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 76 to 100 of 1230 results
76. Advent 2
Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 14:1--15:13, Isaiah 11:1-16, Psalm 72:1-20
Sermon Aid
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
... . A closer look at the structure of Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 underscores several important points about God's salvation in our present lives, which could be used in preaching. First, v. 1 underscores how the ethics of the king are not simply humanitarian ideals, but qualities that must be learned from God. It is God's justice and righteousness that are being requested. Second, vv. 2-4 underscore how the divine attributes must go beyond the character of the king and become evident in the social transformation of ...
77. Pentecost
John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, Psalm 104:1-35, Numbers 11:4-35
Sermon Aid
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
... distribution of power through the seventy elders, and he is open to the surprises of the spirit as evidenced in Eldad and Medad. Thus he responds to Joshua with a question of his own, "Are you jealous for my sake?" Then he concludes the story by idealizing the unpredictable aspect of prophetic authority by wishing that all of Israel might have the power of Eldad and Medad. Numbers 11:24-30 is an excellent story for probing the charismatic power of God's spirit on Pentecost, because it affirms both the power ...
78. A Man for All Seasons
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... shallow — to influence others for Christ and the church. There are those who would view this as a fragmented and therefore unacceptable approach to presenting the gospel. Paul did not give up the gospel he was trying to promote! We don't need to do that, either. Ideally, we are strong enough in the faith, as we move about, to provide a certain spiritual aroma that causes others to want what we have. The more we can relate to them in their patterns of living, the more apt we are to be successful in their ...
79. Home Alone
Revelation 21:10, 22-27
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... can offer. A Christian family, then, is one whose security and unity is not assured through its own abilities or efforts. Its "key log" is shored up by a faith in something larger than itself - Christ. The church makes a mistake when it idealizes the home as a self-contained spiritual oasis in the midst of the dangerous desert of secular culture. In "Family: Toward Androgyny," authors James Davison Hunter and Helen V. L. Stehline have correctly diagnosed this prescription as an attempt to perpetuate the ...
80. Proper 20
Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:14-32, James 4:1-12, James 3:1-12, Proverbs 31:10-31
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... the conflict between man and the Son of Man. a. The necessity of the cross "must" v. 31. b. The victory of the cross "After three days he will rise" v. 31. Old Testament: Proverbs 31:10-31 1. The ideal woman (31:10-31). Need: In today's period of women's demand for liberations, our text describes an ideal woman. What more could a woman possibly want? It is not a matter of demanding rights and privileges or a plea to be equal to man, but this woman is praised for her service to her family. Outline: Marks of ...
Sermon
Lee Griess
... He decided not to allow himself to be hurt. The risk was too great. The man looked around him and saw people strive for great goals. He saw men and women pursuing high ideals, but he saw that the striving was frequently mixed with disappointment and the ideals often carried a great cost. And the man decided that great goals and high ideals were too costly for him. He decided the risk was too great. The man looked around and saw people serving others. He saw them giving money to the poor and spending time in ...
82. In Athens
Acts 17:16-34
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
... from Democritus and learned by Epicurus from his disciple Nausiphanes). The gods had no involvement, therefore, in creation. Indeed, they cared for neither the world nor its inhabitants, but themselves followed to perfection the life of detachment that was the Epicurean ideal. Thus the Epicureans were practical atheists, though they did not deny the existence of the gods—we have an idea of them, therefore they must be real (the atoms of which the gods are also formed throw off “husks” that strike ...
83. Wives and Husbands
Ephesians 5:22-33
Understanding Series
Arthur G. Patzia
... submit themselves to their husbands (5:24); husbands are to love their wives with the same sacrificial love as Christ, who feeds and takes care of the church, his body (5:25, 29). The Lordship of Christ and his relation to the church epitomize the ideal union between husband and wife. But though this appears to be the author’s main purpose, the analogy works in the opposite direction as well. Throughout the epistle he has been expounding on the nature of the church and how Christ, the Head, is related ...
