Synonyms: replica, copy, representation, mock-up, dummy, imitation, double, duplicate, lookalike, reproduction, prototype, stereotype, archetype, type, version, style, ideal, paragon, perfect example, specimen, perfect specimen, fashion model, supermodel, mannequin, sitter, poser, subject, artist's model, photographic model, design, mark, configuration, variety, kind, sort, original, original design, exclusive, toy, miniature, facsimile, prototypical, prototypal, archetypal, illustrative, perfect, exemplary, classic, flawless, faultless, consummate, impeccable
Antonyms: deficient, imperfect
Showing 3626 to 3650 of 4884 results
Sermon
King Duncan
... Methodist Reporter, 1-15-88, p. 2. 3. Robert H. Spain, How to Stay Alive (Nashville: Dimensions, 1992), p. 13. 4. Jan Goldstein, Life Can Be This Good (Berkeley, CA.: Conari Press, 2002), pp. 139-142. 5. Bryan Chapell,, In the Grip of Grace (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992). Cited in Perfect Illustrations (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2002). 6. Rev. James Mueller, http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=163&kennung=20070415en.
3627. A Light in the Darkness
Mt 5:13-20
Illustration
King Duncan
... friendship and encouragement. Unfortunately he was frustrated by the institute's lack of books in raised print. He also found the symbols in raised print confusing. So he set out, at twelve years of age, to invent his own system. After three years he perfected the method, but he encountered indifference and hostility when he tried to convince the world that his system was better. Even with the support of the institute's director, he was told again and again that he was too young to have created a workable ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... had stolen a bottle of his booze! With a knife he went to his neighbor’s home, to no avail, whereupon he retired to his own apartment to brood about revenge. And he continued to drink. Finally, when he was thoroughly sloshed, he figured out the perfect way to get back at his liquor-thieving neighbor. He would stab himself and blame the neighbor! A witness testified that he saw Christopher enter the bathroom while he was calling 9-1-1. Christopher calmly informed the 9-1-1 dispatcher that his neighbor had ...
3629. All Shall Be Well
Matthew 6:25-34
Illustration
Daniel B. Clendenin
... . In her book of visions called Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love — by some accounts the first book published in English that was written by a woman — Juliana wrote one of the most well-known sentences in all of Christian history that's also the perfect antidote to worry. In her thirteenth vision or "shewing," Juliana concluded that she was wrong to worry about the sins and sorrows of life. Jesus told her that these trials and tribulations were, in fact, "behovely" (from which we get our word "behoove ...
3630. Rock Solid
Matthew 7:24-29
Sermon
King Duncan
... Bobby asked, “Dr. Brown, would it be okay if I say the Twenty‑third Psalm while you stick me?” “Of course, that would be fine,” Dr. Brown said, and they began the procedure. Bobby recited beautifully. There were no tears and he stayed perfectly still. The procedure went well. Afterward Bobby said, “Dr. Brown, that really didn’t hurt much.” The doctor and the nurses knew better. Then Bobby caught the doctor by surprise. He asked, “Dr. Brown, do you know the Twenty‑third Psalm?” “Well ...
3631. Hear Him
Matthew 17:1-13
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... Jesus’ mission and ministry his movement towards Jerusalem and the cross. Taking with him a select group of Peter, James, and John, Jesus heads for the mountaintop, where something wholly new will occur. This new experience gives Jesus a perfect, unimpeachable provenance. Every word and image evokes the history of Israel and reveals the power of God’s covenant promise to the Hebrew people. Like the greatest prophets of the past, Jesus journeys upward first. Mountaintop experiences involve high altitude ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... woman on a different level. Her reply, while accurate, “I have no husband,” is hardly revealing. In fact, it seems at first to be an attempt to firmly close the door on any more inquiries into her personal life. But her reply gives Jesus the perfect key to open the door to her private failures. We are not told whether her five marriages came to an end because of death or divorce. But even if strictly legal, rabbinic authorities firmly frowned on any more than three marriages. This woman’s moral ...
