1. He declared you what you might not always feel you are, but what you were from the moment he knew you, before you were you, when he foreknew you.
  2. A “good death” and “good life” are not accomplished through personal striving but are grasped by faith in the promises of God.
  3. This feast is the Gospel, “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
  4. In this article Amy Mantravadi give a short but helpful summary of the differences in Lutheran and Reformed thought regarding assurance.
  5. Confession and absolution offer more than assurance, they gift real and genuine Divine promises.
  6. Finding rest in God when the “what ifs”come calling
  7. We know that death does not have the last word in Christ.
  8. If Jesus did not rise, then religion is just religion — a mere anthropological phenomenon.
  9. Christ Jesus brings his word and presence to where you are and he is even willing to do so through the likes of your personally present pastor.
  10. God wants his word of promise to be the only thing we bank on, the only thing we have confidence in.
  11. Luther's emphasis on the need for sinners to have preachers who can provide them with the comfort and support they need for their faith in Jesus Christ and life is as relevant today as it was in his time.