Good morning! I’m glad to welcome you to worship today at Hillcrest Baptist Church.

As we continue with the fifth of seven sermons in our series entitled “Faithful,” our teaching staff trusts that you’ve allowed God’s Word to inform your mind and inspire your heart…in other words, that you’ve not only allowed God to deepen and broaden your understanding of 2 Timothy as a book, but that you’ve also allowed the truths of 2 Timothy to fundamentally change the way you think and act.

God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), we know this to be fact. But the reality is that there were some whom Paul spoke of that had “swerved from the truth” and were “upsetting the faith of some.” (2:18) Paul holds out hope that these “opponents” might be granted repentance and come to the knowledge of the truth (2:25). Unfortunately though, as the first few verses of chapter three make clear, we see that some people will never arrive at this knowledge (3:7), but will “go on from bad to worse.” (3:13) What do we do then? How do we respond? Paul tells young Timothy, and consequently us, to simply avoid such people. Their folly will be exposed.

As we try and remain faithful in the midst of such opposition, may God grant us the wisdom to lead lives of integrity while living in the last days!