Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

God as the Good Shepherd — Article by Barbara Hyland on God, the Father as the good, divine shepherd of us, the sheep. From Luke 15:1-7.

Brother Andy Diestelkamp, one of the writers for the “Think On These Things” online publication, has written an excellent article entitled, “Where We Pitch Our Tents.”

According to an article on Bible.org, the term “meditation” means “the act of focusing one’s thoughts: to ponder, think on, muse.” Meditation consists of reflective thinking or contemplation, usually on a specific subject to discern its meaning or significance or a plan of action.

The images of God in both the Old and the New Testaments are varied and interesting. I have only written on a few of them. When studying your Bibles you will find many more.

Question: “In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the one-talent man is cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Is this a believer being cast into hell?”

Over the past fifty years, this writer has observed a slowly deteriorating society with regard to the characteristic of “trust.” With all of the terrorist news reports (i.e., Boston bombing, etc.) and the installation of another vast bureaucracy called “Homeland Security” (do we feel secure yet?), we have become far less trusting of other folks […]

A favorite image for God in several of the psalms is that of a thunderstorm. God’s power is violent and turbulent as a tornado. The thunderstorm represents God as a physical manifestation of His mighty power. Using natural phenomena to evoke an experience of the divine is not unusual in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Sadly, there are many people in our world who live in the state of “tomorrow.” By that term I mean those folks who put off until tomorrow what they should (and could) have done “today.” Remember, “tomorrow” is not promised (James 4:13-15. cf. 1 Corinthians 16:7).

We live in an age that shows little respect for those in authority. Students mock their teachers, cartoonists lampoon presidents, law-breakers sneer and laugh at the police, children ridicule their parents and some brethren manifest a lack of reverence for Bible preaching. All of those things violate Scripture! The Bible shows clearly the need for […]

Since turning sixty years of age a few years back, I’ve had people in the workplace ask me from time to time “when” I was going to retire. Then I’ve had folks ask me “why” I was still working? (they thought I had retired years ago!). Then I tell them the story that back in […]

I was sent the following riddle via email this morning and thought I would share it with my readers: 80% of Primary School Children solved this riddle, but only a few University Graduates figured it out! Can you answer all seven of the following questions with the same word?

What is a verb anyway? A verb is a word that “denotes an action, an occurrence or a state of being.”  Of course God is all of this and more. However, when Moses is confronted by the burning bush and God commands him to go to Egypt to free his people, Moses asks….“Indeed, when I come […]

In Psalm 22:9-19, the writer refers to God as taking him from the womb and keeping him safe on his mother’s breast. God is pictured as the midwife who delivers David, the writer, as well as the nation of Israel. He brought them into new life with His deliverance. God did the delivery but now has […]

In order to choose the narrow way that has only a few people on it and to reject the broad way that is crowded with people, we must learn to “stand alone” for what is right. This ability is vital, because when the world realizes that you are not going their way, they will put […]

Articles and studies from all over the world continue to show the same results. Repeated American studies have found that people who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce than those who live together only after marriage. A recent British study likewise echoes the Biblical message of commitment. The Economic and Social Research […]

There is so much that we don’t understand; So wisely let us leave it in God’s hand, The One who knows the ending from the start And what resides in each and every heart.

We usually think of the above question in terms of non-Christians where the answer is similar to Peter’s reply in Acts 2:38. But we need to think of this question in another way. What must I as a Christian already involved in the church do to be saved?

In reading the context, there’s no question that the societal conditions discussed in the first part of Matthew 24, came to pass before the destruction of Jerusalem. However, similar conditions will exist before the second coming as well (cf. 2 Timothy 3:11-13). The rising persecution and hatred from without the body of Christ as well […]

On the day of judgment, there are some things which will add up to zero. Jesus said so! “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then I will declare […]

The calling of God is the enabling of God, meaning that God wants to bring people lost in sin to Himself. We are told in Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” And Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who are wise shall shine like […]