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 4726 to 4750 of 4999 results
4726. God's Laughter
Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7
Sermon
Stan Purdum
... itself reminds us that there is, in addition to a time to laugh, also a time to weep (Ecclesiastes 3:4). What's more, some types of laughter are quite ungodly, including that laughter that is mocking or ridiculing, or the kind that finds glee in the pain or troubles of others, or the kind that tries to excuse wrongdoing by dismissing it as "just having fun." Nonetheless, I want to remind you that the gospel is at root good news and that Christianity is a faith that proceeded into the world carried on the ...
Sermon
David J. Kalas
... so deeply and so naturally needs the approval and affection of his father. Young Jacob must have lived his childhood in a constant but futile effort to get the same kind of smile, the same rapport, the same approving slap on the back that Esau enjoyed from Isaac. Finally, one day Jacob got from Isaac precisely the kind of treatment typically reserved for Esau. Indeed, Jacob quite literally took something that had been reserved for Esau: Isaac's special blessing. That moment of deception — that one final ...
Sermon
John N. Brittain
... by Christ's death and resurrection, and that common belief should outweigh honest differences of opinion. As Christians, we need to be united against a dark world where selfish, exploitive, and judgmental behavior rules the night. But within the body of Christ, we need the kind of diversity that can only grow from selfless love. When everybody is busy trying to be just like his or her neighbor, only a little better of course, the diversity necessary for a vital Christian community is lost. It represents the ...
4729. A Disconcerting Sight
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Sermon
John N. Brittain
... refer to that as remaining babes in Christ, or so it seems to me. Others dislike this idea of Christian growth, of striving toward the goal, because it seems to set up a spiritual hierarchy that strikes us as, well, unchristian. Does this not foster a kind of competitiveness of those who are further along the path to perfection? Does it not suggest that there might be some people who, for whatever reason, are more suited than others for a particular task? And, as Christian people, are we not to believe that ...
Sermon
David O. Bales
... 's grace by serving others. She hasn't wasted her suffering. We can learn by God's grace to redirect suffering, to not let it destroy us, but to grab it, to use its own energy to throw it, and to come out of the contest with some kind of victory. I served for years on Presbyteries' Committees on Ministry. I remember so many nights driving home late after a meeting with a troubled congregation or pastor. With hours of driving to reflect upon church problems, I decided that, if I were going to hurt that bad ...
4731. Yes, You
1 Peter 2:2-10
Sermon
David O. Bales
... to you. ‘You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.' " Everyone of us. The New Testament doesn't talk about a special kind of Christian but about the laity, which is the Greek word for the "people." We're all God's laity. We're all summoned into God's service as well as into God's family. As God's people, we're all priests, which means we're all mediators between ...
4732. Surprises
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Sermon
David O. Bales
... under. The New Testament proclaims that God is like the person Jesus Christ, and Jesus cares about us. We experience God's care partly through our fellow Christians. Verse 9 reassures us, "that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering." It's a tremendous help to remember that others are in this faith with us. That's one reason the New Testament tells us to study our faith together, to speak together of our hope, to gather for worship. I have Christian friends ...
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
... giving his jaws some exercise. You approach Fido with your hands behind your back. Fido eyes you and is suspicious. You speak kindly to your canine friend. He wags his tail. He smiles his doggy smile keeping his paw firmly planted on the bone. Fido ... work. Jesus forgives me anyway." Nothing ever changes. God's forgiveness becomes an excuse to maintain the status quo. When faced with this kind of distortion of the gospel, the temptation is to clamp down on the bad behavior. We think that we have got to start ...
4734. Captive Free!
Romans 7:15-25a
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
... record of business success and religious piety, he must have thought that he had a pretty good chance of passing the test. Jesus knows that all is not well. He knows that this man's heart is not right with God. He may have a pretty good record of humanitarian kindness, but when it comes to his relationship with God, he is more in love with himself than with God. What Jesus does next exposes that. He tells him to sell all that he has, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. Of course, he can't do it ...
Sermon
Larry Lange
... few words with the Pastor Kyle to make it clear that first of all if he had received a call that Judy's father was dying, he most certainly would have come back to the nursing home to be with them. Second, it was synod policy never to do any kind of pastoral care in your former parish, and that if anything like this were ever to happen again the only right thing to do was simply call him. The new pastor did his best to remain calm and polite, and to all appearances, Pastor Kyle agreed with the policy and ...
4736. A Vision Vanished
Philippians 3:4-14
Sermon
Larry Lange
... for you?" Arnold asked if he could have a word with the pastor in his office. The pastor said, "Sure," and invited Arnold to sit across from his desk, and Arnold told the pastor about how he saw Jesus, about how Jesus saved his life. "Mmhmm," said the pastor, smiling kindly as if he were looking down at his son who had just showed him a spaceship he had made of Legos. "Is there something we can help you with?" Arnold hadn't really come to ask for anything. He had a job. A good job. He actually didn't know ...
4737. The World According to Paul
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Sermon
Mary S. Lautensleger
... Deacons always Deke And none is proud but all are meek. And none is proud but all are meek. Where gossips never peddle lies Where gossips never peddle lies Or make complaints or criticize. Or make complaints or criticize. Where all are always sweet and kind, Where all are always sweet and kind, And all to other's faults are blind. And all to other's faults are blind. Such perfect churches there may be, Such perfect churches there may be, But none of them are known to me. But none of them are known to me ...
