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 2251 to 2275 of 5000 results
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... by blood. All birthing takes blood-letting, and our birth came about through the greatest blood-letting of all time, Jesus’ death on the cross. The risen Christ did not sugar-coat the reality or enormity of that sacrifice. His resurrected body bore the marks of his humanity — he showed the wounds on his hands and his side to his disciples as “proof” that he was himself. In some traditions it is only the “princes” of the Church, the aptly named “cardinals,” that wear red. The truth is all ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... realness and relevance of faith. Nowadays we settle for somewhat more mundane proofs. A tortilla is flipped and the scorch mark on it is the face of Jesus. A potato, cursed with the scourge of the 19th-century Irish famine, reveals ... , potato chips, spaghetti, snack foods, are suddenly given sacred stature because someone can make out some holy portrait in the fry-marks, burned bits, or organic wrinkles. Some of my favorites: the “grilled cheese sandwich Jesus,” the “Jesus Flapjack,” the “Jesus on ...
2253. Best Advice
Matthew 7:24-29
Illustration
Brett Blair
... that mean the most to your community. Then skip down and use the conclusion to this illustration.) Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, got his from his days at Salomon Brothers: "Always ask for the order, and second, when the customer says yes, stop talking." Mark Hurd, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, got his years ago from his days under NCR CEO Chuck Exley who was listening to an executive's presentation. At the end Exley said to the presenter: "Good Story, but it's hard to look smart with bad numbers ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... s fortune, his family, and his fitness, to prove two things: First of all, that Satan was a liar, and secondly, to show that Job served God not because of what God gave to him, but because of what God meant to him. c. He Crucified A Guiltless Man 1. Mark 14:56 tells us, "For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree." In a real sense, it was perjury that nailed Jesus to the cross. You don't read very much about Satan during the trial of Jesus. You don't read anything about the ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... spouses throughout the entire marriage.[11] Now you can be a part of the moral majority, or the immoral minority. If you're on the freeway looking for true happiness, do not take the exit marked "Adultery." It may look like a shortcut, but it isn't; it's a dead-end. You keep driving until you find the exit marked "Obedience." That's the only road that will get you to genuine happiness. [1] F. F. Bruce, History of the English Bible, (New York: Oxford, 1978), p. 108. [2] Michael Medvid, Hollywood vs. America ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... a criminal and I am suffering for what I have done." The King said, "You scoundrel, you rogue, you vile wicked person, what are you doing here among so many honest and upright men? Guard! Loose this man and let him go." Always remember that the real mark of having seen the real God is when real conviction comes into your heart and leads you to real confession. III. The Regeneration Of Forgiveness "And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... a miracle of teaching, but every miracle is a parable of teaching." This miracle of physical healing points to a greater miracle of spiritual healing. Literally, it deals with sickness, but figuratively, it deals with salvation. As we look at this miracle through the lens of Mark's gospel, I want us to zoom in on that little woman and see the change that took place in her life. I. The Trouble That Cursed This Woman This woman was misery personified. Her theme song was "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." a ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... any burden that he had, one mile. It didn't matter whether the Jewish person was working in his field or on his way to the synagogue to worship, the Roman soldier had the right to conscript this man and force him to carry his burden. Every Jewish boy had marked off one mile from his house and had memorized the exact distance. Whenever a Jewish boy or man was compelled to go that mile, he would walk that mile down to the very foot, put that burden down, and with a bitter look on his face make the point "not ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... is often used for hell. Because what hell truly is, is separation from God. Heaven is where God is, hell is where God is not. Hell is not just heaven with the lights turned off and the heat turned up. Mark Twain once said flippantly: "I'll take heaven for comfort and hell for company." Well, Mark Twain was wrong. There is no friendship in hell; there is no fellowship in hell; there is no frivolity in hell; because hell is where you are totally alone, separated from God. So Jesus cries out: "My God, My God ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... is not perfect. In other words, Paul was mature enough to realize he was not mature enough. Did you know that one of the marks of maturity is to continuously realize just how immature you are? One of the things that made Paul so great was that he was ... in Christ Jesus." (v.14) The word for "goal" is skopos, which means "to look at." (We get our word telescope from that) It means a mark on which the eye is fixed. The word "prize" is a word that means a reward for finishing a race. It is closely related to the ...
