THE MOST HOLY AND MOST SACRED LADDER OF THE BEATITUDES A humble interpretive approach to them… AND THE COMPLETE SERMON ON THE MOUNT!!!

 LET US LEAVE BEHIND THE COSMIC MORAL AND THE PART OF THE  ANTICHRIST AND ''WOKE'' AGENDA-N.W.O. ''LAWS''..

TO STEP FORWARD AND EMBRACE GODS LAW AND GODS WILL

IN THE NAME AND PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST AND HIS ONE AND ONLY CHURCH

AND THE WHOLE WORLD SHALL BECOME A PARADISE!!!

CONFESSION FOR ORTHODOX FAITH AND FATHERLAND

 

THE MOST HOLY AND MOST SACRED LADDER OF THE BEATITUDES

A humble interpretive approach to them… AND THE COMPLETE SERMON ON THE MOUNT!!!

From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew – Chapter 5

THE FIRST BEATITUDE

v.3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Three handwritten interpretive texts follow on the First Beatitude)

First manuscript page (excerpts, slightly corrected for legibility):

The Apostle Paul says that the Lord, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Phil 2:6), clearly drawing from the words He Himself spoke to the rich young man: “Why do you call Me purest? No one is purest but God alone” (Mark 10:18). And here, precisely here, lies the key to the meaning and understanding of the First Beatitude.

If the Lord spoke thus about Himself, then we — His creatures, the work of His hands, wretched and earthly as we are…

Second manuscript page: …we mortal men — what ought we, what are we obliged to think and say about ourselves?

“For the first time I see dust stealing from dust,” said Saint Spyridon — the only time anyone ever saw him laugh!

What had he seen?

He had seen a man who stole… a clay jar!

That man was clay, an earthly being… and he was stealing clay!

One piece of clay was stealing another piece of clay!

Before the Lord and in the presence of all creation we are all dust: “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return,” as the Lord said to Adam when he was driven out of Paradise (Gen 3:19).

Therefore, in the First Beatitude the Lord declares plainly and without ambiguity that all who possess and…

Third manuscript page: …who remain in this mind-set and this awareness of their spiritual poverty, neediness, and utter nothingness — these alone will be made worthy of the heavenly Kingdom. For they alone possess the primary and fundamental condition of salvation: to set themselves and their own will aside before the Divine Will, voluntarily counting themselves as nothing, becoming fully and perfectly identified with the will of God.

For the will of man works sin and death, whereas the will of God works eternal life and the Kingdom of heaven!

“Our Father who art in heaven… Thy will be done…”

and

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” (Matt 26:39)

This is exactly why the Holy Fathers placed themselves beneath the whole of creation — even beneath the demons — so that, through poverty of spirit, humility, and humbleness, they might attain and secure the prize of the First Beatitude, which is the indispensable prerequisite for anyone to attain the Kingdom of heaven and to receive the rewards of the remaining Beatitudes.

THE SECOND BEATITUDE

v.4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

The demons, speaking through a possessed man, used to revile the All-Holy Mother of God and call her “the weeping woman,” because with her tears, her prostrations, and her supplications to her Son and our God she prevented them from carrying out their murderous work against mankind.

Let us also be “weeping women” together with the Most Holy Theotokos, so that we may partake of her motherly compassion toward mankind; and together with her and through her let us bend the heart of her Only-begotten Son, obtaining the things that pertain to our salvation.

Let us share in the mourning of Adam when he was expelled from Paradise, when he knew his nakedness, the cold, the heat, and the barrenness of the earth; when with the sweat of his brow and with tears he received and ate his first bread, breaking the hard wheat upon a stone; when his son Cain killed his brother Abel…

Let us share in the mourning of the Most Holy Theotokos when she stood at Golgotha and the sword pierced her soul at the Cross of her Son and God.

Let us mourn and lament without ceasing because, with our sins, our ingratitude, our mistakes and passions, we have betrayed and crucified God.

Through all these laments and wailings, divine comfort and consolation will begin to drip into our own hearts as well. And if we persevere, it will dwell there permanently and forever. And let us not hesitate: if we have no tears, let us beg God to grant them to us, for “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

THE THIRD BEATITUDE

v.5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

How great a wonder is the meek person — the truly faithful soul! Nothing disturbs his meekness, his long-suffering, or his patience. He has perfect trust and hope in the all-good God. Therefore he does not become angry, does not behave unseemly, does not become indignant.

“On whom shall I look,” says the Lord, “but on him who is humble and quiet and trembles at My words?” (Isaiah 66:2) — that is, on the humble and meek person who is filled with the fear of God.

And with what does God reward the meek? He bestows upon them a double inheritance as His true sons and daughters: “His offspring shall be mighty upon earth” (Ps 111/112:2) and “His seed shall remain forever” (Ps 88/89:36).

The meek person inherits both heaven and earth, whereas the unrepentant, crooked, and restless sinner perishes by death.

