1. The cross not only stands as the measure of our hatred of God but also as the measure of God’s love for us.
  2. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these early Lutheran hymns – and their physical availability in hymnals – in the piety of common people living in Lutheran towns and territories.
  3. The Battle of Frankenhausen stands as a warning for what can happen when we abandon the Word God has given us and chase after some vision of our own imaginations.
  4. The gospel is for sinners – both the tax collector and Pharisee, both in need of the Great Physician.
  5. God chose Russell Brand, chose to defy his fast-escaping life and drink up all his swift-running sin in the River Thames.
  6. The profound significance of Christ’s resurrection comes from the threefold justification it provides: it justifies the sinner, the sinner’s hope, and God himself.
  7. Five promises were seemingly all those apostles, staring into the sky, had to go on. Five promises that were more than enough.
  8. Elsewhere makes promises that can’t be kept, but God’s promises are secure, reliable, and certain.
  9. The lack of history surrounding Psalm 130 allows it to endure as universally appealing even for our seasons of hopelessness and despair when we’re in “the depths.”
  10. For you who are struggling to navigate grief, to cope with pain, or breathe through anxiety, the gospel announces that there is a person whose heart throbs for you.
  11. It's easy to have courage when things go well.
  12. Some part of us always wants our ability under the law to be just as important (or more) than grace.