2261. The Agony of Defeat
2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Kings 15:5
Sermon
James Merritt
... in David's life, not the pattern. Never mistake the moment for the man. But David reminds us that the man can be forever marked by the moment. I Kings 15:5 records a tremendous testimony of David. It would be wonderful, it would be glorious, if the ... scare you, but my Dad says if my grades don't improve somebody is going to get a spanking." When God's children fall into sin, mark it down, they are headed for the woodshed. They are going to get a spanking. "For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... to Discipline Our Children When They Are Wrong The word training literally means "discipline." It is the same word used in Heb. 12:6, where it says: "For whom the Lord loves He chastens (or disciplines), and scourges every son whom He receives." Discipline is a mark of love. If you don't exercise discipline in the lives of your children, the hard fact is, you don't love your children. Prov. 13:24 says, "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." A little discipline ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... when he feels like it, only when it will make him happy. Semper Fidelis means always faithful—regardless of the cost. The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. The greatest ability is dependability, and it is to that faithful servant that Jesus will say, "Well done." 1. Randy Pennington and Mark Mockmon, On My Honor, I Will , p. 51. 2. Cited by Pat Williams, Go for the Magic, p. 146. 3. George Duncan ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... you must be gentle. Now meekness is simply surrendering your will to God's will. You're going to find in this study that the mark of a mighty man is meekness. What Jesus said concerning the meek is totally opposite of what the world says about the meek. The world ... you will find rest for your souls." Now the word for learn is the word that gives us our word disciple. One of the marks of discipleship is meekness. If you look at Jesus, learn from Jesus, and live for Jesus, you will be gentle, meek, and lowly in ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... Some Remarks about the Flaws of Apostasy Jude has spent most of this book trying to describe in as many creative ways as he could the marks of an apostate. He is going to do it one more time. Jude is like a great black preacher I heard one time, who, when ... own ungodly lusts." Do you know the real reason apostates deny the Word of God? They don't want God telling them how to live. Mark Twain was an atheist, but he said something one time that has the great ring of truth. He said, "It is not that part of ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... nipping at his heels, he said, "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will." (Mt. 26:39) Now you notice that Jesus called God's will food. One of the marks that the body is healthy, is it hungers for food. One of the marks the soul is healthy, is it hungers to do the will of God. You should desire the will of God as much as a hungry man desires food. The only place of peace, the only source of satisfaction, the only haven of happiness ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... That is just as true in the game called life. Now only twice in the Bible do we ever read that Jesus was amazed at anything. In Mark 6:6 we are told that he was amazed that people in his own hometown did not believe in Him. But here in Luke chapter seven ... says, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME…'" (Hebrews 3:7-8, NASB) You mark this down. Rebels ultimately and always face the judgment of God. There is a danger in resisting authority. III. There Is a Delight ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... will make you become fishers of men." Though it sounds trite, it is true. If you are not fishing, you are not following. For the mark of following is fishing. R. A. Torrey once said, "I would like to ask what right a man has to call himself a follower ... is our job to go out and to find those fish, and to catch those fish, and to bring them in to the kingdom of God. In Mark chapter three we see in verses 13 and 14 how Jesus gathered the twelve disciples. Notice what it says: "And He went up on the mountain and ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... chapter he says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov. 1:7) Rather than go through every verse in Proverbs dealing with the fool, I went through and simply made a list of the categories of people Proverbs marks as a "fool." It would be a good exercise for dads to go over this list with their children to see if they know anyone who fits one of these categories. A fool is: The loud mouth who loves to hear himself talk, and forces others to do ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... say it to others knowing it is a lie. Now the Bible has a word for this. It is called hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is not missing the mark you have been shooting for, it is trying to make people think you hit the target when you haven't even fired the gun. Then we ... to him. First it clouded the soul. "Do not cast me away from Your Presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." (v.11) Mark it down, when the sin is covered the soul is clouded. God shuts the door to heaven. God plugs up his ears to prayer. The ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... but this was no ordinary home run. A lot of batters have hit home runs, but this was no ordinary batter. On that day, Mark McGuire came to the plate and hit his record-breaking seventieth home run. The ball was launched over Ozersky's head, hit a wall ... President of the New York Academy of Sciences, Dr. A. Cressy Morrison, once gave this illustration: He says: "Suppose I would take ten pennies and mark them one to ten, and give them to you to put in your pocket. I ask you to give them a good shake and then ...
2272. The Lion King
Revelation 5:1-14
Sermon
James Merritt
... noticed about two-thirds of the way up the building, the stone figure of a lamb on the wall. The man stopped one of the citizens of that city, and asked him why this figure of the lamb was on the wall of this building? He was told that it marked a place from which a workman had lost his balance while working on the building, and fell to the earth below. The man said, "Was he killed?" The citizen said, "No, it was a miracle. When his fellow workers hurried down, expecting to find his body crushed on the ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... walking up Park Avenue in New York City, and I turned into a little shop there that had some antiques and memorabilia in it, and there on a wall in a frame was a letter by Mark Twain. It only had a few words written on it with his signature. But that letter was valued at $45,000. Why? Because a letter by Mark Twain is extremely rare. Well, the blood of Jesus Christ is the only blood of its kind in the history of the entire world, because only His blood was innocent blood. Incidentally, Jesus did not only ...
2274. Castaway
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Sermon
James Merritt
... of Jesus. Only one of the biographies barely refers to his youth. All four biographies have much to say about His adult life, but then here's the amazing thing. One-fifth of the gospel of Matthew is devoted to the death of Jesus; one-third of the gospel of Mark is devoted to the death of Jesus; two-fifths of the gospel of Luke is devoted to the death of Jesus; fully one-half of the gospel of John relates someway and somehow to the death of Jesus Christ. Now why in all four gospels is there such a devotion ...
Sermon
James Merritt
... stood before Agrippa is still standing, and you can still go to the actual spot where Paul stood and see the actual seat where Agrippa sat. Paul had come before Festus and Agrippa and offensively to give a defense, and wound up giving his testimony. That is the mark of a Christian. That is, whatever the circumstances, a Christian is ready, willing and able to be a witness for his Lord and his Savior. That's what I love about Paul. Whether he was in the city or in the country, whether he was in the prison ...
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