THE FOURTH BEATITUDE

v.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the dispassionate, the impartial people who prefer the righteousness of God to the “righteousness” of men; who obey God rather than men; who do not violate God’s righteousness even for the sake of their dearest persons; who renounce every private, personal, and selfish interest when it stands against Divine Righteousness, and who feed and live upon it.

Divine Righteousness is synonymous with the Divine Will and is served through the spiritual laws. Divine Righteousness cancels all the crimes of the sinful man provided he has sincere and unfeigned repentance. Divine Righteousness condemns the “righteous” person who is ruled by pride and hypocrisy. Divine Righteousness gives the same reward to the worker of the first hour and to the one of the eleventh hour. Divine Righteousness opens Paradise to a thief. It promotes harlots and publicans ahead of Pharisees into the Kingdom of God.

All, therefore, who prefer, desire, and embrace this Righteousness of Grace and Mercy of God — and not the worldly righteousness that, whether through favouritism, bribery, or strict legalism, acquits or condemns without taking repentance and mercy into account — truly they shall be filled and satisfied with all the good things of heaven and earth.

THE FIFTH BEATITUDE

v.7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

The fifth step or rung: mercy — the unconquerable virtue that forgives and blots out a multitude of lawless deeds and sins.

O this mercy! He who shows mercy to the poor lends to God! (cf. Prov 19:17)

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…”

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria… Saint John III Doukas Vatatzes the Merciful, Emperor…

See what great spiritual stature received the title “Merciful” because of their boundless love for mankind and almsgiving!

The merciful person is an imitator of the Lord, for he gives, forgives, overlooks, does not despair of anyone, has compassion, suffers together with others, provides and supplies every need, helps in every problem and difficulty, and is always present as a helper in every circumstance.

The all-good God especially and greatly loves the merciful, particularly those who are merciful from the heart. Therefore, in every need, circumstance, and affliction of theirs, He gladly shows them mercy and lavishly bestows upon them all the good things of heaven and earth — above all, He forgives them a multitude of lawless deeds and sins in return for their own mercy.

The merciful person most surely attains the Kingdom of heaven, both in this life and in the life to come.

THE SIXTH BEATITUDE

v.8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

All the previous steps are necessary so that we may finally reach this one, which is by far the most difficult of all. Therefore all who attain it… shall see God!

A pure heart: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 50/51:10). This too is a gift and grace of the Lord, granted to very few.

It is granted to all who first succeed in attaining the five previous Beatitudes, who climb the five previous steps of the Ladder of the Beatitudes — yet even then, not to all.

The heart of a sinful person requires a very great and prolonged struggle to become clean.

It is cleansed by perfect and undiscriminating obedience to an Orthodox spiritual father who possesses discernment; by sincere and unfeigned repentance, a humble and contrite mind, tears, the practice of all the previous virtues, pure confession of thoughts, words, and deeds, the faithful keeping of all God’s most holy commandments, unceasing prayer, and the remembrance of death, judgment, and the punishment that awaits;

and spiritually and practically it is impossible for a person’s heart to be cleansed and to remain clean without Holy Communion and without an environment of peace and hesychia (stillness).

When a person truly attains this divine prize, then truly he sees God — as the One who is everywhere present and fills all things; as the Creator of heaven and earth and all things therein; as the One who cares for, governs, and rules the whole creation; as God the Maker, Creator, and Provider of all; as the Conqueror of life and death; in Spirit and in Truth, in the Good Spirit, in the Spirit of Power, and in the Spirit of Peace; and in Holy Communion, where he beholds God Himself, the God-Man Lord Jesus Christ, who ever abides with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and communes with Him spiritually and bodily in Truth.

And then, having by the grace of the Holy God obtained the peace of God — that is, the indwelling of God within him, in which the Holy Trinity makes Its abode with him — he finally reaches…

THE SEVENTH BEATITUDE

v.9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

…where man becomes a dwelling-place of the grace of God, a living temple of the living God, filled with the peace of God which he pours forth and imparts to all. Then he enters the state of the sanctified — a state that very few reach in this life, and usually only toward the end of their earthly sojourn — and he becomes peaceful, a peacemaker, and a bestower of peace.

Tradition relates that in the time of St Sabbas the Sanctified, within a radius of five kilometres around the Lavra there reigned the peace of God, flowing forth from the saint and communicated to the entire surrounding area. By way of illustration, it is said of the lion, considered the king of the animal kingdom, that when he roars his roar can be heard up to five kilometres away, thus proclaiming his presence and dominion.

In the same manner, St Sabbas the Sanctified, a spiritual lion, reigned in the peace of God…

THE EIGHTH BEATITUDE

v.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Here we enter different powers, different measures. Here we have all those who have suffered — or who will yet suffer — persecution for the Lord’s sake, which in practice means being deprived of, or even losing, some or all of the people and earthly goods they love for the sake of Divine Righteousness, as true disciples of the Lord.

THE NINTH BEATITUDE

v.11 Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.

Here even more we have all those Confessors who, besides persecution, must endure verbal and physical humiliations and be accused with unjust and false charges for the sole reason that they are Christians — out of their persecutors’ hatred and envy toward the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE TENTH BEATITUDE

v.12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In this final Beatitude the Lord has hidden the prize of martyrdom, which is for the very few — or rather the very, very few.

