Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

The following are some suggested biblical New Year’s resolutions that we as Christians might consider in 2011:

Some people go through life always wishing to go back in time. They yearn for the “good old days” when life seemed better. Families were spiritually stronger, Christians were more godly — society as a whole was happier — or so they believe!

There’s no question that it hurts to have unkind and untrue things said about us. However, it’s not always possible to counteract or correct such charges. The temptation is strong to deny or refute the statements, but to do so only aggravates the situation.

A sprained ankle, so common during summer activities, can cause lingering problems if not properly treated. Minor sprains respond well to rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

The proper spiritual training of our children is a God-assigned, individual responsibility assigned primarily to fathers that cannot be abdicated to anyone else. Fatherhood inherently imposes obligations to train children – whatever is entailed in Ephesians 6:4, cannot be shifted to someone else. Sure, the mother has her part but your responsibility cannot be relinquished […]

In the 2010, volume 48, number 4 edition of The Sword and Staff publication, comes the following proverbs of wisdom (appropriate Scriptures and related articles have been added):

Have we ever wondered how a worm gets inside an apple? If we think that the worm burrows in the apple from the outside, we’d be wrong.

The following members of the Lord’s church are very much “Wanted”: 1) Members who are as interested in the church on Sunday and Wednesday night as they are on Sunday morning (Hebrews 10:25). 2) Members who are as liberal with their money as with their advice and criticism (II Corinthians 8:1-5). 3) Members who are […]

The following are some approaches to sermons we sometimes take that are not beneficial to us spiritually speaking:

The story is told of a young girl by the name of Becky who, each Sunday morning and Wednesday night, would go next door to invite her good friend Denise to church services.

A question we need to ask ourselves from time to time is, “How do I spend the blessed currency of time?” “Right now” is something each one living on the earth has in common and while multitudes of precious souls are being born into this world “right now,” multitudes of precious souls are also hurdling […]

Over the past fifty years, there have undoubtedly been countless Christians more concerned about honoring Christ than advancing themselves. Many have worked behind the scenes performing a

Sometimes we are overwhelmed by crushing waves of disappointment, endless debt, debilitating illness, or problems with people, which can cause hopelessness, depression, or despair. It happened to Jesus’ disciples, and if we live very long in this world, it can happen to us as well.

At 6:00 p.m. MST this evening, my wife, Nancy Riley, passed from this sin-stricken world to an existence where no sin and sorrow exist (Revelation 21:4). The following are some thoughts about my wife’s passing: Nancy was foremost a Christian who served faithfully in the Lord’s church. Like Abigail of old, she was a woman […]

In Acts 28:23-24, Luke records the following statements in reference to Paul’s preaching to the Jews at Rome (Acts 28:17): “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law […]

Let’s have a critical attitude check today, shall we?: 1) Does your situation in life have you contentious like Sarai (Genesis 16:6) or threatening to curse God like Job’s wife (Job 2:9)? 2) Does an addiction have you crabby and foolish like Nabal (1 Samuel 25)?

A querist asks, “Could you explain Matthew 22:32 to me? Is it the case that the patriarchs are alive in Heaven, or do they wait judgment like we do?”

In our prayers, we usually pray about what weighs the heaviest on our heart (Matthew 26:36-44). Our finite minds can never predict what is in the infinite mind of God. However, we can eliminate many prayer requests which we know to be unworthy (James 4:3). Earnest prayer sets in motion forces which are far beyond […]

The following parody by an unknown author will hopefully make us “think” with regards to our attending worship services: In order to make it possible for everyone to attend church services next week, we are planning a special “No Excuse Sunday”. 1) Cots will be placed in the vestibule for those who say; “Sunday is […]

As Christ is our godly example for us to follow (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6; cf. Acts 10:38), we too should be godly examples to our children and grandchildren.