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 3651 to 3675 of 5000 results
Sermon
Hubert Beck
... , "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." In Christ himself the revelation of God is made perfect. All the signs surround him and superimpose themselves on him so that he and they are inter-connected. The words and the signs all mark Christ out as the Son of God, and are plainly designed to become the basis of such a confession. That is why Peter writes, "We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we ...
3652. HOW TO BE SMART
Illustration
John H. Krahn
... are going to fall down." They probably thought Joshua had battle fatigue. But as the trumpets blasted on the seventh trip around, the walls began to crumble. God wouldn’t let Joshua down when he trusted in him. Solomon, one of the wisest of the wise, said that the mark of wisdom is to put your trust in the Lord. However bright we might be, whatever our many gifts and talents, they do not compare with those of Almighty God. To put our trust in the Lord and have him guide our lives is the smart thing to do ...
3653. FORGIVENESS: PART I
Illustration
John H. Krahn
... on the love of God for you." And he dismissed them with a benediction. From the mouth of our Lord came words of forgiveness at the most poignant point in his life. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." We always have a marked respect for final words spoken as life ebbs away. And here is the King of Creation, the Beautiful Savior, fairer than the meadows, woodlands, blooming flowers in the spring, forgiving a creation bastardized by sin as he hung there positioned on a horrendous hill. Even ...
3654. The Excitement of Meaningful Living
John 10:10 · Matthew 6:33 · Ephesians 3:20
Sermon
Robert G. Tuttle
... life flow in from the Holy Spirit. It is a gift. In Free Fall, by William Golding, Sammy is thinking, "There is no point at which something has knocked on your door and taken possession of you. You possess yourself." That is not enough. There is "nothing to mark you out from the ants and the sparrows." But Sammy found it. He became a new person under the possession of God.4 "Be strong in the Lord." Dr. Henry Sawatzky describes the moment of new life: "Deep within your solitude he comes, he touches your mind ...
Sermon
Robert G. Tuttle
... him gladly," and he drew them to God. Dean Russell suggested that our preparation for the ministry was not complete until we had discovered the secret of the winsomeness of Christ, which would draw others to him through us. A beautiful incident in the Gospel of Mark reveals the winsome insights of Jesus. A poor woman, probably one who had been saved from a life in the streets to a meaningful wholeness by the Master, appeared at a dinner in the home of Simon, the leper. She brought with her a bottle of ...
Sermon
Richard Hoefler
... - the light of the world - in dispelling the darkness of human ills, but more specially the analogy between the cure of physical blindness and the enlightenment of the mind in the knowledge of Christ. The narrative which follows displays to us the transition by well-marked steps of a human soul from total darkness of an innocent ignorance to a firm and rock-like assurance of Jesus as the Son of God.1 Raymond Brown adds, "While the former blind man is gradually having his eyes opened to the truth about ...
Sermon
Raymond Gibson
... of creation. A harmonious person is a joyful person, and a church full of harmonious Christians is a joy-filled church. To be of the same mind, to be in harmony together does not mean we must all think alike in the church. In fact, one of the marks of the Church when it is the Church is healthy controversy. Christianity by its very nature is divisive. It forces people to choose sides. In fact, issues that don’t polarize people usually are the kind that don’t matter one way or the other. Christians are ...
Sermon
Raymond Gibson
... , a record of God’s self-giving, a statement of the actuality and factuality of his love. If we want to know more about life before death and life after death, we must become familiar with the recorded facts about the Resurrection as they are written in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the other books of the New Testament. We cannot afford to be illiterate about Jesus Christ. Many of us are in the position of the farm hands invited to the farmer’s wife’s house for dinner. She offered a long prayer of ...
Drama
Tom Eberle
... he is the Messiah? Judas: Well, none of us can be 100% convinced about anything. After all, we are only human. Scroll: My friend from the secular press has raised a serious question about whether Jesus’ avoidance of healings at times is really the mark of a Messiah. However, I believe a much more serious problem with your claim is the kind of associates he attracts. I am referring specifically to one of your number, Matthew, the tax collector, who has obviously had underworld connections in the past, and ...
