Matthew 7
7
Don’t tell other people they are bad
1Jesus said to the people, “Don’t say to anybody, ‘You are bad,’ and then God will not say to you, ‘You are bad.’ 2God will judge you the same way as you judge other people. If you are easy on other people, God will be easy on you. But if you are hard on other people, God will be hard on you.#Mark 4:24
3-5You shouldn’t always try to tell other people they are doing bad things. First, you have to think about all the bad things that you do, and you have to stop doing those bad things. Then maybe you can help other people to stop doing bad things too. Maybe you are doing lots of bad things, and your friend is just doing one little bad thing. If you are still doing lots of bad things, you can’t help them stop doing that little bad thing. It’s like this. All those bad things you do are making you blind, like you have a big bit of wood in your eye. And maybe your friend is just doing one little thing wrong, like they just have a little splinter of wood in their eye. You have to take that big bit of wood out of your eye, so that you can see properly, then maybe you can help your friend get that little splinter out of their eye.”
6Jesus kept on talking to them. He said, “There are some things that belong to God. Don’t give those things to people that don’t like God. Those people are like dogs. If you give them God’s things, they will rubbish them, and then they will turn around and bite you, just like dogs. And some of God’s things are really special. Don’t give them to people that don’t know that those things are special. They will rubbish those things. They will be just like pigs that don’t know good things. They will walk on them and push them into the mud.”
Keep asking God, and he will give you what you need
7Jesus kept on teaching the people. He said, “Whenever you need something, you have to keep asking God for it, and he will give it to you. Keep looking for whatever you need, and God will let you find it. Maybe something will block you, so you can’t get what you need, like there is a door that is shut and you can’t get through it. Well, then keep on knocking at that door, and God will open it for you. 8Everyone that asks God for something will get it. Everyone that looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone that knocks on it.
9It’s like this. If your son asks you for some bread, will you give him a stone? No way. 10Or if your son asks you for a fish, will you give him a cheeky snake? No way. 11You see, you might be bad, but you give good things to your kids. Well, your father in heaven is a lot better than you. He is always good, so he will always give good things to people that ask him.”
This is what God’s law is all about
12Jesus said, “You know the way you want other people to treat you. Well, you have to treat other people that same way. You have to live like that all the time. That is a short way of saying the message that is in God’s book. It is what God’s law is all about, and it is what God got his men to write about in his book. You have to always treat other people the same way that you want people to treat you.”#Luke 6:31
You have to follow the right track
13-14Then Jesus told them this picture story about how to live. He said, “It is like there are 2 tracks in life, and each track has its own gate. One gate is big and wide, but the other gate is a narrow little gate. It is hard to get through that little gate, and only a few people get through it. Listen, you have to go through that little gate. If you want to live with God for ever, you have to pick that little gate and go through it, and you have to follow its track. Its track is a narrow little track, and it is hard to walk on. But if you go that way, you will live with God for ever. The other gate is wide and easy to go through, and its track is wide and easy to walk on. A lot of people go that way. They go through that wide gate and walk along that easy track. But that track goes to the wrong place, and God will finish up those people.”
Be careful of people that say they have a message from God
15Then Jesus told them, “Always be careful. Don’t believe everybody. There are some people that reckon they are telling you a message from God, but they are liars. They try to get you to think they are like sheep, like they are soft and will not give you any trouble. But really, they are like wild dingoes. They will give you trouble, like dingoes hurt sheep. If you believe their words, then you will get lots of trouble. 16If you look at the things these people do, you can find out if they are talking true words, or if they are liars.”
Then Jesus told a picture story. He said, “Think about the trees that give us fruit to eat. We can’t get good fruit from rubbish trees. We can’t get grapes from rubbish plants. 17Good fruit grows on a good tree. Rubbish fruit grows on a rubbish tree. 18A good tree can’t make bad fruit. A bad tree can’t make good fruit. 19If a farmer has a tree that only makes rubbish fruit, he will cut down that tree and burn it in a fire.#Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9 20So, to find out if a person is good or bad, look at what they do. A good person does good things. And a bad person does bad things.”#Matthew 12:33
God will only have the people that do what he wants
21And Jesus said, “Lots of people call me, ‘My leader and my boss,’ but some of them will never be in God’s family. God will only have people that do what he wants them to do. God will have those people in his family, but not the other people. God is my father in heaven. 22One day, God will get me to judge everybody, and some people will say to me, ‘You are my leader and my boss. We used your power to tell people your messages, and to force bad spirits out of people, and to do a lot of other great things.’ 23Then I will tell them, ‘I don’t know you mob. You are bad. You don’t do what God wants. So get away from me.’ ”#Psalm 6:8
Be wise and do what Jesus says
24Then Jesus told them 2 more picture stories. He said, “If you listen to my message, and if you do what I say, you are like a wise man that built his house on hard rock. 25Then a lot of rain came and made big flood waters that flowed along really fast, and that water hit that house, and strong winds blew hard against that house. But that house didn’t fall down. He built it on hard rock, so it stayed strong. You see, if you do what I say, you will be like the wise man in that picture story.
26But if you hear my message and you don’t do what I say, you are like a stupid man that built his house on soft sand. 27Then a lot of rain came and made big flood waters that flowed along really fast, and that water hit that house, and strong winds blew hard against that house. Then that house fell down, and it broke up into little bits. You see, if you don’t do what I say, you will be like the stupid man in that picture story.”
28Then Jesus finished talking to that big mob of people. They were really surprised as they listened to what he told them. 29You see, they knew he told them God’s word properly. He knew what he was talking about. Their law teachers never talked like that.#Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32
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Matthew 7: PEV
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© 2021, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. All rights reserved.
Matthew 7
7
Be Careful About Judging Others
1“Don’t judge others, or you will be judged. 2You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the amount you give to others will be given to you.
3“Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? 4How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. 5You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.
6“Don’t give holy things to dogs, and don’t throw your pearls before pigs. Pigs will only trample on them, and dogs will turn to attack you.
Ask God for What You Need
7“Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. 8Yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
9“If your children ask for bread, which of you would give them a stone? 10Or if your children ask for a fish, would you give them a snake? 11Even though you are bad, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!
The Most Important Rule
12“Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.
The Way to Heaven Is Hard
13“Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate. 14But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road.
People Know You by Your Actions
15“Be careful of false prophets. They come to you looking gentle like sheep, but they are really dangerous like wolves. 16You will know these people by what they do. Grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. 17In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. 19Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20In the same way, you will know these false prophets by what they do.
21“Not all those who say ‘You are our Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22On the last day many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, we spoke for you, and through you we forced out demons and did many miracles.’ 23Then I will tell them clearly, ‘Get away from me, you who do evil. I never knew you.’
Two Kinds of People
24“Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. 26Everyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house, and it fell with a big crash.”
28When Jesus finished saying these things, the people were amazed at his teaching, 29because he did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like a person who had authority.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.