Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

The following is a description of three kinds of creatures that give us insight into life’s struggles and problems:

Do you know what misery is regarding the Lord’s work? : 1) Misery is going to welcome a new “Christian” family in town to the services, and hearing them say, “Yes, we’re gonna have to get down there and see you all sometime.” 2) Misery is hearing that brother or sister X had been in […]

The following are ten ways in which your congregation can be resurrected from spiritual lethargy: 1) Never be guilty of offering up vain worship to God (Matthew 15:8-9). Your aim and goal should be to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). 2) Do not tolerate immorality within your congregation: “For out of […]

The story is told of Italian violinist Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840), that as he was playing an extremely difficult piece of music before a large audience, a string on his violinsnapped — yet he continued to play, improvising beautifully. Then without warning, two more strings broke, and he continued the composition playing with only one string. […]

On the day of judgment, God won’t ask the following questions: God won’t ask what kind of car we drove, but He’ll ask how many people we drove

In Psalm 23:1-2, the Psalmist states, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” From these passages, we are comforted by the […]

From the standpoint of material wealth, we Americans have difficulty realizing how rich we really are. By going through a little mental exercise we can set back and count our blessings…. 1) Take out all of the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blankets and pads for […]

In all my years as a Christian, I’ve learned the following: 1) That you can do or say something in an instant that will give you heartache for life. 2) That it’s taking me a long time to become the person God wants me to be. 3) That you should always leave loved ones with […]

There is much confusion in the religious world as to the avenues of our salvation as described in the Bible. Through the use of a good concordance (this writer used Young’s Analytical Concordance), this confusion can be alleviated. The following is a biblical list of “what we are saved by.” Although this is certainly not […]

The story relating to our title, “Yield Not To Temptation,” is told of a poverty-stricken mother with five children, who was on her way to a pawn shop, with hopes of getting a loan of $60 for her TV set. Then something very unusual happened — an armored truck filled with sacks of money suddenly […]

Bulletin article by Mike Riley focusing on our attention or lack thereof on the matter of worship. There is a great need for focus in the worship of God. Hence the need for a worship strategy. The Lord’s stinging rebuke to His people through the prophet Malachi was, “I have no pleasure in you” (Malachi […]

In 2 Peter 3:16, Paul warns us about wresting the scriptures: “As also in all his [Paul’s] epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” The practice of […]

A querist asks, “I’ve heard of the Mormons and other religious groups all claiming to have present-day apostles. My question is, what qualified an individual to be an apostle of Christ in the first century?” In other words, What are the qualifications of an Apostle? Just as there were false apostles in the first century […]

We’ve all been there. We’re in the doctor’s office. It’s taking longer than expected. We’re late for another appointment, so we ask the receptionist if we can use the phone. We dial the number twice and nothing happens. We ask in frustration, “How do I dial out?” The receptionist says, “you need to dial 9 […]

One of my favorite writers of sacred songs, Fanny Crosby, has been called “The Songbird in the Dark.” Though blinded in infancy, she wrote approximately 8,000 hymns that

A querist asks, “I’ve been reading from the American Standard Version of 1901. Would you please comment on Psalm 119:160 ASV, focusing on the word ‘sum’”?

A querist asks, “Why do pentecostals/charismatics use Old Testament stories to “prove” their doctrines and practices?” From this writer’s initial study of the pentecostal/charismatic religious groups, I find little

Today’s “Nudge” in The Fellowship Room is “define beauty.” Elizabeth Taylor was at one time considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. However, she recently died at the age of 79 — her outward beauty a thing of the past. Just what is beauty? Solomon described outward beauty as being vain (Proverbs […]

My Bible class has been reviewing the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), regarding God preparing the world for the advent of the Messiah. In Genesis 1:27, we are told that “God created man in His [own] image; in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them.”

Back in the early 1990’s, a singer-songwriter by the name of Marc Cohn scored a hit song entitled, “Walking in Memphis.” The narrator of that song is a young musician who travels to seek his fame and fortune “in the land of the Delta blues,” Memphis, Tennessee.