Drama
Tom Eberle
... sitting on the right-hand side, wearing a white robe; and they were dumbfounded. But he said to them, "Fear nothing; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised again; he is not here; look, there is the place where they laid him." [Mark 16:5-6, NEB] Maria: Each time I hear it I am amazed again. Severus: Doesn’t it become old to you? Maria: Strangely not. It is as if each time I hear the story it happens anew. Severus: How could it possibly happen more than once? Maria: You ...
Drama
Tom Eberle
... we go any further, let’s lay all the cards on the table. You are probably wondering why I am sitting in this box. Today happens to be All Saints’ Sunday/Day. Minister: [from pulpit] On this day we commemorate all those heroes of the faith who have left their mark upon the church. We honor those of our own congregation who have died in the past twelve months. And we seek to bring alive the truth that we are one with all the saints. Box: And that’s why I’m sitting here in this box, because I don’t ...
3662. Are You Under Arrest?
Heb 5:11-13; 10:39
Sermon
Robert Noblett
... saddest sights religiously speaking is the sight of someone who is religiously stagnant, and while these people, in their religious rigidity, often evoke our ire, what they really need is our sympathy. I’m of the conviction that a person’s faith should be marked by adventure and excitement and that involves risk and trust. When our Matthew wants to tell us something that he thinks we may possibly find objectionable, he often begins by saying, "I don’t mean to be fresh, but ..." and then he declares ...
3663. Dessert in the Desert
Deut 32:10-12 · Ez 37
Sermon
Robert Noblett
... can scarcely be doubted." 4 That the wilderness is often a richly formative experience can also be seen in the fact that it is from the wilderness that John the Baptist emerges, and it is to the wilderness that Jesus is led following his baptism. Mark, too, the fact that Jesus emerges from the wilderness stronger than when he went into it. Writes Maxie Dunnam: The desert is a place and an experience at the heart of our spiritual history. Whether we have experienced it as a geophysical fact is not important ...
3664. The Therapy of Song
1 Samuel 16:14-23, Exodus 15:1-21, Psalm 5:1-12
Sermon
Robert Noblett
... is a need for critical debate and questioning, but that best goes on in a context where there is a deeper level of affirmation. Music is often the bearer of affirmation and provides that extra impetus for us to exclaim, "I believe, help Thou my unbelief." (Mark 9:24) There is no finer a hymn than Luther’s "Mighty Fortress." The organ accompaniment, the music and the words form a combination unbeatable and one whose grand sweep pulls us along until we can say nothing other than "Yes, that’s the way it ...
3665. Leah
Genesis 49:29--50:14
Sermon
Warren Thomas Smith
... heart stood gazing at Whistler’s portrait of his mother. "It’s a remarkable painting of a lovely lady," murmured the viewer, "but there is too much peace and calm to be the likeness of a real mother." To be sure, serenity and tranquility are marked qualities of motherhood, yet there has been far more sorrow, pain, and discord in the long history of women than the pacific sweetness of "Mother Machree" would indicate. Ours is a world which traditionally has not only belonged to men, but one in which women ...
3666. John the Baptizer
Isaiah 40:1-31, Luke 1:67-80, John 1:19-28
Sermon
Warren Thomas Smith
... the wings rather than center stage. John is one, who, having fulfilled his concise, dynamic, and dramatic role, is seen no more. But he is forever talked about, his memory vivid and his name real: "... for the people all held that John had been really a prophet." (Mark 11:32) Jesus boldly asked the multitude, "Come, why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet." (Matthew 11:9) John depicts the rugged prophetic tradition at its best. John is symbol of so much in life ...
