Eyes Wide Open: 2 Peter 1:1-4

Eyes Wide Open: Sugar Water
John Witte

“Simeon Peter, a servant, and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the
righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace and peace
be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His
divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and
excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great
promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of
sinful desire.”
—2 Peter 1:1–4 (ESV)

Today we begin a new 8-week study called Eyes Wide Open – a verse-by verse study of 2 Peter. John Witte opened with a story about how Steve Jobs recruited John Sculley away from Pepsi during the early days of Apple Corporation with the question, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me to change the world?” In many ways, it is a
question we ask ourselves every day: Is our life lived in pursuit of a noble calling?


WATCH—This clip from today’s message:

QUESTION— When you were a child, what did you want to be when you
grew up? Why? How did that dream change over time?

READ— 2 Peter 1:1-2


QUESTION— What do these verses say about Jesus? What do they say
about us?

READ— Matthew 16:24 and 1 Peter 4:12-13

QUESTION—.How does suffering affect our pursuit of a noble life?

READ— 2 Peter 1:3-4 | These two verses introduce the book’s keywords:
Corruption, Knowledge, and Promises.

QUESTION— How is the world corrupt?

QUESTION— 2 Peter 1:3 talks about being a “partaker of the divine
nature.” What’s the difference between that and partaking in corruption?
How does that affect our lives?

READ— Genesis 4:1

QUESTION— Some translations of the Bible (ESV, KJV, and others) say,
“Adam knew Eve, his wife.” What does that mean?

QUESTION— How is knowing something by intimate experience different
from knowing it by head knowledge alone? Can you think of some
examples?

The word ‘knowledge’ (ἐπίγνωσις) is the key term in the book. The
phrase refers to a complete understanding of Jesus so that he becomes
preeminent in our lives because we are captivated by him.

READ— Matthew 17:1-13 and 2 Peter 1:16-19

QUESTION— How did this event change Peter’s knowledge of Jesus?

QUESTION— If we can’t see the transfigured Jesus in His glory the way
Peter did, how can we know Jesus intimately?

READ— 2 Peter 3:4 and 2 Peter 3:13


QUESTION— The word ‘promise’ is used four times in 2 Peter, constantly
referring to Jesus’ coming. For those who are married, can you remember
your wedding vows? How do wedding vows set expectations for the
relationship to come? How is a promise like a vow?

DIG DEEPER: Knowledge

READ— the following verses in 2 Peter: 1:3-8, 2:20 and 3:17-18
Peter highlights the importance of “knowledge” throughout his letter. By
focusing on “knowledge” at both the beginning and the end of the letter,
Peter draws special attention to it. The “framing” of material by beginning
and ending on the same note is called inclusio and is used widely
throughout the New Testament.

Peter has a way of using words commonly on the lips of the non-Christians
of his day and giving them a new meaning. Knowledge was a much-used
word in the thought of the ancient religions in the days when this letter was
written. The Greeks sought knowledge through philosophical speculation
and mystical experience. Peter and the other apostles transform our
understanding of the word.

READ— 2 Timothy 1:12
Paul does not say: ‘I know what I have believed’; he says, ‘for I know whom
I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day
what has been entrusted to me.’ Christian knowledge of Jesus is personal
acquaintance with him; it is knowing him as a person and entering daily into
a more intimate relationship with him.

MEMORIZE—

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us
his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the
divine. nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
—2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)