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 1976 to 2000 of 3160 results
1976. Philippians 3:17-4:1
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... to the example you have in us" (v. 17). The apostle is careful not to suggest that the Philippians imitate only one person, a circumstance which could degenerate into a false form of worship. Paul had already experienced problems of this sort in the Corinthian community (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-17). Rather, imitation was to be a collective and supportive enterprise in which one's walk in Christ received mutual affirmation and instruction. "Join in imitating me" is an associative, collaborative suggestion ...
1977. Philippians 3:4b-14
Philippians 3:4b-14
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... Law, he denies any inference that he has yet reached his new goal of being fully in Christ. The apostle once again invokes the image of a runner (see Philippians 2:16) to describe the spiritual quest he finds himself embodying. It is not through some sort of meritorious action he can "win" this race and so achieve the righteousness he desires. Righteousness is always that which can be reached only through faith. The race is not for merit, but toward a different goal the "prize of the heavenly call of God in ...
1978. John 20:19-31
John 20:19-31
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... in Jesus' second appearance in verse 26) as it does with the Johannine desire to make a point about the body of Jesus. The doors being "closed" or "shut" Jesus nevertheless appears before them and the body which the disciples see has nonetheless retained some sort of corporeality. No gnostic Docetism here (see 1 John 1:1-2). They must have been a disheartened and fearful lot as they met in the evening on the same day as the resurrection events recounted earlier in this passage. Their mood changed, however ...
1979. John 21:1-19
John 21:1-19
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... people of all nations into the net of salvation. Augustine, who argued that the number is a "great mystery," introduced a mathematical component to interpreting this number in which 153 is the sum of numbers 1-17. Others see symbolism of a different sort. Cyril of Alexandria proposed that the number should be broken down into 100 (symbolizing the fullness of the Gentiles), 50 (the remnant of Israel) and 3 (the Holy Trinity). The more probable solution to this question is also the simplest. The disciples ...
1980. 2 Kings 5:1-14
2 Kings 5:1-14
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... to greet the great Naaman and be impressed by the immense wealth being laid at his doorstep. Instead, Elisha sends a servant out to intercept Naaman. Furthermore, the instructions relayed by this underling are simplistic to the point of insulting. Naaman expected some sort of Hollywood production. He anticipated a Cecil B. DeMille flourish in which Elisha would "call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy" (v.11). Instead, all Naaman gets is a second ...
1981. Luke 11:1-13
Luke 11:1-13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... Jesus' warning to his disciples in 22:40: "Pray that you may not come into the time of trial." The trial from which they are to be kept is the trial that leads to apostasy. The thought here is that should the disciples be led into this sort of trial, the subsequent apostasy has the ring of inevitability to it. Nothing happens beyond the will of God for the religious devout of Jesus' day. Nuances such as the distinction between the absolute and permissive will of God were at this point unknown (see Fitzmyer ...
1982. Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... without attacking it. They kept faithful in their strange vigil ... and Jericho was delivered into their hands. Talk about a truly uncommon choice in a litany of faithful role models Rahab! Although some translations and commentators have tried to rehabilitate Rahab as some sort of "innkeeper," her job description in the Hebrew is clearly that of a "secular (as opposed to a temple) prostitute." But Rahab is singled out here as a paragon of faith because, like Abraham and Moses, she had faith in the future ...
1983. Isaiah 11:1-10
Isaiah 11:1-10
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... king does not in itself guarantee the practice of righteousness (Ahaz is a case in point), a future king will emerge and "The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him" (v.2). That the spirit of Yahweh should rest upon the king, particularly a king of this sort of moral and spiritual stature is not surprising (see 1 Samuel 10:6,10; 11:6; 16:13,14; 19:9, 23). The spirit which rests on him invests the king with three pairs of royal charismata: wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the "fear of ...
1984. Acts 19:1-7
Acts 19:1-22
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... of discipleship, the experience of baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit are all inextricably locked together. Even if they had not received the Holy Spirit, for this group to be calling themselves “disciples” suggests to Paul that they must have experienced some sort of baptism. These disciples claim to have received “John’s baptism.” Due to their complete lack of knowledge about the Holy Spirit some commentators have suggested that this must be a group baptized by one of John’s own disciples ...
Sermon
James McCormick
... are, saying “yes” to the realities of our lives. We agree to be who we are. We stop putting ourselves down for not being like someone else, for not being better looking, for not having more or different talents, for not being in a different situation, that sort of thing. We accept ourselves as we are and we celebrate “the goodness of being me”. God made you, you know. And we are told in the Bible that God declared everything that He made to be good! Now, that means accepting limitations as well as ...
1986. Matthew 26:14-27:66
Matthew 26:14-27:66
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... at his arrest (26:56). Matthew's refusal to explain whatever personal ambitions may have motivated Judas have not stopped scholars from speculating. Maybe Judas was a member of the Zealots, a radical offshoot of the Jewish community who agitated for some sort of military action from their kin to throw off Roman oppression. In this interpretation, Judas was hoping the arrest of such an obviously innocent man as Jesus would spur the lethargic side of the Jews. The ploy of getting the religious establishment ...
1987. Acts 2:42-47
Acts 2:42-47
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... not only broke bread with any and all types of people. He usually broke through the protective shells of his table companions at the same time. Meal times with Jesus meant soul food as well as body food. Jesus was heavily criticized for the sorts of people he sat at table with - either they were too rich or too poor, too sanctimonious or too sinful. But Jesus' example perfectly reflected the kind of community that now found itself gathered together for everyday sustenance, solace and support. Drawn from ...
