Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
May 6, 2018

Knowledge: The Keynote of 2 Peter
by Bryan Gibson
Start reading 2 Peter and it won’t take long to see that knowledge is the keynote, or the central theme of this epistle (1:2-3, 5-6, 8, 12, 15; 2:20; 3:17-18). Let’s explore this theme a little further, using these two questions to frame our discussion: (1) What exactly does God want us to know? (2) What benefits come from this knowledge? Let’s see what answers this epistle provides.
What exactly does God want us to know?
God wants us to know the truth He has revealed to us—truth which contains “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (1:3). We know it’s the truth, because it was made known by “eyewitnesses of His majesty” (1:16), and what these eyewitnesses heard and saw confirmed and fulfilled what the prophets had already spoken (1:19), and these same prophets “spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (1:21).
God wants us to know both the Old Testament and the New Testament—“be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (3:2).
God wants us to know Him, especially as He is revealed through the life of Jesus (1:2-3, 8). Yes, we need to know what He says, but we also need to know Him through what He says. That’s important, because He wants us to be “partakers of the divine nature” (1:4), to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).
God wants us to know all the incentives offered to us in His word—all the “exceedingly great and precious promises” (1:4). All the knowledge in the world can’t save us, unless we “do” (1:10), and to help us do, we’ve got all these wonderful promises set before us (see 1:10-11; 3:10-14).
What benefits come from this knowledge?
Knowledge will enable us to escape the corruption and pollutions of this world (1:3-4; 2:19-20), because the truth will convict us of our sins, reveal the eternal consequences of our sins, and then show us the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we won’t ever want to go back to those pollutions, because the more we grow in knowledge (3:17), the more we appreciate the contrast between the ugliness of sin and the beauty of righteousness.
Knowledge will protect us from false teachers. An entire chapter is devoted to warning us about false teachers—their danger (2:1-3), their doom (2:4-10a); their character (2:10b-16), and their influence (2:17-22). “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” and we won’t be “led away with the error of the wicked” (3:17-18).
Knowledge of the truth will enable us to become “partakers of the divine nature” (1:4). The more we grow in knowledge, and the more we do what we know, the more like Christ we become.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2).
We welcome Luke Moyer and his family to our services today, and look forward to hearing Luke speak during both the morning and evening services. Check out articles and videos from Luke at the following two sites: thebibleword.org and stanleyavenuecoc.org.

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Training Class 5:00 P.M.
Worship 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.