I’ve thought some more on what Christ centered means, and wish I could say this to every preacher everywhere: Preach the gospel.  Are you preaching on the Law being given to Moses?  Great; just make sure to mention how Christ fulfills the Law and the Prophets, and perhaps include Paul’s statement that the Law is like a tutor to him.  Teaching from Job?  Be sure to include “I know my Redeemer lives,” before you’re finished.  The story of how God deals with fallen man is the central thematic element that runs through the entire Bible.  Here’s a practical example.

At 11:00 I will be preaching a sermon entitled “Lessons from the Garden of Eden.”  Tomorrow afternoon this sermon will appear as a blog post.  Genesis 3:15 is the first occurrence of prophecy concerning the Christ.  The seed of the woman that will bruise the head of the serpent refers to the Messiah’s ultimate defeat of Satan.  I have six lessons that we can learn from reading chapters 1-3 of Genesis, and one of them is that God has a plan.  At the end of the Garden of Eden sermon, we will read from Romans 5, where Paul explains how that by one many (Adam) sin entered into the world, so by one man’s righteousness (Jesus) all could be free from sin. 

No matter what the text, no matter what the subject, the gospel of Jesus Christ should always be in view.  The audience should be able to see and hear Jesus in the man of God.  If you’re preaching a 10 part series on the Old Testament Law and not relating it to the gospel story, then why are you doing that?  What value does learning about the Law have for those of us not under the Law, except to illustrate the need for a savior?  Should we study the Old Testament?  Absolutely; because it has a lot to teach us about God and his son.