Understanding Series
Gordon D. Fee
... . 1:20 (cf. 1 Cor. 11:32), is seen as the “giveaway” for the non-Pauline character of this paragraph, since it is a key word in Hellenistic moral philosophy. See, e.g., the classic on the Hellenistic mind by W. Jaeger, entitled Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture (Oxford, 1939). Thus Barrett contends: “In Paul grace is not educative, but liberating:” But two things must be noted: First, the use of paideuō reflected here has already been taken over into Hellenistic Judaism (Wis. 6:11, 25 [cf. 11:19 ...
Understanding Series
Christopher J. H. Wright
... build their exhortation on the realistic assumption that there will be those who will need special care and attention in society because of hardship and need. Goldingay coins the phrase “Deuteronomy’s pastoral strategy” for this combination of upholding the highest ideal on the one hand and legislating for the realities of a sinful people on the other; for the fruitful ethical tension between what ought to be and what actually is (Theological Diversity, pp. 153–66). The function of verses 4–6 ...
86. Going to War
Deuteronomy 20:1-20
Understanding Series
Christopher J. H. Wright
... , and sometimes kings were prophetically challenged over wars that were not sanctioned by Yahweh. See Jones, “ ‘Holy War,’ ” and Craigie, War. As regards the humaneness of the laws of war in Deut., cf. Rofé, “The Laws of Warfare.” Rofé, however, regards these laws as late idealizations, quite unrelated to the actual practice of warfare during the conquest or monarchy eras. While it is true that Israel’s practice did not follow what is prescribed here, it seems to be as likely that the ...
87. True and False Discipleship
Luke 6:46-49, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 6:37-42
Teach the Text
R.T. France
... that certainly apply to any person who criticizes others: “Now the mistake of critics is not that they criticize the world; it is that they never criticize themselves. They compare the alien with the ideal; but they do not at the same time compare themselves with the ideal; rather they identify themselves with the ideal.”3 The way you live and speak reveal the sort of person you are. Personal Story: When I (R. T. France) lived in West Africa, I wanted to grow bananas, but banana trees and plantain ...
88. Priorities
Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:22-34
Teach the Text
R.T. France
... also be privileged to share in it, as agents through whom his rule is to be exercised. 12:33  Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Compare the practice of the early Christians in Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–37. This radical ideal needs to be balanced against practical responsibility. Peter, for instance, seems to have retained his boat and fishing tackle, and even his home in Capernaum. The itinerant lifestyle of Jesus and his disciples depended on the hospitality and support of well-wishers who had ...
Teach the Text
Preben Vang
... 4:6–13 ends Paul’s response to the deeper and broader issues in the report coming from Chloe’s household. Paul brings the tension between Corinthian ideals and true Christian ideals into their sharpest contrast yet by pointing to his own situation. Everything about Paul, both his appearance and his behavior, exposes the incongruity of worldly ideals with the Christian faith. Interpretive Insights 4:6  Now, brothers and sisters. Paul indicates he is ready to summarize his teaching by his use of the ...
Teach the Text
Joe M. Sprinkle
... to which Americans can strive to live. They also provide standards that may show where they fall short and need improvement. Similarly, Israel’s holidays reinforced the ideal that Israel was special, a holy people separated to God by their unique religious celebrations. Their holidays also provided ideals by which the Israelites were to live. And as they sought to do so, it made them into a better people as well. Like Israel, Christians are called regularly to pause, rest, and remember. Informational ...
Teach the Text
Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
... upright behavior, which entails adherence to God’s moral standards (22:21–25). Such behavior finds its source in the “fear of God,” which is a humble, genuine respect for his moral authority and produces obedience (Deut. 6:2; 10:12). This description of the ideal king echoes the Deuteronomic regulations of kingship, which dictate that Israel’s king is to study the law of the Lord “so that he may learn to revere [or, “fear”] the Lord his God” (Deut. 17:19). 23:4  he is like the light of ...
