Following the prompt.
Connecting with the reader.
Literary quality.

Write about any Chapter 18 or Verse 18 from the Bible!

Rock, you have given us a very solid exposition on the subject of forgiveness as addressed in Matthew 18. The aspect most enlightening to me was taking the time to consider the main verse IN CONTEXT. In the past, I have looked at Matthew 18: 21-22 all by itself. While I know it is never a good idea to take a verse out of context, I do not remember ever before considering the context of "21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

The parable of the unforgiving servant follows on the heels of the seventy time seven but for some reason I never really thought about them together. I have read and talked about the parable many, many times and it has been the basis for the act of forgiveness in my own life ever since I was a child but, again, I have taken it out of context.

Your writing made me want to reread Matthew 18 and chew on it a while! Good job!

So, your message came through and, as a sermon, I am sure your words resonate. However, if you want to use this as a print article (on line or on paper) I suggest you tighten it up a bit and polish up the punctuation. I will try and show you what I mean using your beginning remarks. Your words are in gray and mine follow in brown.

"The greatest difficulty we’ll often face in the Christian life isn’t with trials & temptations. It’s not with faith... or with doctrines & "truths" of the Word of God. But it is often with people... especially with brethren... those we assemble with... work with... fellowship with.

I think one of the most critical areas of relationship whether we are saved or unsaved, is the ability to forgive. The ability not to hold grudges or resentment to people in our orbit, people that we perceive have influence over our day to day existence.

If we are saved, we should have an advantage in the forgiveness arena, however through experience I have learned that this isn’t always true.

I believe this can handicap us if not dealt with in a proper way. Forgiveness is vital to healthy relationships and more importantly to our continued good health, physically and spiritually."


What is the greatest difficulty we face as we strive to live a Christian life. It isn't trials and temptations. It is not faith and doctrinal debates. It is something that arises only in our relationships with other people: forgiveness versus unforgiveness.

It is easy to harbor resentment or hold grudges when the people in our lives disappoint us or actually do something to hurt us. As Christians, we have an advantage in the area of forgiveness but, sadly, we do not also act on it.

Forgiveness is vital to healthy relationships. It is also supremely important to our continued good health both physically and spiritually.

It is never easy trying to condense and refine another person's words. I hope this example will let you see what I mean by tightening up your words and I hope I did not stray too much from your original message.

Anyways, thank you for sharing your words with us!

Please know, your words have impacted my life for the good. Your message is a five star message. This sermon is definitely worth polishing up to use as a written article.