Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

“If Anyone Will Not Work”

In looking at the Occupy DC protesters, we see people who obviously find labor so wearisome, that they think it must be punishment from God. This could not be further from the truth. Even before sin entered the world, God gave Adam and Eve meaningful work to do (Genesis 1:28; Genesis 2:15).

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What's So Merry About Christmas?

What’s so Merry about Christmas? Was Scrooge right about Christmas? Is there simply too much “Bah Humbug” in the world? We have all been told about the stress and related disorders that are associated with the holiday season. Then of course, it isn’t politically correct to say “Merry Christmas” any more. After all, Christmas should […]

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Ready For Faith?

Can you say that you are ready to step out in faith? Suppose that God disappoints you? This won’t be the first time either. The very thing you have been praying about earnestly isn’t happening. In fact, you can’t seem to find any solutions after prayer. The cancer is spreading; the child is still rebelling; […]

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Sick and Tired

For those of us who are infirmed, the following poem offers some excellent advice: I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. I’m sick and tired of feeling ill. I’m sick and tired of the doctor’s office. I’m sick and tired of the doctor’s pills.

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Hazardous Extremes

Great prosperity and severe poverty are both hazardous extremes, for they can equally cause major spiritual problems  (1 Timothy 6:8-10; cf. Luke 12:16-21).

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Avoiding The Icebergs Of Life

The story is told of a company that hired a consultant in order to improve efficiency within the workforce. The consultant scheduled a meeting of all shop personnel. Stressing the need to listen to expert advice, he said, “Imagine you’re on the Titanic, and it’s sinking. You get into a lifeboat. The ship’s navigator goes […]

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The Difficult Task Of Caregiving

During the six months that I and my son were the sole caregivers for my wife, Nancy (who has vascular dementia), I learned from this AARP web site, that there is an estimated 65.7 million Americans who are unpaid caregivers, and a majority of them currently work or have worked while providing care. In providing […]

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Being Rivets Without Defect

According to researchers who examined parts recovered from the Titanic, impure rivets made of wrought iron rather than steel caused the ship’s hull to open like a zipper. The sinking of the Titanic proves the foolishness of spending resources on fancy equipment and public promotion gimmicks, while neglecting the seemingly “insignificant” parts.

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Everything About Thanksgiving And Thankfulness

For convenience sake, I am placing all of my article links relative to Thanksgiving and thankfulness in this one posting. May God grant you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving, for we indeed have much to be thankful for:

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The Gift Of Criticism?

The story is told of a preacher who one Sunday preached to his congregation about spiritual gifts. After the service, he was greeted at the door by a woman who said, “Preacher, I believe I have the gift of criticism.”

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The Goal Of Worship

We sit through a play, we attentively watch the actors onstage. If we are sufficiently entertained, we show our gratitude with applause. The church assembly should be the exact opposite of the theater. When we worship, God is the audience.

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A Time For Thanksgiving

T ake delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires (Psalm 37:4). H ow great are thy works, O Lord! (Psalm 92:5 KJV). A scribe to the Lord the glory due His name (Psalm 96:8 NASB).

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“I Want Yesterday”

Natalie Wood, along with Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, was one of the most glamorous and beautiful actresses ever to grace Hollywood. She starred in films in the 1950’s and ’60’s such as “Rebel Without a Cause,” “West Side Story” and “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.”

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Grace Notes For Thanksgiving

Those of us that know anything about music have heard the phrase…….grace notes. I am a musician but have never thought of grace notes in my relationship to God. What are grace notes anyway? They are essentially a type of musical ornamentation. They are a special series of “extra” notes added by the composer or […]

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The God Of “WOW”

There are many things in God’s creation that are so majestic, so marvelous, so fantastic to behold, that there is only one descriptive word of exclamation to describe them — “WOW” When the apostle Paul wrote about the work of God in saving both Jew and Gentile in the book of Romans, there were three […]

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We Don't Have To Finish Fast

In our fast-paced society, we don’t like motorists who travel too slow on the freeway because of the fact that they tend to slow other motorists down. This in turn causes traffic jams, especially during the five o’clock rush hour. Many times, the traffic can get so congested, that it slows down to a snail’s […]

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Whoever You Are

Something to think about this week: Whoever you are, there is some younger person who “thinks” you are perfect.

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Lessons From God's Wondrous Creation

Young Elihu came to Job to humble him before God by pointing to the majesty of the creation (Job 36-37). His lesson was, if you cannot explain God in His works, which you can see, how can you explain God in the mystery of righteousness and His dealings with sinful man (Job 37:14-24).

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A Suppressed Hope

As Vice President, George Bush represented the United States at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow.

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On The Thoughts And Intents Of The Heart

In the course of any immoral society, there comes a time when God will “give them up” to their depravity because of their unwillingness to repent (Romans 1:24,26,28 ESV). Such is the case in Genesis 6:5, where the text says:

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