92. Tell It Not in Gath!
2 Samuel 1:1-16, 1 Samuel 31:1-13
Teach the Text
Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
... to kill them, using the words “Draw your sword.” Like Abimelek, Saul is guilty of mass murder (Judg. 9:5; 1 Sam. 22:18) and deserves his fate. In contrast to Abimelek, Saul is the chosen servant of God, but in the end he falls so far from God’s ideal for him that he dies like one of the most evil characters on the pages of the Former Prophets. 31:6  So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died. This report is particularly tragic when one recalls the story of Jonathan and his ...
93. Hebrew Servants
Exodus 21:2-11
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... and proper worship. The bulk of the material establishes procedures to administer justice in this newly forming social entity and is designed for their life together in the land. In order to deal with some of the seemingly less-than-ideal stipulations included in the book of the covenant, some scholars have proposed applying trajectory theology. This interpretive model sees the laws articulated in the Sinai covenant as ethically more advanced than those in the surrounding cultures, but as only approximating ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... approaching a corpse (literally “dead soul” [21:11], as in Num. 6:6), with no exceptions, and can marry only a virgin from his people. Leviticus 21:16–23 continues the idea that the inner sphere of the Lord is as close to ideal life as possible by limiting the privilege of officiating sacrifices to priests without physical defects, just as sacrificial victims must be unblemished (Lev. 1:3, 10; 22:17–25; cf. Heb. 4:15—Christ as high priest is morally unblemished). However, a defective descendant ...
Understanding Series
James R. Edwards
... . A modern approach would be comparing “the American way of life” to that of the Far East or Latin America, or church attendance in America to that of Europe. But what happens when the good is not contrasted to the inferior but compared with the ideal, the standard by which the judgment is itself made? A vast difference results: we find ourselves no longer in the victory circle but on the ropes. This is the program in 2:17–29. The exacting righteousness of God’s revealed will pronounces judgment on ...
Understanding Series
James R. Edwards
... simply an admission that Paul, like everyone else, is a mortal of flesh and blood. Any moralist can point out failures in human “oughtness,” but the apostle is thinking of the higher summit of divine righteousness. It means that the law is God’s ideal, an ideal which people acknowledge and affirm, but which no one can attain. At the very point where the divine aura of the law becomes apparent, human fallenness (which Paul describes in 8:18ff. as part of the tragic pain of creation itself) wells up and ...
97. Israel's Unbelief
Romans 9:30--10:21
Understanding Series
James R. Edwards
... text to explain the Jewish rejection of Jesus (11:11; 1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:4–6). At no point was Christ more of a stumbling block than at the cross. The idea of a crucified Messiah was an offense to the Jewish ideal of a messianic king, as Paul himself admitted: “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.… but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:18–25). To Jews who pursued a law of righteousness … by ...
98. The Weak and the Strong
Romans 14:1--15:13
Understanding Series
James R. Edwards
... be devoted to Paul’s travel plans and personal greetings. 15:1 For the first time since 14:1 Paul designates the strong by name, and his use of the first person plural indicates that he considers himself as one of them. The strong, however, are not the ideal. Rather, strength is a privilege which carries responsibility. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak. Implicit in the word ought is a moral claim that follows as a result of the love of neighbor (cf. 13:8–10; 15:27). In Greek ...
99. The Throne in Heaven
Revelation 4:1-11
Understanding Series
Robert W. Wall
... and theological than ethical; its tone is worshipful and hopeful and assumes that the audience’s yet unspecified needs will be met by a good and powerful God. Revelation’s epistolary thanksgiving is about God rather than about the spiritual needs or moral ideals of John’s audience. In the NT letters of Ephesians and 1 Peter, where the author writes for several audiences, a traditional hymn of thanksgiving is substituted for the author’s more personal thanksgiving (cf. Eph. 1:3–14; 1 Pet. 1:3 ...
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
... the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD” (Exod. 23:17; cf. Deut. 16:16) at the major temple festivals. Nevertheless, the meaning of this psalm is easily extended to include both male and female. 128:5–6 Now the psalm seeks to make this ideal a reality, not merely through one’s labor (v. 2) but through prayer. Blessedness is not viewed as an automatic consequence of one’s actions—it is a divine gift. The realization of the blessing is conditional on one’s asking, on Yahweh’s free choice ...
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