Matthew 7:15-29

New King James Version

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits^(A)

^15 (B)“Beware of false prophets, ^(C)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ^16 (D)You will know them by their fruits. ^(E)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, ^(F)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (G)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

I Never Knew You^(H)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ^(I)‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who ^(J)does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we ^(K)not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And ^(L)then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(M)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Build on the Rock^(N)

²⁴ “Therefore ^(O)whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

²⁸ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that ^(P)the people were astonished at His teaching, ^29 (Q)for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.