1. We can do nothing to warrant entry into the kingdom of God nor are we getting in if we think a seat at God’s table is something to which we are entitled.
  2. Instead of a death sentence, those brothers hear the words of deliverance.
  3. The gospel is for sinners – both the tax collector and Pharisee, both in need of the Great Physician.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.”
  6. 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.
  7. It's easy to have courage when things go well.
  8. Some part of us always wants our ability under the law to be just as important (or more) than grace.
  9. The notion that your goodness is “good enough” to make you right with God is a lie straight from the father of lies himself.
  10. Applying the pressure of law to ensure you do not to take grace for granted squeezes the life and power out of the gospel.
  11. Bathed in the waters of baptism, you are placed in God's path of totality, a path he won for each and every one of us.
  12. Jesus continues to do the same for me and for you as he did for his disciples. He still shows up for us. He still speaks his peace to us.