Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

The Beauty Of God's Law

Looking at all of the motorists who exceed the posted speed limit on our local freeway, makes me ask, “What in the world are they all in a hurry for?“ Long ago, I decided that driving within or under the posted speed limit, not only gives me a wonderful sense of freedom, but a peace […]

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If I Were The Devil

1) I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world; 2) I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man’s effort, instead of God’s blessings (cf. Deuteronomy 6-8);

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Comments On “Abortion By A Different Name”

On Brother Wesley Walker’s blog this morning, I noticed his latest article entitled, “Abortion by a Different Name.” As brother Wesley points out, “Another area where semantics is played, is in the discussion of abortion.”

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Things Aren't Always As They Appear

The story is told of a woman who was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft to stretch their legs, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

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Looking For Heaven

Some of my earliest experiences working with Dad around the house involved my having to be what we called the ‘gofer’. The gofer was the one that never really got to do the interesting stuff like hammering, sawing, or operating the electric tools; he had to just ‘go-for’ and get whatever was needed out of […]

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Staying Focused

In college, I enjoyed playing golf — so much so, that I once took a course in golf during a summer session. And while I’m still not a great golfer, years of playing have taught me that the more thoughts an individual has in their head as they swing the golf club, the less likely […]

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There's Victory In Jesus!

On a rocky knoll called “Little Round Top,“ just south of  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is where one of the decisive battles was fought that turned the tide of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

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The Proper Use Of Freedom

Freedom is dangerous in the hands of those who do not want to be responsible. That’s why criminals are confined in prisons with barbed wire, steel bars, and concrete barriers. Or consider someone setting a campfire during a record summer heat wave that spreads into a dry forest, quickly becoming a blazing inferno. Unchecked freedom […]

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Choices And Boundary Lines

The story is told of a young mother who was trying to get her 2-year-old son to make a choice. “You can have fish or chicken,” she told him. She limited him to just two choices because he was too young to understand any further choices.

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Remembering God's Vital Truths

Those of us who are older sometimes have lapses of memory, but Jill Price has no such lapse. In fact, she has an extraordinary memory that has stunned scientists. Ms. Price can remember what happened to her on any given day over the past 30 years. If a person gives her any date during that […]

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No Elongated Words — Just Words Of Encouragement

Years ago, there was a very elongated word called “antidisestablishmentarianism” that became popular to use in the high school that I attended. The dictionary defines this word as “the doctrine or political position that opposes the withdrawal of state recognition of an established church.” The definition is almost as difficult as the pronunciation of the […]

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A Look At Leaven

In the Bible leaven can have a negative connotation. For example, in the New Testament, leaven is often referred to as a corrupting influence. This is why Jesus said: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).

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How We Treat People Gauges The Degree Of Our Love For God

Over the past few decades, citizens of our country have become overwhelmed by the thousands of rules and regulations put on the books by our Congress. Just think of how the Jewish people must have felt as they tried to keep up with more than 600 rules from the Old Testament and many more rules […]

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Knowing Our Limitations

In the movie, “Magnum Force” (1973), Clint Eastwood portrays detective Harry Callahan — an independent out-of-the-box thinker in the local police force. His superior, Lieutenant Briggs, doesn’t like his strong arm methods. In one of the scenes, Harry tells Lieutenant Briggs, that “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

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Finding The Time To Read The Bible

The following are some suggestions as to how we can find the time to read the Bible: 1) Place a Bible under our pillow to read each night before we go to sleep. 2) Wake up fifteen minutes earlier each morning.

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Misusing God's Word

Despite our best efforts to write clearly, sometimes we’re misunderstood. For example, on the social network called Facebook, some readers take the words of an author’s posting out of context or read into them something that bears no resemblance to the intended meaning.

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The Privilege Of Being Light-Bearers

The contrast between spiritual darkness and light is a prominent picture in the Bible’s presentation of Jesus. For example, the prophet Isaiah tells us, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).

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Every Penny Counts!

The penny has been called the most despised unit of currency in our country because of its seemingly insignificant value. In fact, many people will not even bother to pick up a penny if they see it lying on the ground. However, some charities are finding out that pennies can add up to significant amounts […]

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No Time For God You Say?

No time for God? What fools we are to clutter up Our lives with common things And leave without heart’s gate The Lord of life and life itself — our God! No time for God?

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Jesus Is Calling — Will We Accept His Call?

The story is told of a woman who, during the course of driving to the grocery store, saw two stray dogs in an open field. Desiring to help them, she got out of her car and pursued them for over an hour, trying to call them to come her. Unable to do so, she drove […]

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