Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

One of the problems of any volunteer organization, is motivating people to do what they have promised to

From a study of the gospels, we learn that the scribes and Pharisees thought of themselves as being the standard of measurement for righteous living. They were the champions of orthodoxy, the

King Hezekiah was a good man, but a man who made a terrible error in judgment. When the king of Babylon sent messengers to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery from a near-death illness, Hezekiah treated them like honored guests. He welcomed them into his house and showed them

It seems that the days when a real live person greets you on the other end of the phone line is history. Whenever we try to “reach out and touch someone” today, the only

Today, the name Susan Boyle is an international vocal artist, but before she took the stage of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, she was virtually an unknown. Compared to the other contestants on stage, she

The study of the Old Testament (Levitical) offerings is a great safeguard against erroneous views on holiness, sanctification, sin, etc. It is impossible to have a low estimate of what sin really is as we study God’s requirements, and the provision He has made. The order of the Levitical offerings is from the Godward aspect […]

From time to time a short refresher course is needed to refresh our memory (2 Peter 1:12) regarding key words, key verses, key phrases and key messages contained within the books of the Old Testament.

For many, the Old Testament is the “boring” part of the Bible. Their reasoning is that it contains little in the way of instruction for the Christian, certainly not like the more practical epistles in the New Testament. But in one of those epistles, the apostle Paul says, “For whatever was written in earlier times […]

When one of my kids was little, I would read her a bedtime story about Jonah and the Big Fish (Jonah 1-4). When I finished reading, I asked her what she knew about God. She said …. ”God lives inside me, but you won’t find him there because He’s too big!” (He’s there but not […]

A querist asks, “While thinking about Acts 11:1-30 and the prophets mentioned in that chapter, what is the last instance in the Bible we have of a prophet in action? I am

It’s nice to be where the multitudes throng, It’s easy to go with the crowd; But many a time the crowd is all wrong, Though claims that it’s right are loud.

Is it just imagination, or is history repeating itself? (cf. Ecclesiastes 1:9; Ecclesiastes 3:15). There was time in Israel when there was no government or central authority to see that everything was done right, so “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1; cf. Deuteronomy 12:8) — […]

The story is told of six mean looking motorcyclists who pulled into a highway café parking lot late one evening. Inside the café, they found only a waitress, a cook, and a truck driver — a little guy who was sitting on a counter stool quietly eating his supper.

Over the years, many sincere Bible students have asked, “What is the unforgivable sin as recorded in first three gospel accounts?” The texts in question are, Matthew 12:31-32;

Jesus had arrived in Bethany, perhaps unexpectedly. Evidently, he was accompanied by some of His disciples. It was Martha who “received Him into her house” (Luke 10:38). Her warmth of hospitality is evident as she sets herself to the task of providing for her guests. We praise Martha for this, and acknowledge that she sets […]

Throughout the world, there are congregations of Christians who have obeyed the commands of our Lord with regard to salvation. These Christians are organized into local congregations (Titus 1:5-NKJV), having no central government and no earthly headquarters (John 18:35-36-NKJV). Each congregation is independent, taking the New Testament as its sole authority in religion (1 Corinthians […]

Before the ACLU and the politically correct folks got involved, the act of hugging another human being was a natural display of affection. Perhaps it is one of the reasons why the inspired writer Paul documented some folks in the society of his day as being “without natural affection” (Romans 1:31 KJV).

The following poem with the above title was written by author Dave Griffith of Ft. Worth, Texas over 20 years ago. Mr. Griffith meant for it to be simple and

Someone has said, “The more I get to know the human race, the more I love my dog.” We know that dogs are loyal, dependable, eager to please, and quick to forgive and forget. Don’t we wish people were more like that? But sometimes no matter how hard we try to

Preachers, if we only had one sermon to preach, what would that sermon consist of? We might present a summation emphasizing the very core of the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and yet fail to make the spiritual application most needed by our hearers.