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.