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 151 to 175 of 2962 results
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... that Elizabeth was well beyond child-bearing age. When they were praying in then -- when she could get pregnant -- they were "asking the Creator to participate with what was nature's design -- to give nature a little push to get on with the job of which the Creator had designed her to do." But now -- it would mean far more than just God participating in nature's design -- it would require that God intervene in nature. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not at all calling for us to test prayer and to test faith by ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... power and the only possible source of a righteous, sanctified, and redeemed life for all. The cross is the brand of Christ. Christ crucified is the brand for all Christians. Contained in this brand is all anyone needs to know in order to see the true, God-designed image of the church, for the church's touchstone is, and must always be, Christ crucified. Our brand isn't a set of rules or regulations. The touchstone isn't an ordered set of principles. Our brand is the person of Jesus Christ. When you see some ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... . Recall Paul's opening address to the church at Philippi: "To all the saints who are in Philippi." Every time the word "saint" is used in the new testament, it refers to all the members of the church. For Christ the Son, and God the Father, the designation of saints is not reserved for a few Mother Teresa-types. The saints is an address that encompasses all members of the church. Today is ALL Saints Day, a day dedicated to remembering and remarking ALL the saints of the church – even those who have not ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... abandon Bessie the Cow, Chicago decided to embrace her and use her to highlight the city's pride of ancestry, both as a slaughterhouse city and as a city that prides itself in its art and architecture. So they commissioned 300 artists to design unique cows, and placed these "artworks" in various architectural locations throughout the city. At the end of the year they auctioned off the 300 "original" cows. The result? A tourist bonanza and a shot of self esteem into the citizenry of Chicago. The plastering ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... woman, Judas went out and betrayed Jesus. "Messiah" literally means "the Anointed One." There were diverse, even conflicting understandings and ideas of messiahship. But one thing was sure: "All four gospels presuppose that 'The Anointed One' was in common use as a designation of the man whom God was expected to make king of his people at the end of times." (N. A. Dahl [Revised by D. H. Juel], "Messianic Ideas and the Crucifixion of Jesus," in The Messiah: Developments in Earliest Judaism and Christianity ...
156. Christmas Eve\Christmas Day
Luke 2:1-7, Isaiah 9:1-7, Psalm 96:1-13, Titus 2:1-15, Luke 2:8-20
Sermon Aid
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
... in Titus and Luke, but the shared subject and the relating of this declaration to Jesus Christ bind these very different texts to each other for use on Christmas. Titus 2:11-14 - "The Practical Meaning of Salvation" Setting. The letter to Titus is designed to give advice to a Christian leader who is facing a less than perfect pastoral situation. The letter gives counsel about the personal qualities a pastor is to possess (1:5-9), and then it provides directions for dealing with those in the church ...
157. Transfiguration
Psalm 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18
Sermon Aid
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
... , precisely because God is with us in a special way in the sanctuary. In the creation story of Genesis 1, note how the climax of creation is not the creation of human beings; rather, it is the celebration of Sabbath, the day God rested, which is designated as a very good day. In Exodus 24, the writers separate the seventh day of theophany through the repetitive motif of having Moses ascend the mountain (vv. 12, 13, 15, 18). But these ques of ascent must not mislead us from seeing the real dynamic of ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... -type protectors worn by average citizens, the masks provided for the Olympic athletes were unique: black, and sleek, and, can I say it, “fashionable.” I predict that in the future they may become something of a fashion statement, a trendy accessory, not unlike designer sunglasses (we forget that sunglasses began as a light pollution protector for the eyes). If I asked you this morning this question “What is the one thing that is required of an Olympic athlete?” you would all give me the same answer ...
159. Matthew 15:21-28
Matthew 15:21-28
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... a dog,” and dog references such as “cur” or “mutt” still carry a hefty load of invective. The woman, however, does not let this second rejection dissuade her any more than did Jesus’ silence. Instead she performs some verbal jiujitsu, accepting Jesus’ designation but turning it to her advantage and bolstering her own argument. Notice how her image of picking up the scraps from under the table takes nothing away from the elevated station of the “children,” who dine first. Yet it allows for ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... ’s directive across the otherwise orderly pattern. The “Spirit trail” was the artist’s way of letting the weaving “breath” to take on a life of its own. The Spirit trail enabled the weaving to open up its own rigid rules of design and prefabrication, allowing freedom, the unpredictable, and even chaos, to enter into the tapestry. What the Navajo artists intended in the “Spirit trail” is the positive version of a tradition found among such diverse artisans as the Amish and the Islamic. You ...
161. Blue Christmas
Isaiah 40:1-31
Sermon
King Duncan
... ,” she said afterwards, “if I got a smile or a hello from a passerby, I felt like I’d received a hug from God himself.” Her experiment changed forever her thinking about the needs of the elderly. It also influenced the thinking of industrial designers, politicians, and others who learned about Pattie’s work. (3) The only way Pattie Moore could learn about the needs of the elderly was to experience for herself what it was to be elderly. Here is what is so majestic about the coming of Christ ...