1988. Romans 7:15-25a
Romans 7:15-25a
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... Paul declares it to be "a law," or a principle, unto itself (v.21). The division Paul makes between "flesh" and "mind" here should not be perceived as a general condemnation of the body, of physical life, in favor of a celebration of some sort of spiritual, ethereal existence. If, in fact, Paul found "real" fleshly life without value, there would be no problem here - the "law of the mind" could go on existing in its own sphere of incarceration without concern for its incarnation. The reason that Paul ...
1989. Genesis 32:22-31
Genesis 32:22-31
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... other images of oaths taken by "put your hand under my thigh" (Genesis 24:2; 47:29), as well as on some possible grammatical indications, these scholars conclude that this fateful punch was delivered to Jacob's genitals. Advocates of this view see all sorts of procreative imagery in this blow, finding Jacob's future as the father of Israel dependent upon his submission to Yahweh and the divine plan. Still, this interpretation paints a pretty tawdry picture of God, a deity reduced to giving cheap shots in ...
1990. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... yet another prayer (v.28). It is not altogether clear whether Paul intended to address all the Thessalonian Christian community throughout these admonitions or whether he addresses only the leaders with some of these directives. Obviously, there is some sort of recognized leadership within the community one specially charged with guiding others in living a Christian life (v.12). The question for translators and commentators is whether those who "admonish" or "instruct" from a leadership position are the ...
1991. Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:26-38
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... yet another prayer (v.28). It is not altogether clear whether Paul intended to address all the Thessalonian Christian community throughout these admonitions or whether he addresses only the leaders with some of these directives. Obviously, there is some sort of recognized leadership within the community one specially charged with guiding others in living a Christian life (v.12). The question for translators and commentators is whether those who "admonish" or "instruct" from a leadership position are the ...
1992. Luke 24:36b-48
Luke 24:36b-48
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... us in another direction. The disciples are characterized as frightened, but not necessarily disbelieving. The challenge confronting their belief seems to be more the nature of the risen Jesus. Luke records that they feared they were being visited by a ghost some sort of disembodied spiritual being. Jesus' words and actions in verses 39-43 all speak to the physical nature of his resurrected body. He directs them to "look at my hands and my feet" supposedly so that they could observe the crucifixion wounds ...
1993. Acts 8:26-40
Acts 8:26-40
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... party in both the Hellenistic and the Jerusalem church versions, is no human being but is the divine spirit of God. Angel messengers of God's intentions figure prominently in both Philip's and Peter's stories of Gentile evangelism. Far from boldly initiating some sort of Gentile contact for the purpose of witnessing, all that Philip and Peter do is be obedient, willing disciples. They go where they are told and do what the Lord commands. Philip's journeys have been likened to Elijah's by some scholars, in ...
1994. Micah 5:2-5a
Micah 5:2-5a
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... living on the land was becoming almost impossible. The promised land was being ripped out of the hands of the people who worked it, and its wealth was concentrated in the pockets of an ever-narrowing band of the super rich. Injustices of this sort, coupled with the seemingly endless political machinations the deceitful rulers of Judea were capable of pulling off, led both Isaiah and Micah to predict the end of this corrupt ruling class while announcing the birth of a new/old king - a messiah. Like Amos ...
1995. LIVE-SAVING STATIONS
Mark 1:14-20
Illustration
Mickey Anders
... sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now, the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely, because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired life-boat crews to do this work. The life-saving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a symbolic life-boat in the ...
1996. What's The Other Reason?
Mark 1: 21-28
Illustration
... noticed one of her students, a shy young girl, was having trouble working out her arithmetic assignment. The teacher went to the child quietly and asked if she could help with any questions knowing the girl was timid about asking for help. When the problem was sorted out the little girl thanked the teacher. The teacher told the little girl not to be shy about asking questions, "That's one of the reasons I am here." The little girl thought about that for a moment and asked quietly, "What's the other reason ...
1997. Two Kinds of People in This World
Mark 1: 21-28
Illustration
... energy to the visible. But more and more we hear of a new breed that thinks the wind is nothing but the product of the movement of the trees themselves. As if trees can fan the air and drive the wind! As silly as it sounds, that's just the sort of thing we hear even in the church these days. You've got to believe in yourself! If there is any hope it has to come from within. You have to look inside and make the necessary changes. Tell that to the man in Capernaum with the unclean spirit.
Sermon
King Duncan
... , but they do not explain the emotional lift we get from these wonders of nature. Here’s a story our boys and girls will enjoy. A father was asked by his 8-year-old son if he knew what a rainbow was. The father gave his son the scientific answer, sort of like I have just given you. The son said no, that a rainbow was God standing on his head and smiling after eating skittles. (3) Well, maybe so, if you are an 8-year-old. There is something about rainbows that lift our spirits whether we are young or ...
1999. Christ Is Willing to Heal
Luke 4:18
Illustration
... the other side of the security screen was this tiny woman who looked 100 years old. Yes, it was Mother Teresa. This hardened prisoner wrote about his experience, he said, "You have to understand that, basically, I'm a dead man. I don't have to observe any sort of social convention; and as a result, I can break all the rules, say what I want. But one look at this Nobel Prize winner, this woman so many people view as a living saint, and I was speechless." Incredible vitality and warmth came from her wizened ...
2000. From Me to We
1 Corinthians 9:1-27
Sermon
Mike Ripski
... , nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized – whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I want to be in on it! (I Corinthians 9:19-23, The ...
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