Fringe Benefits Series

Fringe Benefits

(Romans 5:1-11)

1. Healthcare has gotten out of hand.

2. Many of us get our medications via the internet from foreign countries to save money. Most popular: Canada, New Zealand and Australia…medicine from…down under…

3. Healthcare insurance is so high that many people gravitate toward certain jobs mostly for the insurance benefit that goes along with the position.

4. Corporations would rather offer time and a half to their employees than hire additional personnel because it is cheaper than paying an additional healthcare benefit.

5. The fringe benefit of good insurance is a major factor in today’s economy.

6. Many people show interest in the Gospel because of its fringe benefits: eternal life and deliverance from the wrath of God.

7. But the main focus of the Gospel is a restored relationship with God through receiving the righteousness of Christ: everything else can be labeled, “fringe benefits,” important as they are.

Main idea: When we come to Christ in saving faith, we are justified (declared righteous). Our sins are forgiven and we receive the righteousness of Christ. But justification carries with it many fringe benefits. Being Right With God is the Foundation for A Rich Life.

I. ___Peace___(Shalom) With God (1)

1. The dual nature of Messiah being the Prince of Peace

(1) Personal peace ___NOW___

a. If you think of all the money we spend to find peace, it amounts to a fortune. I do not have all the answers, but I know this: men, women, and young people who spend time with the Lord have more peace than those who do not. A walk with the Lord is not a cure all, but it sure makes a difference.

b. Phil. 4: 4-7 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

c. Physical causes: God built into human nature a reward for praying: serotonin; that’s why even unbelievers feel a peace when they pray.

d. Spiritual causes: we access the very throne room of God, HS intercedes…

(2) Literal ___PEACE__ on Earth during the Millennium

Isaiah 11:6

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling [ 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint [ lion will feed ] ] together; and a little child will lead them.

Isaiah 65:25

The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD .

2. What is so unique about peace with ___GOD___?

Romans 8:7

because the mind set on the flesh is [James 4:4] hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

Colossians 1:21

And although you were [Rom 5:10; Eph 2:3, 12] formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

Romans 1: 18, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men

3. One aspect of Spiritual Maturity is learning to experience the peace of God here and now.

Being Right With God is the Foundation for A Rich Life.

II. Standing in the Pampered ___Position___ of Grace (2a)

1. We are exempt from rejection

2. The picture: entering a King’s chamber, living in his palace as a family member

3. We all crave acceptance….teens crave to be accepted by a certain peer group…adults compete with the Joneses….

4. But our acceptance with God is what matters most…the Joneses are just like you and won’t go on forever…the peer group might be made up of teens who are fearful and insecure with anyone who is different…

5. As Christians, we have to sometimes just get over it. Our privileged status with God should do more for your self-esteem than winning a contest, being popular, or retiring with a big bankroll…

6. We should be motivated to match our blessings in our living:

ILL. A self-made millionaire Eugene Lang, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him.

- Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. "Stay in school," he admonished, "and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school. Parade Magazine. http://www.christianglobe.com/illustrations/