Do Not Judge
"Do not judge others, or you too will be judged. Whatever standard you use to judge people will be the same standard used to judge you. Whatever measure you use will be measured back to you. Why do you focus on the tiny speck of dust in another person's eye while ignoring the wooden plank stuck in your own eye? How can you offer to remove that small speck from someone else's eye when you have a huge plank blocking your own vision? You're being a hypocrite! First, remove the plank from your own eye. Then you'll be able to see clearly enough to help remove the speck from the other person's eye. Don't give sacred things to dogs, and don't throw your precious pearls in front of pigs. If you do, the pigs will trample your pearls into the mud, and then the dogs will turn around and attack you."
Ask, Seek, Knock
Ask, and you will receive what you ask for. Search, and you will discover what you're looking for. Knock on the door, and it will be opened for you. This is how it works for everyone: every person who asks receives something, every person who searches finds what they seek, and every person who knocks has the door opened to them. Think about this: if your son came to you asking for bread when he was hungry, would you hand him a stone instead? Or if he asked you for a fish to eat, would you give him a poisonous snake? Of course not. Even though you are flawed and sinful, you still know how to give good gifts to your children when they need something. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him for what they need! So in everything you do, treat other people the way you would want them to treat you. This captures the heart of everything the Law and the Prophets taught.
The Narrow Gate
Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is wide, and the road that takes you there is broad and spacious. Many people choose to enter through that wide gate. But the gate that leads to life is small, and the road that takes you there is narrow and difficult. Only a few people find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
Watch out for false prophets who will try to deceive you. They appear gentle and harmless on the outside, like sheep, but inside they are hungry wolves ready to destroy you. You will know what they really are by looking at what they produce in their lives. Think about it this way: do people pick grapes from thorny bushes? Do they gather figs from weeds and thistles? Of course not. In the same way, every healthy tree produces good fruit, while a diseased tree produces bad fruit. A healthy tree simply cannot produce rotten fruit, and a diseased tree cannot produce good fruit. When a tree consistently fails to produce good fruit, it gets chopped down and burned in the fire. This is how you will recognize true teachers from false ones—by carefully watching the fruit their lives produce.
True Discipleship
Not everyone who calls me "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do what my Father in heaven wants will enter. On that final day, many people will come to me and say, "Lord, Lord, didn't we speak prophecies in your name? Didn't we cast out demons using your name? Didn't we perform many powerful miracles in your name?" But I will tell them clearly, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil."
The Wise and Foolish Builders
Therefore, anyone who hears what I am saying and puts it into practice is like a wise person who built their house on solid rock. When the heavy rains came pouring down, when the rushing floodwaters surged, and when the fierce winds howled and pounded against that house, it stood firm and did not fall down, because it was built on a foundation of rock. But anyone who hears what I am saying and does not put it into practice is like a foolish person who built their house on sand. When the heavy rains came pouring down, when the rushing floodwaters surged, and when the fierce winds howled and pounded against that house, it collapsed completely—and its destruction was total.
The Authority of Jesus
When Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed by what he had taught them. They were astonished because he spoke with real authority, not like the religious teachers they were used to hearing.