A Sure Foundation

The following excerpts are taken from the commencement address given by Mrs. Alex Krestan, high school English and History teacher at CCA. The address was given to our graduates and their parents on May 20, 2023.

 

“Clearly none of us know with any certainty the path ahead. We live in a world that changes quickly and not always comfortably from a Christian worldview. Unfortunately, many people in our modern culture often classify, categorize, and label Christians in such a way as to cause great confusion. Those in our culture who are not believers in Christ have already determined that most Christians are (quoting from a variety of sources), “an intolerant, unloving, uncaring, sub-culture. We are fanatics; we are weird; we are uneducated; we are dangerous; narrow-minded; hypocrites; disrespectful of society’s right to choose, and more recently, racist, advocates of violence, and chasers of wealth and prosperity.”

 

Graduates, into this culture (and worse) is where you are headed. However, I am sure that the foundation upon which you stand is a sure one. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3: 10, “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds on it.” Make no mistake, the foundation upon Jesus Christ which your parents, pastors, youth leaders, and teachers have laid will be challenged by the culture in which we live. From this day forward, we pass the torch to you, graduates, and you must take care how you build upon your foundation.

 

The first foundation stone upon which you must build is God’s Word.  Do not place your confidence in anything other than the absolute truth of God’s Word. Philosophies shift with time, but God’s Word transcends time; it is eternal, and all its truths may be held without question. You may embrace every word as truth spoken by an eternal God to a fallen world. Graduates, never, never, never, forget that God’s Word determines how you live your life. Do not abandon its promises and laws. Our culture will demand that you question the authority of God’s truth, but you must not. There will be times when you ask questions for which there is not a clear answer, times when you falter, and times when you fall, but do not be tempted to distrust God’s truth.

 

The second foundation stone you must build upon is the sovereignty of our Almighty God. As faculty, our prayer for you would be that all of you grow in your faith in Christ after you leave CCA; however, part of the foundation we have taught you is for you to know how deceitful the enemy of your souls is. Satan is a predatory lion who wants to destroy you. 1 Peter 5: 8 says, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Remember, the culture of the world in which we live, and which seems to be directed by the enemy of mankind is still under the authority of a sovereign God. You can trust the God you have come to know at CCA absolutely and completely without question. Graduates, you must anchor yourselves in the word of God and the sovereignty of God.

 

The final foundation stone is the love of God. Jeremiah 31:3 says, “…I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.” We at CCA love each one of you; it has been our privilege to do so. But our love and the love of your parents and friends is not sufficient on its own to anchor you for life after high school. Only God’s love is able to do that. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Beloved Graduates, know this, as you leave CCA today you are loved by all those who are here to see you graduate. Furthermore, with the foundation stones of God’s Holy Word, God’s amazing sovereignty, and God’s absolute love, you have been granted blessings beyond measure which can sustain you throughout your entire lives.