“By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.”  Hebrews 11:22

• Faith in God means you can trust His promises to be true.
• Believing God’s promises means you can choose your final destination.
• Knowing your final destination means a life of indescribable peace.
• Your testimony of faith will be an example to others.

2 Samuel 6:1-12 The Ark of the Covenant was an ornate chest designed by God to hold some sacred artifacts of faith and to represent the presence of the Almighty among His people, the Israelites.  But there was a time when, out of fear of God’s power and judgment, neither the Philistines nor the Israelites wanted the Ark anywhere near them.  This account from 2 Samuel illustrates how the presence of God can go from unwanted to desired. People tend to fear the God they cannot control. But blessings come to those who open their lives to God’s presence. People will be drawn to the Lord when they see the difference He makes in our lives.

2 Peter 3:3-18 Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ ascended into the clouds right before the eyes of his disciples.  Angels told them he would one day return in the same way.  The timing of his Second Coming is known only to the Heavenly Father, but we can rest assured that it will happen, and when it does the world will know he has returned in glory and power. The Apostle Peter shared what kind of people we ought to be in light of this knowledge:

• We ought to be HOLY.
• We ought to be ANTICIPATING, while also PATIENT.
• We ought to be AT PEACE WITH GOD.
• We ought to be EVANGELISTIC.
• We ought to be WARY.
• We ought to be GROWING.