Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

Christ's Blood Is There When We Need It

When I donated blood a few years back, a nurse gave me a card to read while she withdrew blood from a vein in my arm. The card showed the following percentages of people who have different blood types:

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Can You Please Listen For My Bell?

Just up the road from our home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner […]

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The Importance Of Teaching Integrity

The story is told that in ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric hordes to the north; so they built the Great Wall of China. It was so high they knew no one could climb over it and so thick that nothing could break it down.

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A Look At The New Birth

In looking at the new birth, we see that there must first be a planter or father — one who begets. God is the originator of the “seed” which produces Christians (James 1:18) and the “seed” is “the word of God” (Luke 8:11).

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A Look At Two Kinds Of Slaves

Back in 1960, I viewed an interesting movie starring Kirk Douglas. In the movie, Douglas played a historical figure named Spartacus. Historians say that he was likely a Roman soldier who deserted, was recaptured, and then sold into slavery as a gladiator.

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The Only Option

If we were to ask several people to draw a crooked line on a piece of paper, no two lines would be identical. The lesson is: There are many ways to be crooked, but only one way to be straight (cf. Matthew 7:13-14 KJV).

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A Way To Prevent Divorce

From Psychology Today, we read that “according to researchers at the University of Michigan, there are three adverse experiences during childhood that are particularly likely to lead to bouts of major depression in adulthood. At the top of the list is growing up in a violent home. Parental mental illness and parental divorce are close […]

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Our Expressions Leave Lasting Impressions

While there is a sense in which Christians are not to be people pleasers (Gal. 1:10), there is no doubt that God’s people should consider the impact of their actions on others. Our Lord spoke about the fact that people would “see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

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Only “One Needful Thing”

A querist asks, “What do we need most in our lives, or what is the most important thing in our lives?” Looking at Luke 10:38-42, we read the account of one of several visits that Jesus made to His beloved friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus (cf. John 11:5).

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Let Us Faithfully Serve God

The story is told of a incarcerated man who once escaped from a state penitentiary. Twenty-four hours after his escape, his mother turned him in to the prison authorities.

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Sing! Sing! Sing!

From today’s Montana Street bulletin, comes the following above titled article written by Brother Vernon Curry (I have added appropriate links): As a preacher, I often sit and look around at the people who are singing. We are singing songs of praise to the awesome God of the universe. We stand in awe of His […]

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Are We Despising Our Soul?

The story is told of a man who had a wonderful Christian family. His wife was considered the most loving, cheerful, and active homemaker in town. His teenage daughter was one of the most popular girls in high school, and his teenage son was considered by many town folks, to be one of the finest […]

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A Little Laughter For The Soul And The Word “Expert”

Someone has said that “Laughter is good for the soul” (some other laughter quotes), and that proverbial saying still holds true today (see article). A few days ago, while looking for a good definition for the word “expert” (there are about as many definitions as there are people), I came across the following humorous definition:

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The Five Ways God Uses Problems

In Romans 8:35-37, the apostle Paul, who was beset by problems on every hand (2 Corinthians 4:8-18) stated: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day […]

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True Giving From The Heart

The story is told of a country school whose principal thought it would be good to take up donations for destitute children at Christmas time. As days passed, the principal observed there was not much interest among the students.

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“Today” And Its Importance

A question we need to ask ourselves from time to time is, How do I spend the blessed currency of time “today?” “Today” is something each one living on the earth has in common and while multitudes of precious souls are being born into this world “today,” multitudes of precious souls are also hurdling into […]

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Is Death Our Enemy Or Our Friend?

Have we ever formed a negative opinion of another person based solely on what we heard others say? But then, after we met that person and got to know him (or her), we realized our previously formed opinion was not really accurate?

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When Trouble Comes Our Way

When life begins to tumble in, when trouble comes, when there seems to be a new crisis every day and when it appears all our dreams are being shattered, what can we do? Is there anyone we can turn to for help? Is there any word of encouragement or advice?

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We Are To Test All Things

In order to confirm the validity of prophesyings (any kind of teaching by supernatural gifts) in the first century church, the apostle Paul instructed the Thessalonian Christians to “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

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On Using Book, Chapter, And Verse

In the last few years, an increasingly popular sentiment has arisen in the Lord’s church which maintains that the explicit citation of Bible book, chapter, and verse in pulpit proclamation (or in Bible class teaching) is somehow unsophisticated, ineffective, or inappropriate.

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