Old Tapes
Several months ago, I rediscovered some of my old sermon tapes that my parents had been saving. Some of them date back to the late 1980s. Listening to those tapes sure surprised me. My Texas accent was much thicker. My voice was much higher. Surprisingly, I talked slower than I remember talking. Many things have changed over the years, but the message that was preached remains the same today as it was back then. The Gospel does not change.
The apostle Peter wrote the following words: “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease” (2 Peter 1:12-15).
Peter knew that the gospel stayed the same, but people change. This is why he wrote to remind them even though they knew it and were established in it. Life has a way of pulling us in many different directions. As we live, we experience joys, heartaches, pleasures, and pains. The powerful emotions that well up within us because of these things change our behavior and our thinking. God wanted us to have something solid to hold onto for all time. That is why He gave us the Bible. It is that anchor that holds us fast in the waves of life. Let’s not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14), but be faithful to the word of God throughout life.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley