Sermon Notes - The Road to Godliness

The Road to Godliness, Genesis 4:38-43
Darrin Mechling, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended August 30, 2009

Joseph suffered one injustice after another before this passage. He was rejected but he persevered. The road to godliness is paved by what the world sees as failures. It is those failures that make us godly.

1. The fear of God leads to godliness (Genesis 39:9) – Joseph knows that God sees everything. He fears God more than man. If you are ashamed that your mother would see what you are doing that is fine, but you should be more ashamed that God sees. Our sin hurts the heart of God. Joseph could have “toyed” with sin since no one else would know.

2. Forgiving others leads to godliness – Potiphar’s wife and Joseph’s brothers lied about Joseph. The cupbearer and baker forgot about him. He could have said that the last 13 years of his life were wasted and wiped away because of them, yet he showed the kindness of forgiveness. Joseph knew that being godly was more important than revenge. Our walk with God is more important than trying to get back at someone that hurt you.

3. Being faithful leads to godliness – His faith grew in the trials because God knew He needed a different Joseph from chapter 37 to chapter 41.

Book Briefs - Guest Post

I am happy to cede the floor today to DD15 with a guest post on three books she read this summer. She comes by her love of reading honestly!

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper

Kathleen Y’Barbo

WaterBrook Press (June 2, 2009)

Growing up in the New York social life of the 1880’s, Gennie Cooper has always longed for a Wild West adventure. When she sees a chance to have one, she takes it, hopping aboard a train headed for Denver, Colorado. While working as a governess for Daniel Beck and his daughter Charlotte, Gennie’s plans slowly fall apart as she finds herself becoming a part of their lives. When her stay ends, she finds herself having to choose between the two completely different worlds of Denver and Manhattan.

In this fast-paced story, readers will love the character of Gennie Cooper. Her fun-loving personality captures attention, and her adventure with the Becks is well-written. This book is unique from other romances in the Wild West, because in this story, the main character is actually looking for adventure. I recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure.

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love

Beth Patillo

WaterBrook Press (June 2, 2009)

In Sweetgum, Tennessee, the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society meets monthly to knit and discuss books. This year, the Knit Lit ladies will be reading books with the theme of “Great Love Stories in Literature.” Throughout the year, each member faces her own trials of love. Camille meets up with her long-lost love. Esther, a recent widow, finds love in the most surprising person. The youngest member, Hannah, encounters a first love. Maria’s love spins her world upside down. Both Eugenie and Merry encounter trials with their husbands. All of these ladies find that the love they truly need is in God.

The Sweetgum Ladies is a well-written book that draws the reader into the lives of each character. People of any age will love this book since there are characters of so many ages. One of the best things about this story is that through the whole book, God is the focus. Since it is set in Sweetgum, Tennessee, this book has a small town feel that will appeal to anyone.

Rose House

Tina Ann Forkner

WaterBrook Press (May 5, 2009)

When Lillian Diamon lost her family in a car accident, she found the Rose House, a cottage in the vineyards of Sonoma Valley, to be an escape from her problems. She visits the cottage again four years after the accident. While she is looking through the Rose House art gallery, she finds a painting of herself at the Rose House immediately after losing her family. Feeling hurt and violated, she is determined to find the artist of the painting. As she begins to search, she finds that it could be someone dear to her, and that they could be involved in the deceptive mystery surrounding her family’s death.

This book is written very dramatically, and the story is vivid; sometimes too vivid. The plot is very unique, but because of this some parts are a little unrealistic. For anyone who enjoys a dramatic love story with flowery language, this book is perfect for them. But for anyone who does not, they won’t enjoy this book as much.