Matthew

Judging Others

Do not judge, and you will not be judged.

In the same way, you judge others, you will be judged; and the measure you use for others will be used for you.

Why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye but ignore the plank in your own?

How can you tell your brother, ‘Come, let me take the speck from your eye,’ when you have a plank in your own?

Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Holy Things

Do not give what is sacred to dogs, or toss your pearls before pigs. They might trample them and then attack you, tearing you apart.

Perseverance in Prayer

Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread?

Or give him a snake when he asks for a fish?

No matter how flawed you are, you know how to give good things to your children. So, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

So, do to others whatever you would want them to do to you: there you have the law and the prophets.

The Narrow Gate

Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many go that way.

How narrow is the gate that leads to life, and how rough the road; few there are who find it.

The Tree Is Known By Its Fruit

Beware of false prophets: they appear as harmless sheep, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

You will recognize them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

A healthy tree always bears good fruit, while a rotten tree yields bad fruit.

A healthy tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit.

Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.

It Is Not Enough to Say: “Lord, Lord!”

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in your name?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!’

Rock and Sand

Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.

The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.

But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them is like a fool who built his house on sand.

The rain poured, rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”

When Jesus finished this teaching, the crowds were amazed

because he taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the law.