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Creative Sermon Series

By David Thornhill

I think it’s a sin to make the gospel boring. If our sermons don’t reflect the creative nature of our Heavenly Father, we have done the gospel and our people an injustice. If people have to choose whether to sleep in our church seats or their beds, we will lose them.

The following is a small list of sermon series I have done recently. Lots of people have inspired me in these series, and I hope this article will inspire you in your preaching. If you even want to preach some of these series, I have many images and videos I’d love to share with you.

Go ahead . . . be creative!

Series Title: “Eyewitness News”1#

Focus: To meet eight people who met Jesus. All of these people were “used-to-be’s.” We told the story of how they used to be something, but Jesus changed them.

Notes: I did all of them as monologues. You could also preach these as interviews or just tell their story.

The Witnesses
1. The Innkeeper
2. Lazarus
3. Peter
4. Thomas
5. Barabbas
6. A childhood friend of Jesus
7. The mute man
8. The demon-possessed man

Series Title: “The God You Are Looking For”#2

Focus: To address misconceptions about God and paint a clear picture of our Heavenly Father.

Notes: We opened each with a drama or video that illustrated God in this light.

The Misconceptions:
1. God: The Cosmic Sheriff (God is out to get you)
2. God: The Supreme Butler (God is just here to serve you; your wish is His command)
3. God: The Grandfather (God has retired and is no longer active)
4. God: The Matchless Mechanic (God is too busy to help you)
5. God: In a Nice, Neat Package (God has been put in a box)
6. God: The Party Animal (God is going to let everyone into heaven)

Series Title: “Reality Christianity”

Focus: To discover that you really can live out the fruit of the Spirit. Each week is connected with a reality TV show.

Week by Week
1. Love: The Apprentice (We are to be apprentices of Jesus and love like He did)
2. Joy: Extreme Makeover (God wants to make over our hearts and give us joy)
3. Peace: The Osbournes (Families can live in peace and not fight)
4. Patience: Survivor (Surviving life)
5. Kindness: Punk’d (Compassion for others, not hostility)
6. Goodness: American Idol (Good works flow out of our relationship with God)
7. Gentleness: The Contender (Reaching out to unchurched people)
8. Faithfulness: Fear Factor (Keeping the faith through all circumstances)
9. Self Control: The Biggest Loser (You gain control of your life when you lose it for Jesus’ sake)

Notes: We used the logo from each show each week. We also did a skit each week. You can e-mail me, and I’ll be happy to give you a script.

Series Title: “They Met Jesus”

Focus: To meet people who met Jesus and experienced a specific life change.

Week by Week
1. A Vocational Change: Zacchaeus (Luke 19)
2. An Attitude Adjustment: Mary and Martha (Luke 10)
3. A Visual Transformation: Overcoming Spiritual Blindness (Mark 10, John 9)
4. A Physical Transformation: Jesus heals a paralytic (Mark 2)
5. A Social Transformation: The Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 19)
6. An Intellectual Transformation: Nicodemus (John 3)

Series Title: “Building God’s Kingdom”

Focus: To develop a biblical understanding of the stewardship of your life

Week by Week
1. Building God’s kingdom with your life
2. Building God’s kingdom with your time and energy
3. Building God’s kingdom with your talents and abilities
4. Building God’s kingdom in your relationships
5. Building God’s kingdom with your money and resources

Series Title: “Crosswords”#3

Focus: The final seven words Jesus spoke from the cross

Notes: We used a video clip each week from the movie The Passion of the Christ, in which Jesus says each of these statements.

Week by Week
1. Pardon (“Father, forgive them”)
2. Assurance (“Today you will be with me in paradise”)
3. Compassion (“Woman, behold your son”)
4. Trust (“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”)
5. Suffering (“I thirst”)
6. Victory (“It is finished”)
7. Hope (“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”)

Series Title: “U-turn Christianity”

Focus: To examine the life of Jonah and discover that God allows spiritual U-turns.

Week by Week
1. U-turns (Chapter 1: Jonah gets a
U-turn)
2. Do-Overs (Chapter 2: Jonah gets a do-over)
3. Second Chances (Chapter 3: The Ninevites get a second chance)
4. Recycling Life (Chapter 4: Jonah stays in the cycle of self-living. You don’t have to!)

Series Title: “What’s in a Name?”

Focus: To discover the character and love of God through a study of the names for God in the Bible.

Notes: Each week we printed the name of God we were studying in the nametag and used it on the bulletin and as a background to worship slides.

Names we covered:
1. YHWH (The God who is)
2. Jehovah Rophe (Our healer)
3. El Roi (The God who sees us)
4. El Shaddai (The God who is sufficient)
5. Adonai (Our Lord and Master)
6. Jehovah Raah (Our Shepherd)
7. Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The God who sanctifies)
8. Elohim (Our creator)
9. Abba (Our Father)

Series Title: “Heaven and Hell”

Focus: What does the Bible actually say about heaven and hell?

Notes: I let people choose which they wanted me to preach on first, the good news or the bad news. They chose to hear the good news last.

Sermons and notes
1. Hell
I We opened this sermon with the song “DC 10” by Audio Adrenaline
2. Heaven
I We opened this sermon with the song “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me

Series Title: “Seven Deadly Sins”

Focus: Being freed from the chains of sin.

Notes: This was a sermon series on holiness. Arrange the order to fit the calendar. For example, I did it so that Lust fell on the Sunday after Valentine’s Day, etc.

Sermons and notes
1. Pride (Luke 18:9-14)
2. Greed (Luke 12:16-21)
3. Anger (Matthew 5:21-26)
4. Envy (Exodus 20:7)
5. Gluttony (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
6. Lust (Matthew 5:27-30)
7. Sloth (Luke 10:24-26)

1. I am indebted to Curt Cloninger as the inspiration for this sermon series.
2. I am indebted to Curt Cloninger as the inspiration for this sermon series.
3. I am indebted to Mark Adams as the inspiration for this sermon series.