to get job 1 that pays more or job 2 that gives more time with the family? Does He want me to enter this contract? Does He want me to spend the Feast with the family, or meeting new people? Sometimes, when we think we are seeking God’s will, what happens when that decision doesn’t work out. We blame God. I sought your will, and the job didn’t work out. Subconsciously, maybe we are just seeking a fall guy. If it doesn’t work out, I don’t have to take responsibility. Is the will of God concerned with our physical decisions? Ephesians 5:17 “Unwise” in Greek means without reason or foolish. G878 ἄφρων aphrōn af'-rone From G1 (as a negative particle) and G5424; properly mindless, that is, stupid, (by implication) ignorant, (specifically) egotistic, (practically) rash, or (morally) unbelieving: - fool (-ish), unwise. Thayer Definition: 1) without reason 2) senseless, foolish, stupid 3) without reflection or intelligence, acting rashly Part of Speech: adjective A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G1 (as a negative particle) and G5424 Citing in TDNT: 9:220, 1277 Another version translates this, “Don’t be stupid! Instead find out what the Lord wants you to do.” “Understanding” means to have the knowledge that pertains to salvation. G4920 συνίημι suniēmi soon-ee'-ay-mee From G4862 and ἵημι hiēmi (to send); to put together, that is, (mentally) to comprehend; by implication to act piously: - consider, understand, be wise.

Thayer Definition: 1) to set or bring together 1a) in a hostile sense, of combatants 2) to put (as it were) the perception with the thing perceived 2a) to set or join together in the mind 2a1) i.e. to understand: the man of understanding 2a2) idiom for: a good and upright man (having the knowledge of those things which pertain to salvation) Part of Speech: verb A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G4862 and hiemi (to send) Citing in TDNT: 7:888, 1119 ON a certain level, God doesn’t care if you choose the red car or the blue car. He wants to know if we will make the choice that lead to life or death. God’s will is for us to possess the knowledge that leads to eternal life. It is not about the physical decisions we make on the daily basis. Firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. God wants to be in His kingdom very badly. He wants us to have a firm grasp on how to obtain salvation. Christ taught us to begin our prayers rehearse God’s will for us. Matthew 6:10 It is about us being in the family of God, and making the decisions that will get us there. The primary focus of our life must be striving to be in the kingdom. So, what is God’s will?

John 6:39-40 Jesus died to help us fulfill God’s will. Here, He defines the will of the Father. The answer is God’s will for you is that you have everlasting life. That you are in His family. God’s will is that you will be a God. In His family. Part of the first resurrection. That is what God’s will is for you and me. To do God’s will is to do those things that can propel us into the kingdom of God. Where are the physical choices we have to make? Does God care what house we live in, the car we have, or the clothes we wear? They do fit, oddly enough. We get so into details we lose sight of the big picture. The big picture is the kingdom of God. Does God need us to drive a certain car for that big picture to occur? No. To have a certain job? No. To go to the right school? No. We need to get out of the details and focus on that big picture. God’s will is that we have everlasting life. The physical details of our life simply provide a great training ground. It allows us to communicate with other and hone our character. God is most interested in how we react and respond to others. It goes to our character. It shows God we want to be like Him. Full of His kind of love. The physical opportunities allow us to discover how selfish we are. Does this mean we don’t include God in our decisions? No. These decisions allow us to grow up like our Brother Jesus Christ. Instead of, “Is it God’s will for me to have job 1 or job 2?” it should be, “Which environment will help me to grow the most?” It is about God’s will. The choices need to revolve around propelling us into that kingdom. The key is what can this physical life do for me versus what can propel me to the kingdom. How can it help improve our character and draw us closer to God? Was it wise for Lot to move to Sodom? To a city that was horribly evil? Perhaps not the best choice. What choices do we make? How do the figure into God wanting us to be in His kingdom. Make sure your prayers are not focused on me. They must be God focused. While there is some overlap with day to day decisions, we need to view them from the perspective of gaining entrance to the kingdom. We should view tithing and the Sabbath and other commands from the perspective of God showing us what He expects of us. It is not about just paying the tithe. It is about growing in character. It is easy to want to have the money from the tithe to spend. But the issue is the character. The primary focus of our life should be repentance, righteousness, reconciliation – mending our relationships with each other and God. Those are the decisions God is most interested in. Those will show God if are truly doing His will.

Deuteronomy 30:19 There is a smorgasbord of choices when you leave Church today. How will you spend the rest of God’s Sabbath? Choose the things that show God how truly committed we are to Him. Choosing life is God’s will. It is doing the things that align us with His kingdom. He wants us to make that decision. He is most critically interested in those decisions. 2 Peter 3:9 I want to read this again from the perspective of doing God’s will. God expects us to be on the road to His kingdom. That is His will for us in our life. He wants to see us on that road. He wants to see us make decisions that align us with His kingdom. Job 1 or job 2? The only issue is which one helps you toward the kingdom. If it is a wash, take your pick. If there is a choice that more aligns you with His kingdom, that is the one to pick. God’s desire is that we all repent. A repentant attitude shows reliance on God; that we can’t achieve the kingdom on our own. We have to have God’s help. Matthew 6:33 Here is the formula for any decision. God’s command for us is that we do His will first. Our choices must be run through the God’s will calculator. God wants us in the kingdom. Make sure your choices are aligned with that goal. Quote from Ken Treybig in a Vertical Thought article in Jan/Mar 2005: “The Scriptures tell us Jesus came to earth as part of God's plan to invite human beings to live forever as members of His family (John 1:12; Hebrews 2:10). To comprehend the significance of this offer, we need only think of how limited we are by time. As human beings, we all enjoy the pleasures and joys of life—friends, food, meaningful work, nice things, etc. But all of these things come to an end. Meals are over, jobs end, parties come to a conclusion, and we all eventually die when this lifetime is over. God's offer to us is that we can experience happy, meaningful life forever in His Kingdom!” Brethren, have fun making decisions that align yourself with being in the kingdom of God.