Matthew 7:15-29 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will ^[a]know them by their fruits. ^[b]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will ^[c]know them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many ^[d]miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and ^[e]acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell and the ^[f]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not ^[g]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell and the ^[h]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

^28 [i]When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.