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Coalinga High School Baccalaureate Address
Preached June 1, in the year of our Lord 2026
Truth for All-Time: Why God’s Truth Matters
2 Peter 1:16-21
Introduction: We are living in perilous times. This isn’t an understatement. We also live in an age of mass information. In the past, people would have to travel large distances in order to obtain information. Now, we simply receive a notification, or a news article or social media post in an instant. No delay. Instantaneous in real-time. Moreover, we are living in what some have described as “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”. We are living in the age of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). I want you to know that despite having access to mass information, you will still need to base your decisions upon something. Hear what New York Times reporters Cade Metz and Karen Weise have to say regarding A.I.:
“Today’s A.I. bots are based on complex mathematical systems that learn their skills by analyzing enormous amounts of digital data. They do not - and cannot – decide what is true and what is false. Sometimes, they just make stuff up, a phenomenon some A.I. researchers calls hallucinations. On one test, the hallucination rates of newer A.I. systems were as high as 79 percent.”
My question to you tonight is: Where can you turn to in order to know The Truth? I invite you to turn to, and consider, the words of Peter in 2 Peter 1:16-21.
A. The Necessity for Truth (Introduction)
a. When you are faced with decisions, challenges, & trials that come into your life, on what foundation will you base your responses?
i. Questions like: Whom should I marry? What job should I pursue? How shall I live?
B. The Supremacy of God’s Truth (2 Peter 1:16-21)
a. Peter is not following “cleverly devised myths”, but was an eyewitness of the power & glory of The Lord Jesus Christ.
b. God’s testimony regarding His Son changed History for all-time. All of History, and time, centers around the birth, life, death and Resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ.
c. The Apostle Peter is saying that God’s “prophetic Word” (Holy Scripture) is “more sure”, because the origin of Scripture comes from the Triune God revealing Himself (2 Peter 1:20-21).
C. The Freedom that God’s Truth Provides (John 8:31-32)
a. Only God’s Truth can liberate you from the bondage of sin!
i. You will face challenges, hardships and trials in your life!
b. Are your life decisions based upon:
i. Your feelings (Subjectivism or Relativism)?
ii. What will advance your career and/or what’s in it for you alone (selfism; selfish desires)?
c. Are your life decisions based upon the unchanging Truth of God’s Word?
Conclusion: Make no mistake! The world will fight to tell you how to view reality (Truth = “Truth is that which corresponds to reality as perceived by God.” -R.C. Sproul). The world will tell you to view reality through a philosophy or -ism; e.g. Nihilism, Darwinism, Communism, Socialism, subjectivism, relativism, selfism, etc.) The only way that you can know the Truth for life is through the Person & Work of The Lord Jesus Christ as found in the Holy Scriptures. I pray that you come to know Him (The Truth incarnate: John 14:6).
