Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

I was in a diner the other day and overheard a woman who apparently looked quite successful say to her friend, I’m not really sure if success is worth all the trouble we live in a day where we are measured by success or by failure. We all know what a successful person is. That’s a person who is well dressed, well educated, with lots of friends. And the loser? Why that’s the person who is ill clothed, who is ill housed, who is ill educated and who doesn’t have many friends. We’re measured every day as either a winner or a loser. It’s true for you and it’s true for me. What is it? To be a winner? Jesus knew all types of people early in his ministry. According to the book of Mark, chapter five. Here’s the scene. He meets a loser.

He crosses the lake and comes to an area called the Gatherings. It’s part of the hinterland. There’s not much population. There aren’t many people who live there. It’s early in the morning. Jesus gets out of the boat and out of the darkness comes a figure. As it gets closer, it’s a man. But a man unlike any man that you and I have ever met. For this man was possessed by the devil. He lived without any clothes. He came to Jesus screaming and ranting at the top of his lungs. Leave us. Leave us alone. And Jesus asked him, what’s your name? Says my name is Legion. Why? Because there are many demons in me. And Jesus simply with a word calls to that man.

And seeing a herd of swine, some 2000 the demons in that man begged that they would be cast out of that demon man and placed in the herd of swine. And with a word Jesus calls those demons and they are cast into a herd of swine who then go into a frenzy and leap off the cliff and all of them drown. It’s interesting that the scripture tell us that it was not the owner of those swine that came and spoke a word of protest as to what Jesus had done. But rather it was people who heard the reports from eyewitnesses. They came out of the city and they see Jesus Christ. But more than that, at his feet they see this demon possessed man who they all knew. And now he was clothed and he was in his right mind.

Do you know the response of the crowd? Were they full of joy for what had happened to this man? Did they say, it is great that this man now has been restored to his right mind? No. They were frightened. And rather than invite Jesus to come and to help in the city, they asked him, please, leave us alone. Go back to wherever it is you came from. But don’t do this anymore. And this man, who was a loser, who would have accomplished nothing in his life, then goes with Jesus and steps into the boat as Jesus and his disciples are leaving and he says, master, let me come with you. Jesus says, no, I’ve got work for you. I want you to stay in this area. I want you to go back to those people who change you.

Who knew what kind of man you were, who heard your screaming? Who knew that they shouldn’t go near those cliffs because that’s where you lived? I want you to go back to those people and you tell them what’s happened to you. The man departs from Jesus and goes to the area of Decapolis. Decapolis was a community of some ten cities. His homeland. That demon possessed man goes back to those people. Have you ever wondered where did the crowds come from when the feeding of the 5000 occurred? Where do you attract such a crowd? Do you realize that it was in the area of Decapolis that Jesus later returned? And undoubtedly it was this loser. This man who was not in his right mind, who became a winner through the power of Jesus Christ. This man went and told the people.

And there was a miracle in the feeding of the 5000. So often in the church we know how to measure success. Success is defined by the way we look. By the way we talk, by the house that we live in. By the seeming blessing of the Lord. Do you know, as I look through scripture there is nothing to suggest to me that any of those qualities have anything to do with being a winner. Because we read in the book of Luke about another man. A man who was very rich. We’re told that this man came to Jesus and he said, you’re a good man, Jesus. We’ve heard all about you. And Jesus turns right around. He says, why do you call me good? There’s no one who’s good except God. Man says, well, that may well be, but I think I’m good.

Jesus says, why do you think you’re good? Don’t you know that you have to keep the commandments? Don’t you know that you should not commit adultery? Don’t you know that you’re not to kill? Don’t you know you are not to steal? Don’t you know that you’re not to commit false witness, to lie? Don’t you know that you’re to honor your father and your mother. And this man said, I’ve done those things. Meaning what? In his mind, he was a winner. He was devout, he had wealth and he had piety. And Jesus said to that man, that’s good. But there is one thing that you lack. Take all that you have. Sell it. Give it to the poor. You’re so good. Then do that.

The scripture very frankly tells us that this man found that request to be too great, and he left Jesus Christ because he was sorrowful about the request that was made of him. If you had met that man at a prayer meeting, and he had prayed about following the Lord, and he said, I’m following the commandments. Look how the Lord has blessed me. Look at my riches. Look at the blessing of the Lord. How many of us would be taken captive and say, there’s a winner, there is a success? There is a person whose life is marked by the blessing of the Lord. Do you know what Jesus said to that man? You’re a loser. You won’t follow me. No matter what you think about your commandment, keeping about your riches, you’re losing.

Do you know the business of Jesus Christ is to talk to men and women who are losers? As you look to the scripture, so often we characterize our favorite personalities as though they were only successful. Take Jacob. Jacob, who we all know as having wrestled with the Lord and being a follower of the Lord. But where did Jacob begin? He began by stealing the birthright of his brother. He began by entering a conspiracy with his mother to defraud his brother of his rightful inheritance. And his father, who is nearly blind, Jacob takes advantage of. Is he a winner or a loser? If you were defrauded of your inheritance because of the fraudulent words of your brother or sister, winner or a loser? And it’s from being a loser that the lord then wrestles with Jacob at the Jabok.