3633. That First Longing
John 4:5-42
Illustration
Robert Bachelder
Carl Jung, the great psychoanalyst, tried to explain why so many people were fascinated by UFO phenomena. He wrote: "We are all born to believe. The eyes may be wrong, but the psyche is right. We are all looking for a perfect model of ourselves." C. S. Lewis made the same point when he observed: “Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... countless midrashes. There were rules “for” and rules “against” every aspect of life. All cultures have social fences that make some things “acceptable” or “clean” while other things are “unacceptable” or “dirty.” Blow your nose in a tissue — perfectly acceptable. Blow your nose on your sleeve — unbelievably gross! Spit in the sink — with the water running please! — while brushing your teeth, acceptable. Spit on the sidewalk — it used to be you could get arrested! Spit in ...
3635. Having to Wait
John 9:1-41
Illustration
... . "I am willing to wait one thousand years if necessary in order to see God face to face." St. Peter is very pleased. He insists, though, on asking her one more question for the Records. "Tell me, dear lady, how do you spell `God'?" The woman spells it perfectly, then enters the Pearly Gates. Finally, St. Peter calls in the third woman. He also apologizes to her, but she refuses to accept his apology. "It was quite rude," she says angrily. "All my life on earth I had to wait in lines. Wait at the checkout ...
3636. All Boxed In?
Matthew 28:1-10
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... was a recalibration of reality before those first witnesses. Events were not going to unfold according to acceptable theological norms. Who were the first persons to witness the rolled way tomb? Who were the first persons spoken to by the angel perfectly perched upon the former tombstone? They were no-count, low-brow, without-clout women…of exceedingly questionable integrity, at that. If you wanted to redeem Jesus’ reputation here you certainly would not choose Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” as ...
3637. Are We Brave enough to Bet It All?
John 20:1-18
Illustration
Thomas Long
... to have a poor hand; his cards showing on the table are "nondescript garbage." Astonishingly, though, he keeps up the betting pace, calling and raising Thomas at every opportunity. Thomas is puzzled since his own hand is a poker player's dream. It isn't absolutely perfect he is holding one poor card but other than this single little flaw his hand is virtually unbeatable. Why does Fred keep on betting against such odds? Why doesn't he fold? When the time comes to lay down the cards, though, Thomas is shocked ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... to our lesson from the Epistle, particularly the twenty-second verse, where we read these words, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” What a perfect text for a day when we honor our Moms. “Love one another deeply, from the heart.” Note that these words are directed at the community of faith. They are not being written for the secular community. The writer of this passage uses phrases ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... hatred in Christ. And there is no hatred in God. John, in his Epistle, suggests that God is not capable of hatred. He writes, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). God is love. That says it all. Jesus is the perfect reflection of God. And that is the message we take to the world. Our Master said, “When you have seen me, you have seen my father.” May others be able to say about us, “When we’ve seen [John, Mary, Tyler], we see Jesus.” May they see, even in ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... Adam “became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). No other creature receives God’s own breath as its source of life. Until Jesus. In Church theology Jesus is sometimes referred to as the “Second Adam,” or the “Last Adam,” because Jesus’ perfect humanity over‑wrote and expunged the failures and “fall” of the “First Adam.” But if Adam was distinguished by being the first God‑breathed living being, then the true “Second Adam” is that which Jesus’ Spirit breathed into existence. Jesus ...
3641. A Caring Presence: I Will Not Leave You
John 14:15-21
Illustration
John H. Pavelko
... finally restored and the operation is over and you are reconnected, you will eventually awaken in a special recovery room. But you will be immobile for as long as six hours. You may be unable to move, or speak, or to even open your eyes, but you will be perfectly conscious and you will hear and you will know everything that is going on around you.. During those six hours, I will be at your side and I will hold your hand exactly as I am doing now. I will stay with you until you are fully recovered. Although ...