Sermon
Mary S. Lautensleger
... defrauding easier than ever. We are too familiar with slogans such as "There's no such thing as a free lunch," or "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Even when a friend gives us a gift, we feel the need to reciprocate in kind. If John remembers your birthday, then of course, you will remember his. Justification is a free gift, a gift that we receive through faith. The words justify and justification come from the court of law. Imagine a court in which a prisoner stands before the judge for ...
4739. How to Stay Humble in a Haughty World - Sermon Starter
Luke 14:1-14
Illustration
Brett Blair
... then playing for the Miami Dolphins, if he would help his alma mater do some recruiting. Mike said, "Sure, coach. What kind of player are you looking for?" The coach said, "Well Mike, you know there's that fellow, you knock him down, ... guy we want." That's the guy we want to be seen with! That we want to invite to our dinners and social gatherings because deeply it is the kind of people we want to be. We don't want to be seen with the guys who are always being knocked down the poor, crippled, the lame, the ...
4740. The Tradition of the Put Down
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Illustration
Mark Trotter
... entitled, The Second Book of Insults. Evidently the first book was so successful the publisher thought it deserved a sequel. I will confess that I enjoyed reading the book. It is in the grand tradition of a certain kind of comedy called the "put-down." We love to see the pretentious slip on a banana peel. It is that kind of humor. There is a similar tradition in sports. We love to see the underdog beat the top dog. Which is why we look forward to the Padres meeting the Yankees in the World Series. There is ...
4741. How Will the Church Be Lighted?
Luke 14:25-35
Illustration
James W. Moore
... am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something I can do. What if every member of your church supported the church just as you do? What kind of church would you have? What if every single member served the church, attended the church, loved the church, shared the church, and gave to the church exactly as you do? What ...
Children's Sermon
Marti Kramer Suddarth
... inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” This verse means that God himself created words in the Bible, that all of them are true, and that all can help us learn to be the kind of people God wants us to be. In the Bible, we find adventure, mystery, intrigue, poetry, and more. But most importantly, we find God speaking to us, thousands of years after the words were written. The Bible definitely is nonfiction because the Bible is definitely ...
4743. 1 Timothy 2:1-7
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... these faith communities to survive in the midst of the suspicion and hostility their presence evoked from their Roman rulers and from pagan culture in general. With that in mind, it is easy to read some of First Timothy’s admonitions as a kind of “go along to get along” directive. But this epistle is also concerned with passing along the “glorious gospel” (1:11) and steering the faithful away from any “different doctrine” (1:3) that might be preached their way. 1 Timothy colorfully calls such ...
4744. Peace and Quiet
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... : “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Did you catch it? “MY PEACE . . . not as the world gives, give I to you.” So what kind of “peace” does the world give? Peace of mind. The peace of owning a piece of the rock. The peace of Christ is the peace that passes the world’s understanding. The peace and quiet of Christ is not a trouble-free peace, a quiescent quiet, a stormless skies peace ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... of the Finders. When we sit in judgment of others, in essence, we've moved God out of His rightful throne and taken over. Unfortunately, that's a Corky No! No!. That's not our job. We're called to be Seekers. Because, in actuality, there are only two kinds of people in the world. Those who know and have the experienced the forgiveness of God and those who haven't. We're not called to judge. Instead, we're called to Seek and Rejoice because someone else has found the love and grace and forgiveness that we've ...
4746. Radiate Love
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... is the idea expressed in the Greek word "philadelphia." Of course, most of us know that the city of Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love. That's exactly where its name came from. And that comes from the Greek root word "philos" which describes affection and kindness for friends and family. Now we know that it all begins first with God's love for us as expressed in Christ. When the love of God lives in our hearts, we can in turn love God like Christ. That's where it all starts, in that loving ...
4747. Here I Am
Hebrews 12:18-29
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... call and say: "God still needs you. God still has plans for you and work for you to do." You'd have to know this pastor to realize that not only did she believe that God spoke to her, but I believe it too. She's that kind of person. And she has that kind of relationship with God. She asked me what it was all about and I told her. Then we prayed together. I know the people who called that day, but it was God's voice I that heard. Paul was very cognizant of the Call God places on ...
4748. Step Into The Vision
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-15
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... ball. It's a ball, balls are supposed to bounce or be hit, not looked into. Binoculars, you look into. I've always wondered what kind of binoculars Paul Moller had. It was either 1965 or 1966 when I first ran across the name Paul Moller. It was in Popular Mechanics ... I can look out and see all of you, people I've known for the last 6 years, it still feels like a new appointment. That's kind of a scary feeling because I didn't want to move and you didn't want me to move. But it still feels like I've moved ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... . Some of us live with a Legacy that is more like chains which bind us. And struggle as we might we've been unable to break those chains. I wanted to start with that modern retelling of the story we call the Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac. That's kind of a weird passage for Father's Day don't you think? I thought about pulling away from Lectionary and finding a passage more appropriate. But then I got to thinking about all the families in trouble. And most of the families that are in trouble today are in ...
4750. Come
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... B. But drinking from the "water of life" is sort of like tuning your guitar. I was sitting there tuning my guitar the other day and kind of grumbling and wondering all at the same time at how my guitar could get out of tune just sitting in its stand. That's ... her like an invitation to taste and see how Good God is. What a blessing. Conclusion You and I are call to be that same kind of blessing in the world, today. You have been given the greatest gift. A gift that many don't prize because it is free for ...
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