162. Ephesians 1:15-23
Ephesians 1:15-23
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... to is not the inheritance that awaits the faithful, but “God’s inheritance.” God’s inheritance is nothing less than the people God has chosen. God’s chosen people, all those faithful who live “in Christ,” belong to God. As if knowing God’s saving designs were not enough for disciples to begin to comprehend, Paul’s final intercessory prayer is that these Ephesian Christians might come to know that God’s great power is available to all who are in Christ. Note that in v.19 Paul switches to ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... Scripture which abounds in right-handed images of good. Throughout the history of Israel God was identified as stretching out not the left but the right hand, the right arm, to save the stiff-necked Hebrews. The seat of honor at royal banquets and in heaven itself is designated as the one at the right hand of the ruler's throne. In this week's epistle text we read that Christ is seated at that esteemed right-hand place of glorification in the eschatological future. Thus to be on the right is to be in the ...
164. Matthew 10:40-42
Matthew 10:40-42
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... . Now behavior that imitates the gospel message, without the accompaniment of a preached or taught word, seems to qualify the giver for a reward similar to that of the disciples and the "welcomer." The "little ones" in this final verse may be Matthew's designation of simple, seemingly unimportant or poor Christians. The "little ones" are those most in need those to whom a "cup of cold water" really does make a difference. Not only is the welfare of these "little ones" to be the concern of the disciples ...
165. Luke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1-13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... authenticity of a "Jesus saying." They assign a color to the text based on the probability that it is genuine: "red" for sayings that appear to be indisputably Jesus'; "black" for those almost certainly not. Of course, there are also "pink" and "gray" designations awarded, in order to leave some work for the next generation of scholarship. In the end, the recommendations for the color of a text are tallied, like votes, and the winning color determines the team's decision on the authenticity of the saying ...
166. Mark 12:28-34
Mark 12:28-34
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... the original text from Leviticus, but the essential concept remains the same. In Leviticus, loving with all the "heart," "soul" and "might" is mandated. Here in Mark, "heart," "soul," "mind" and "strength" are stipulated. The original Hebrew had no need to designate both "heart" and "mind," for the Hebrew concept of heart included both the emotional and intellectual center of an individual. The heart was both a thinking and a feeling organ. "Soul" in Hebrew is less than "spirit," more than "self", including ...
167. Luke 3:1-6
Luke 3:1-6
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... for insulting and antagonizing his Jewish subjects. Knowing that his hold on Judea was tenuous, Pilate made up for his weakness by periodically unleashing his soldiers on the citizenry. He was both despised and feared. Herod was an unbalanced and dangerous ruler, designated as "King of the Jews" by the authorities in Rome. Though he himself was a Jew, albeit of Edomite descent, he spent as much money and attention on establishing various pagan temples about the region as he did on the temple in Jerusalem ...
168. Our Fuel
John 15:1-8 
Illustration
C. S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis wrote, "God has designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy without bothering about religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
169. Ephesians 5:15-20
Ephesians 4:17--5:21
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... for salvation God has made known to them. Through God’s grace “all wisdom and insight” has been given to those who hear and believe in Christ’s mission and resurrection (Ephesians 1:8-9). With the gift of “wisdom,” or insight into God’s design for humanity, also comes a clear cognition of why the need for redemption is so imperative. Time is of the essence “because the days are evil” (v.16). As members of the community of the redeemed, the Ephesians are living in two ages at once—the ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... t say that you believe the husband ought to love his wife, nor can you say that you believe a child ought to obey his parents if you are not also willing to buy into God's expectation that the wife submit to the husband. God has so designed the family that every member of that family has a role to play and a responsibility to fulfill. When each member of the family fills that role and fulfills that responsibility according to God's plan in those magic moments, you have a Picture Perfect family that reflects ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... the next. Worshipers can go there and pick and choose which they like best. People will go from statue to statue until they find one that they believe most resembles what they feel, or who they are, and that's the one they'll worship. People today custom design their own deity right here in America. They talk about "the god I worship." Such as: The god I worship would never allow anyone to go to hell. The god I worship made homosexuals the way they are, and accepts their lifestyle. The god I worship accepts ...
172. Get Real
John 15:1-11, 16
Sermon
James Merritt
... thing we all know is that fruit reflects the character of the tree of vine that it is connected to. You go to an apple tree and you are going to find apples. You go to a pear tree and you are going to find pears. Grapevines were designed to produce grapes and a Christ follower, who by definition is someone joined to Jesus Christ, through a personal relationship to Him is going to produce Christ-likeness. That raises the question, "What does that mean to be Christ-like?" We don't have to wonder. The Apostle ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... in our society than this one: How can we build lasting family relationships? Before we answer that question, though, we need to make one thing perfectly clear: Marriage is not required for a fulfilling Christian life. The Bible is clear about this. Some people are really not designed for marriage, for one reason or another. Some may want to marry but never find a partner. One poor guy says that when he was a child, his mother told him, “Son, when you grow up, you can marry any girl you please.” When he ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... Joseph moved out to some separate stable — a building for animals? Luke’s text doesn’t say. The gospel writer’s only hint at the actual birthplace for the baby is that Jesus was laid in “a manger” after he was born. The most common design for simple homes of first century peasants consisted of two levels. The upper floor would be where the family slept and where a “guest room” might be available. The lower floor was used for ordinary daytime living and where the animals were kept at night ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... celebration." Her little boy chimed in and said, "We're Texans, and we're going to have a barbecue." (1) How many of you like to barbecue? Barbecue grills come in all shapes and sizes. All the fancy designs are for better heat control and air flow. Some are simply designed to attract us to buy them Each one is designed to do the same thing, barbecue meat. And there's all kinds of ways to barbecue. You can prepare your ribs or sausage or chicken or brisket or steaks or chops or whatever in a Cajun Cooker ...
Showing results