Sermon
Warren Thomas Smith
... : they had "... sought thee sorrowing." Her son countered with an incredible "... I must be about my Father’s business." What was he talking about? We can imagine Mary’s Nazareth home. Other children were born: James, Joses, Juda, Simon, and daughters. (Mark 6:3) Perhaps Jesus’ public ministry was delayed until his thirtieth year due to Joseph’s death. As first son, Jesus became head of the household, and Mary’s chief support. The carpenter shop was undoubtedly the means of livelihood. Even after ...
3668. Onesimus
Isaiah 43:1-13
Sermon
Warren Thomas Smith
... , president of the university, or head of a corporation, she should not be denied the post because of age, race, or sex. It is here that we have failed, and the church must admit her slowness to put into practice Paul’s "... as a brother." It is a mark of our shame that it has taken so long, and that we still have so far to go. Onesimus the slave is the stark symbol of our time. He is very much alive and can be seen: Detroit, Calcutta, South Africa, London, Watts, Latin America, and Atlanta - all house ...
3669. Epilogue
Psalm 107:1-43
Illustration
Warren Thomas Smith
... than we are, and life must be lived in the light of that commitment. Adoniram and Ann Judson left New England as missionaries, reaching Burma in 1813. Years of frustration, toil, and heartbreak passed before a single convert was baptized. Graves of their babies marked their personal sacrifice. It was Ann’s death that prompted something to snap. Adoniram went into the jungle, built a crude hut and dug a pit beside it - his own future grave. A friend eventually came to him, remonstrating and pointing to the ...
Drama
Marcia Miller
... WAS THERE REALLY A STAR OVER BETHLEHEM THAT VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS NIGHT? DOES THAT STAR STILL SHINE TONIGHT? WHICH ONE IS IT? As my friends build their dreams, Reaching for the stars, I hope that I can always reach for that Special star which marked the dawning Of the Christian Age. READER 2: And without a doubt the mystery of godliness is great. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached throughout the world, accepted by people everywhere, and then returned to heaven ...
Sermon
Bill Bouknight
I have always sensed there was something strange about the original Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem. A huge question mark looms in the background. There is a glaring discontinuity about the whole event. Think about it...A crowd estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000 lines the roadsides to cheer an itinerant preacher from Nazareth named Jesus; yet they are not really sure why they are cheering. They ...
Sermon
Bill Bouknight
... Jesus is always out in front of his followers, paving the way, filtering our future. Our challenge is to note where he is at work and join him! Just a week earlier, Jesus had led the disciples into the lion’s den of Jerusalem. The Gospel writer Mark, in chapter 10, describes what that was like: “They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.” Isn’t that just like Jesus? No matter what dangers lay ahead, He was ...
3673. Lazarus Rising
John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44
Sermon
... the divine event has not yet been enacted. The cross and the empty tomb for us are yet to come. But with these words Jesus gives us a glimpse into eternity. I don’t know if you were sitting in front of the TV Monday night when New York City marked the six months since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but it was a pretty moving event when they turned on the lights which outlined the Twin Towers. It was a clear night so those great big blue lights shot right up to the heavens. The say this sculpture of light ...
Sermon
John R. Brokhoff
... with the answer. Christ has always been and still is the answer to every human problem. He is the way out of our dilemma. One time a party of Americans was going from one mission station to the next in Africa. After a while they realized there was no marked path and became alarmed that they might get lost in the jungle. Their hired guide allayed their fears when he said, "Follow me, I am the way." In the jungle of our pathless waste, Jesus says, "I am the way." There is another point where Jesus comes to us ...
Drama
Jon Joyce
... colorful turban wrapped around his head. One sparkling ring on each hand. Neatly trimmed beards. Antonius, the servant of Pilate: knee-length white or tan robe. Brown sandals. No jewelry or elaborate make-up. If stage make-up is used, Antonius should be plain, a marked contrast to Pilate and Caiaphas. He may wear one big round gold earring in his left ear. Simple hair style. Sound Effects You may wish to use recorded background sounds of the night: a bit of noise from a quiet city, the wind, birds. Lighting ...
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