Matthew 7
7
Don’t Judge Other People
1“Don’t judge other people, or you’ll be judged yourself. 2You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the measure you use for others will be used for you.
3“Why do you look at the bit of sawdust in your friend’s eye but pay no attention to the chunk of wood in your own eye? 4How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take the bit of sawdust out of your eye,’ when there’s a log in your own eye? 5You hypocrite! First take the piece of wood out of your own eye, and then you’ll be able to see to take the bit of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.
6“Don’t give holy things to dogs, and don’t throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may stomp all over them and then turn around and tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks.
9“Suppose your son asks for bread. Which of you would give him a stone? 10Or suppose he asks for a fish. Which of you would give him a snake? 11Even people who are bad know how to give good gifts to their children. How much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him! 12In everything, do to others what you would want them to do to you. That sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The Large and Small Gates
13“Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is large and the road is wide that leads to ruin. Many people go that way. 14But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to life. Only a few people find it.
True and False Prophets
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but on the inside they’re hungry wolves. 16You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree can’t bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t bear good fruit. 19Every tree that doesn’t bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.
True and False Disciples
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord! Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we drive out demons? Didn’t we do many miracles?’ 23But I will tell them outright, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me—you didn’t follow God’s ways!’
Put Jesus’ Words into Practice
24“So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise person who built a house on a rock. 25The rain came down, the water rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t fall, because it was built on a rock. 26Everyone who hears my words but doesn’t put them into practice is like a foolish person who built a house on the sand. 27The rain came down, the water rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a loud crash.”
28When Jesus had finished saying all these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching. 29He taught like one who had authority, and not like their teachers of the law.
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Matthew 7: RAD
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Matthew 7
7
Chapter 7
We should not speak against other people
1Jesus then said, ‘Do not say to anyone, “You are a bad person.” If you do that, God will say to you, “You are a bad person.” 2God will think about you in the same way that you think about other people. He will use the same rules for you as you use for other people.
3Perhaps you want to tell your friend about his little mistake. If you want to do that, first remember your own bigger mistakes. 4You are like a person who has a big piece of wood in his eye. But then he says to his friend, “Let me take that little piece of dirt out of your eye for you.” 5Do not be like that person. You think that you are better than your friend. But you are not. First, you must take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. After that, your eyes will see clearly. Then you can take the small piece of dirt out of your friend's eye. #7:5 Jesus tells us to make our own mistakes right. After that, we can tell our friends about their mistakes.
6Do not give special things that are for God to dogs. The dogs will turn round and attack you. Do not throw valuable things to pigs. The pigs will only stand on them and bury them in the dirt.’ #7:6 When Jesus talked about dogs and pigs here he was talking about people who do not want God. We do not give valuable things to pigs and dogs. They would not take care of them.
Jesus teaches his disciples more about God
7Jesus said, ‘Go on asking God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Go on looking for what you need. Then you will find it. Go on knocking at the door, and God will open it for you. 8Everyone who asks for something will receive it. Everyone who looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone who knocks on it.
9Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for some bread, you would not give him a stone. 10If he asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake. 11You may be bad, but even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. He will give good things to everyone who asks him. #7:11 Jesus is teaching his disciples that they must pray. And they must continue to pray. God will hear them. He will give them the good things that they ask for. 12So do the good things for other people that you would want them to do for you. That is true in everything you do. That is what God's Law and the messages of God's prophets teach us.’
Jesus teaches people how to get true life
13‘Go in through the narrow gate to get true life with God. There is a wide gate that is easy to go through. The wide path is easy to travel on. Many people find that wide gate, but it is the way to hell. 14It is difficult to go through the small gate. And it is difficult to walk on the narrow road. But when you do go that way, you will get true life. Not many people find that narrow gate.’ #7:14 If we want to have true life with God, there is a difficult way to travel along. It is like a narrow gate that we have to go through and a narrow path to go along.
Jesus tells a story about a tree and its fruit
15‘Some people say that they are prophets from God. But their words are false. They seem to be like sheep that are not dangerous. But they are really like hungry wild dogs. What they teach will hurt you.
16You will know these people by the way that they live. The things that they do are like their fruit. Grapes do not grow on thorn bushes. Figs do not grow on weeds. #7:16 The prophets are like fruit trees. The things that they do are like the fruit on the trees. If they do good things, then the fruit is good. And the people will know that they are real prophets. If they do wrong things, then that is like bad fruit. And the people will know that they are not real prophets. 17Good fruit grows on a tree that is good. Bad fruit grows on a tree that is not good. 18A good tree cannot make bad fruit. A bad tree cannot make good fruit. 19A farmer will cut down any tree that does not make good fruit. He will burn it on a fire. 20In the same way, look at the way people live. Then you will know what they are really like.
21Some people say to me, “Master, Master!” But not all of them will come into the kingdom of heaven. Only the people who obey God, my Father in heaven, will come in. They do what he wants them to do. 22On the day when God judges people, many of them will say, “Master, Master! We used your authority and we spoke a message from you. We used your authority and we sent bad spirits out of people. We used your authority to do many powerful things.” 23But I will say to these people, “I never knew you. You do not obey God. You are bad. So go away from me.” ’
Jesus tells a story about two men who each built a house
24Jesus then said, ‘Some people listen to my message and they obey it. Those people are like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25Then a storm came with a lot of rain and wind. The rivers rose up high. Strong winds blew hard against that house. But the house did not fall down because the man had built it on rock. 26Other people listen to my message but they do not obey it. Those people are like a fool who built his house on sand. 27Then a storm came with a lot of rain and wind. The rivers rose up high. Strong winds blew hard against the house. That house fell down. The storm destroyed it completely.’ #7:27 Jesus tells us that our life is like a house. We should obey God. Then our life will be like the first house. It continued to stand when troubles came. If we do not obey God, our life will be like the second house. That house fell down. So our life will have a sad end.
28Jesus finished speaking. The crowds of people were very surprised at the things that he taught them. 29When Jesus taught them, he showed that he had authority. That was not like the way that the teachers of God's Law taught people.
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