We are all familiar with the story of Joseph. Joseph, who is exalted after his captivity in prison to become the prime minister who is entrusted with all of the benefits of that nation of Egypt. We look on him and we say, if ever there was a winner, Joseph. But where did he begin? Joseph began with dreams. Dreams about who he was and that his brothers would someday bow down to him. If you had a brother or a sister who came to you every night that they had a dream and said to you know, you really think you’re something. Well, there’s a day coming when you’re going to bow down to me. And I’ll be something, and you’ll be nothing. What would you think of your brother or sister? A winner or a loser? Joseph began as a loser. He became a winner.

We read about Rahab, a prostitute who was given her life in exchange for the words that she spoke to the spies. Rahab is one of the two women who are listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. A prostitute. That’s where she began. A winner or a loser. We all sing the song. Zacchaeus was a wee little man. A wee little man was he who was a tax collector, hated because his income was related to how much money he could squeeze out of the people around him. If you lived in the town where Zacchaeus was a tax collector, would you call him a winner or a loser? Jesus sees this little man. He picks him out of the crowd, and he says, you, I’m going to your house. I want to talk to you.

And Zacchaeus, on his own, says, I’m going to sell what I have. I’m going to give half of it to the poor. And if anybody comes to me who says that I have defrauded them, I am going to repay them fourfold. And look at the disciples of Jesus Christ, winners or losers? Fishermen who, according to scripture, most of the time, were unable even to catch any fish. The two brothers who are constantly debating and quarrelling. Who’s going to be the first in your kingdom? Is it me or is it my brother? If ever there was a list of losers, was the disciples of Jesus Christ.

And every time that Jesus meets a winner, Nicodemus, a pharisee trained in the knowledge of the Old Testament, prospering, he comes to Jesus by night, and he says, certainly you’ve been sent by God, because no one can do the things that you do unless God has sent him. Jesus, without regard to his position, says to Nicodemus, you must begin again. Meaning what, Nicodemus, you think you’re a winner, you’re a loser. And until you are born again by the spirit of God, no matter what you think about yourself, you’re a loser. Why is it that the Lord constantly was working with people who had so little? I think the reason is because those who have so much are so often unfit vessels for the ministry that the Lord has for them.

They haven’t the time, they haven’t the energy, they haven’t the interest, they haven’t the ability. And when they are called upon to be a winner, to follow the Lord, nine times out of ten, they have a good reason why they can’t. The Lord is interested not so much in the winners of this world as he is with you and me. The losers, the ones who don’t have the big house and the fancy car and the special abilities. That’s who the Lord works with. And that’s why the Lord said, if you think you’re a winner, if you think that you are so well established, then let me tell you this, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for you to enter the kingdom of God.

That’s why there is a special warning to those who own great wealth and have great riches not to squeeze the Lord out as we polish and buff and dust all of our riches. When it’s all over, the Lord meets us and says, you may have thought yourself a winner on earth, but you’re a loser. You had the wrong priorities. James Dobson tells about being on a ski slope in California. It was one of those Saturday mornings, he says, as I got out of the car in the parking lot there, causing a loud commotion. With her back to me was a girl about 25, 30 years old, and she was yelling out at the top of her lungs, whomever. Whomever. Whomever. And as he came around her back, she turned around, he saw that she was retarded. Whomever. Whomever.

They boarded a flat bed truck to be taken from the parking lot up to the ski area. And the girl continued, whomever. Whomever. Whomever. And there was a look in the crowd, a look that said, she’s a loser. Don’t even look at her. And there was a communication that went on between those people on that truck that said, we’ve got it together. We can smile and we can joke, and we can look at each other and know that we’re the winners. She is the loser. Who is the loser? Who is the winner? So often our judgments are based on the wrong criteria. So often we sit and we judge, we make the eye contact, we exalt ourselves as though were winners, when in reality we’re losers. What does it mean to be a winner in Jesus Christ?

What does it mean when we talk about success as a Christian? Success is related to one thing. It’s related to what somebody thinks about us. Do you want to know a successful marriage? A successful marriage is where both spouses esteem the other higher than themselves. And if you have a successful marriage, you consider yourself a success in your office. Are you interested in the applause of the crowd, or is there really one person who means more in that office than anyone else? And you would value their esteem of you above anyone else. And if you could just get that esteem, if you could just believe that they thought you were a winner, wouldn’t that make your job much more acceptable?

And wouldn’t you consider yourself a winner at the job if you had the impression of that one person as a Christian whose opinion about us is most important? It’s the opinion of Jesus Christ about you and about me. Jesus Christ does not see anyone who is his child as a loser. He sees us as winners who have been forgiven of our sins, winners who will receive a place at the table that he’s prepared for us. I wish and pray that as Christians, we would see ourself in relation to the opinion that Jesus Christ holds about his children rather than the opinion of what other people say about his followers. Because I believe that when we get to heaven, as we come and meet the Lord, he’s going to see you. Say, I’m so glad that you’re here. I’ve prepared this place for you.

And now you’re here. And I’ve been showing your picture around to all of the hosts who have gathered here. And for all of these years, I’ve been telling them that you’re coming, that you’re special, that you’re a winner. And I’ve prepared this place for you. They all know you, but up to now, they’ve only known you by this picture. Now I want to introduce you to this host, to these thousands upon tens of thousands who are here. And you know what you have in common with all of these people? You’re a winner. And they’re a winner. You’re winners because of what I, Jesus Christ, have done for you.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries post office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey, 8543. That’s Princeton Ministries post office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey, 8543. The Lord bless you, and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you. We would like to thank Rones web development company for making this webcast possible. You can find their link at the bottom of our website, princetonministries.org