Tony Merida - The Christ-Centered Expositor: A Field Guide for Word-Driven Disciple Makers

Tony Merida is an outstanding expositor and a superb teacher of preaching. The unique blend of both gifts shines brightly throughout this superb work. I cannot commend it highly enough. I will use it again and again personally as well as in my own teaching on the high calling of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

The New Testament is clear: the entire Bible is about Jesus. But I am often asked by fellow pastors, How can I preach Jesus week after week from all the Scriptures? Thats why I love Tony Meridas book. He teaches us how to be Christ-centered preachers who preach Christ-centered sermons.

Jonathan Akin, senior pastor, Fairview Church

Tony Merida is an extraordinary church planter, preacher, and professor. In this excellent book, The Christ-Centered Expositor: A Field Guide for Word-Driven Disciple Makers , he provides the single best introductory volume on faithful, Christ-centered preaching. Highly recommended.

Bruce Ashford, provost and dean of faculty and professor of theology and culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

During my doctoral studies in expositional Christ-centered preaching, I literally read dozens of books on the subject from scholars and practitioners, past and present. Tony Meridas Faithful Preaching was hands-down my favorite. And now this expanded and revised version is even better! The Christ-Centered Expositor is a must-read for every preacher.

Matt Carter, pastor of preaching and vision, The Austin Stone Community Church

As a pastor, I am always on the lookout for books on preaching, especially when they come from men whose preaching is effective and whose lives are the real deal. And so I was very pleased to see The Christ-Centered Expositor by Tony Merida, who meets both of these criteria. Pastor, I highly recommend this book. It will serve your preaching, your soul, and most importantly, your church.

C. J. Mahaney, senior pastor, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville

Tony Merida has a reputation across the country for the weightiness of his ministry and the power of his proclamation. This book will show you why the reputation is deserved and will help you build a ministry rooted in the person and work of Jesus.

Russell Moore , president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

The glory of God is the goal of preaching, and Tony Merida has sounded a call for a new generation of preachers to be faithful to the purpose God has entrusted to them. This revision of Faithful Preaching provides a fresh and needed exhortation for preachers and teachers young and old alike to proclaim the Bible with conviction, courage, and compassion in the church and to the nations. I highly recommend it.

David Platt , president, International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention

Numerous scholars, pastors and preachers have helped us think through exposition. And a host of others have helped us think through Christ-centered hermeneutics and homiletics. But few have helped us think through how they all play together in the same symphony of faithful preaching. And none have done it like Tony Merida does in The Christ-Centered Expositor . This brother captivatingly helps us see that exposing the text means exposing Christ. Just like biblical exposition isnt a sermon form but a preaching process, so Christ-centered preaching isnt a homiletical genre but a divine mandate. If youre going to preach, then preach Christ. If youre going to preach Christ well, then read Merida.

Jim Shaddix , W. A. Criswell chair of expository preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

This is wonderful. You could put this book in someones hands, and they could go seamlessly from text to sermon. The process is very clean. As well, Tony Merida does a wonderful job of framing expository preaching both biblically and historically. Im very grateful for his passion and scholarship; it bleeds all over this book!

Steven Smith, vice president for student services and professor of communication, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Merida, with the heart of a pastor and the skill of a teacher, proves a great guide for preachers, both aspiring and seasoned. Here is a book that is succinct, pastoral, informative, and challenging.

Steve Timmis, executive director, Acts 29 Network

Tony Meridas content in this book is the primary resource I use in training pastors and church planters how to preach. Tonys balance between piety and preaching makes it an ideal text for those who aspire to preach or for those looking to refresh themselves on the core components of gospel-centered expository preaching. I reread it at least once every two years.

Harvey Turner, lead pastor of preaching and vision, Living Stones Church, and regional director, Acts 29 West Network

The Christ-Centered Expositor

Copyright 2016 by Tony Merida

Published by B&H Academic

Nashville, Tennessee

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4336-8574-3

Dewey Decimal Classification: 251

Subject Heading: PREACHING / SERMONS / BIBLESTUDY AND TEACHING

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the books publication but may be subject to change.

Printed in the United States of America

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To Imago Dei Church,

my brothers and sisters

whom I love and serve,

my joy and crown.

Stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

Foreword

W hy should a preachers exposition of Scripture be Christ-centered, as Pastor Tony Merida advocates in this wonderful text?

In part, the answer must be that Jesus teaches us to expound Scripture with his ministry in constant view. The Gospel of Luke tells us that after Jesus rose from the dead and was walking with his disciples on the road to Emmaus, he explained the Bible this way: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27 ESV).

Does this mean that Jesus used some magical formula or secret decoder ring to show how every verse in the Bible makes some mention of him? Sometimes we hear well-meaning people try to explain the Bible this way.

Such interpreters may tell us things like the wood of Noahs ark symbolizes the wood of the cross. Or they may stretch a bit further and suggest that the wood of the ark was made of gopher wood, and that is supposed to remind us of the resurrectionsince gophers live in the ground and Jesus came up out of the ground.

Hopefully we recognize that such fanciful explanations are more about what is in the imagination of the interpreter than what is actually being communicated in the pages of Scripture. Such imaginative explanations could make the Bible mean anything we want it to mean (e.g., the wood could also symbolize the wood of the manger, or the wood Jesus used for his carpentry, or the wood of the boat from which he stilled the storm).