Matthew 7:16–29

¹⁶You’ll recognize them by their fruit.^g Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?^{h 17}In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.^{i 20}So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.^j

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,^k but only the one who does the will^l of my Father in heaven.^{m 22}On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demonsⁿ in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’^{o 23}Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’^ABp

THE TWO FOUNDATIONS

²⁴“Therefore,^q everyone who hears these words^r of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things,^s the crowds were astonished at his teaching,^{t 29}because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.