The Preacher's Notebook

Graham Criddle said:

Paul Caneparo said:

Has anyone bought this yet?

I have it but haven't really looked at it yet

Paul Caneparo said:

I'd also be interested in seeing the table of contents.

Hopefully this helps

Thanks Graham

I saw this post on the blog last month.

https://blog.logos.com/2018/03/organized-mind-john-stott/#more-88618

I'm going to use (but adapt) the illustration below in my next sermon.  I'd love to know whether there are many such illustrations - or whether the quotes you've provided are more typical, as the type of illustration below is more useful to me as a preacher.

Not scales, but the cross

Themes: Forgiveness; Good Works; Jesus: Death; Justice; Justification
Crossing Waterloo Bridge and looking northeast, one has a fine view of the city skyline, and in particular of those two domed buildings, the Old Bailey (the central criminal court) and St. Paul’s Cathedral (the mother church). At the pinnacle of each dome is mounted a significant symbol. At the top of the Old Bailey stands the classical god of justice—blindfolded (for impartiality), wielding the sword of justice in her right hand, and holding a pair of scales (for the sifting of evidence) in the left. At the top of St. Paul’s however, is a great golden cross.

Many people think Christianity is a religion of the scales. They imagine that every time they sin, God flicks it into one pan, while every time they do a good deed, he flicks it into the other. And they are hoping against hope that the scales may just tip down in their favor.

But no, Christianity is not a religion of scales, but of the cross. For if the scales stand for our unfinished works, the cross stands for the finished work of Christ. It tells us Christ died for our sins once for all, that we are forgiven. It invites us to come to Christ saying, “Nothing in my hand I bring.”

Thanks Graham