The Characteristics of the Kingdom
"Condemn not, so that you may not be condemned. For according to the sentence you pronounce, you will yourself be convicted; and with the same measure with which you measure, you will be measured.
"But why do you take notice of the dust in your brother's eye, while you cannot observe the chip in your own eye? or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the dust from your eye,' while the chip is in your own eye? Pretender! First remove the chip from your own eye, and then you will see straight to remove the dust from the eye of your brother.
"Give not what is holy to dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine; for fear they should trample them under their feet, and turning, rend you.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you: for whoever asks will receive, and the seeker will find, and they will open to him who knocks. Is there even a man among you, who, if his son should ask bread of him, would hand him a stone? And if he asked a fish, would he hand him a serpent? If therefore you, who are corrupt, know how to bestow benefits upon your children, how much rather will your Father Who is in heaven give benefits to those who ask Him! Whatever therefore you wish men to do to you, do the same yourselves to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
"Enter through the narrow gate; because the gate is wide, and the road well paved, that leads to destruction; and through it the majority go. How narrow the gate, and difficult the path, that leads to life! and they are few who find it!
"But guard yourselves from the false teachers, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but who in their hearts are plundering wolves. You can recognise them by their fruits. Do they ever gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Thus every useful tree produces useful fruit; but the worthless tree produces worthless fruit. A useful tree cannot produce bad fruit; nor can a worthless tree produce good fruit. Every tree not producing good fruit will be felled and used as firewood. Reject their produce; for by this you can recognise them.
"Not every one who says to Me, Master! Master!' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but only those who do the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Master! Master! have we not preached in Your Name? and have we not cast out demons in Your Name? and in Your Name have we not done many wonders?' And then I shall declare to them, 'I never knew you ; depart from Me, you traders in lawlessness!'
"Therefore, every one who listens to these precepts of Mine, and practices them, I will compare him to a reflective man who built his house upon the rock: and the storm raged, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and assailed that house; and it fell not—because it was founded upon the rock. And every one who listens to these precepts of Mine, and does not practise them, I will compare him to a foolish man, who built his dwelling in the sand: and the storm raged, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and they demolished that house, and its wreck was complete!"
And it came about that when Jesus had finished these addresses the crowd were astonished at His teaching; for He had been teaching them like a man possessing authority, and not as their professors.
Transcribed by Mark Hicks on 12-30-2014