3642. Accepting the Storms with Calmness
John 14:15-31
Illustration
O. Garfield Beckstrand, II
... edge of the water, he noticed something sparkling in the sand. It was a pale, delicate shell. He stood there, completely captivated by it. Finally he picked it up. It was so delicate that the least pressure of his fingers would crush it. Yet it was undamaged and perfect. He was puzzled by this fact as the waves roared in upon him. How could a shell remain intact and unbroken in the midst of the tons of seething water? Suddenly it dawned upon him that the shell did not panic, fight the forces of the water ...
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... that the Corinthians are urged to take, making “rejoice” a far more fitting translation within this text. Paul’s second exhortation is also variously interpreted as “mend you ways,” “put things in order,” or even “aim for perfection.” However translated, Paul is calling for the Corinthians strenuously to seek a restored, repaired, mended relationship within their faith community and so, ultimately, with God. In order to achieve this restoration, the Corinthians are next encouraged by Paul ...
3644. Safely through the Storm
Matthew 28:16-20
Illustration
Keith Wagner
Max Lucado tells the story about the time he was sailing with his son and a church friend of the coast of Miami. They were having a leisurely cruise and the weather was perfect. But out of nowhere a storm appeared. The sky darkened, the rained started and the ocean became violent. Max was terrified and looked at his friend Milt for help. Milt was deliberate and decisive. He told the men exactly where to sit and gave them specific instructions. Last he said, " ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... of this chorus right here.] A “reward” shouldn’t suck your soul away. A “reward” should set your soul soaring. Remember how good it made you feel to be “rewarded” for memorizing Bible verses in Sunday school? Remember how you coveted your friend’s perfect attendance Sunday school pins that made his coat look like a 4-star general’s uniform? Whether you got “Awana Bucks” or plastic jewels to put in your plastic crown pin, or stripes on your sleeve as you rose in rank in “the Lord ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... .” Wesley then apologized to the man and asked his forgiveness. (4) Jesus said that we have enough to do to look to our own acceptability to spend time evaluating the acceptability of others. We are not to judge others, first of all, because we are not perfect ourselves. Leave it to God to judge who is wheat and who is a weed. But there is a second and even more important reason we are not to judge others. When we pass judgment on others, we distance ourselves from them. Pastor Jason Freyer says that ...
3647. Finger Food
Matthew 14:13-21
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... , and frying a table full of one-at-a-time bite-sized creations takes a lot more hands-on time than throwing a big turkey or pot roast in the oven to cook. But all the effort is worth it. For the pleasure of eating a variety of perfect little one-bite goodies with our fingers. Maybe eating with our fingers recalls in us one of our first “accomplishments” as toddlers. Watch any baby just learning how to use that great gadget known as “the opposable thumb” to pick up Cheerios off their high chair tray ...
3648. Keep on Asking. Keep on Trusting.
Matthew 15:21-28
Illustration
King Duncan
... lessons that joy can never know. We discovered that there is a comradeship in pain." Unlike the Canaanite woman, Ronald Meredith did not see his son healed. But he has not quit trusting. He now looks forward to that great day when God's plan for us will be perfected. He believes that one day he will look at Ronnie and say, "Hi, Son," and for the first time Ronnie will respond, "Hi, Dad." They will need a lot of time to talk, for Ronnie has never been able to speak a word. The Canaanite woman saw Jesus heal ...
3649. Surprise!
Luke 1:26-38
Sermon
David E. Leininger
... as marriage; indeed, the only way to break the engagement was an actual divorce. Suddenly, he hears that his intended is pregnant with someone else's child. He must have been crushed. And remember, this is the part of the world that even today is perfectly okay with "honor killings" — the exacting of murderous vengeance if the family name is besmirched. That is dangerous ground. But as the gospel account has it, an angel appeared to him in a dream and explained the circumstances of Mary's pregnancy, so ...
Sermon
David E. Leininger
... for his return to glory. The early scribe who, blessed with divine wisdom, completed the Lord's Prayer for oral repetition by adding the resounding phrase, "for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory" knew what he was doing. It was the perfect touch. That scribe knew from the depths of his being, Jesus "ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty." He deserved it. True, he wrote no books, composed no songs, drew no pictures, carved no statues, amassed no fortune ...
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