Therefore, in this Tenth Beatitude we have the crown of the saints of God: the holy Martyrs. For the prophets to whom the Lord refers were not merely persecuted; almost all of them were martyred.

This crown of the saints of God, the holy Martyrs, walked in the footsteps of the Lord, for they endured a shameful and martyric death just as He did.

It is characteristic that in this concluding Beatitude the Lord pronounces blessed in summary all those who are included in the previous nine Beatitudes, assuring them all of the heavenly rewards that will be given to them both in the present age and in the age to come. And finally…

He concludes with the holy Martyrs, indicating that the Martyrs stand above all the rest both in their rank and in their heavenly rewards.

It is characteristic that, according to ecclesiastical tradition, only Martyrs are proclaimed saints immediately upon their martyrdom. In ancient times it even happened that a martyrion (memorial church) was erected on the very spot of martyrdom — nothing other than a holy church dedicated to the martyr in which his sacred relics were deposited.

For all other saints, the Church officially proclaims their canonisation only after many years, after preceding signs that manifest their sanctity — whether the revelation or translation of their relics, or miracles they have performed and continue to perform — on condition also of their witness to the Orthodox Faith in life, word, and any written texts they have left us as an inheritance.

And thus, by the grace of the Holy God, we have attempted a humble approach to the most sacred and most divine Beatitudes, which the world today denies and rejects, looking only to the earthly, corruptible, and fleeting things, while disregarding and scorning the heavenly, glorious, and eternal.

For this reason this age is called, and truly is, an age of deception, an age of delusion, and an age of perdition.

May the all-good God, since we are unworthy of His most holy Beatitudes, at least grant us repentance, so that we may not finally lose our souls.

To God be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen!!!

THE COMPLETE SERMON ON THE MOUNT FOLLOWS…

HERE GOD HIMSELF SPEAKS! THE MOUTH OF GOD ADDRESSED TO MAN!

He fulfils the Law and the Ten Commandments and hands down to him His New Covenant — His new commandments and the explanation of the commandments — so that he may live, truly live, be saved, and be sanctified.

Here we stand on the slopes of Mount Tabor and hear Him speaking to us as the very last among all who listen.

Here we understand most clearly why we are so far, so very far from the Divine Will, and why everything that is happening today throughout the whole world is happening.

Here is the mirror of our spiritual condition and the spiritual legislation.

What other spiritual words have greater authority than these words of the God-Man Lord?

Many of us waste and crush the time of our life — and life itself — in every kind of wretchedness, vanity, and folly. We listen to every miserable deceiver, charlatan, and liar; we follow every demagogue and deceiver of the people, destroying ourselves and one another.

And the God who created heaven and earth — not only do we not listen to Him, we blaspheme Him! And in the end we utter the greatest of all blasphemies: “God is unjust!” “Don’t you see what is happening in the world?”

NO!

We are the unjust ones — I, you, every single one of us!

And precisely because we are the unjust ones, precisely for that reason everything that happens in our life, in the life of humanity, and in the world happens.

Yes! I see what is happening in the world — but I do not see what is happening inside me. I have never stood before the spiritual mirror of the Sermon on the Mount. I have never once considered that Christ is God, and that when God speaks I am obliged to fix my attention upon His word just as He was fixed upon the Cross for my sins — at least out of honour (who has lost it?), if not out of fear and trembling (as the holy Apostle Paul commanded), recognising Him as God and the only God!

How many have forced me, blackmailed me, threatened me to listen to them? How many have coerced, terrorised, and abused me to do what they demanded and commanded?

And then comes this One — the Great One, the Only One — in the form of humility, offering me Beatitudes instead of threats, and rewards instead of insults and abuse.

And I, the ungrateful wretch, ignore Him, revile Him, blaspheme Him, and crucify Him!

What other sacred text — or any text at all — is more true, more reliable, and more soul-saving than this?

Who has ever spoken or speaks like God, while we all hang like fools on the lips of other fools?

How many of us have truly realised the above?

HERE GOD HIMSELF SPEAKS!!!

Is there anyone who is not interested or does not listen to Him???

Woe to his head!!!

For on the day of the universal Judgment all the antichrists together with their chief and their father will be dragged in chains before Him.

This is the Mighty One and the Powerful One of heaven and earth. This is the only God! This is and will be the only Victor!!!

The wise, the serious, the scientists, the sages, and the rational of this world will on that day be proved to be only those who aligned themselves absolutely with Him in this fleeting, deceptive, and perishing earthly life.

Whereas all the renowned mighty ones and rulers of this earth — unrepentant psychopaths and evildoers, worshippers of Satan, heretics and antichrists who play with their nuclear toys and threaten and crush the inhabited world — together with all who believe them and follow them for the few pieces of silver of betrayal that they give them, selling Christ and fatherland, unprosecuted, enjoying asylum and impunity, and unrepentant…

will end up irrevocably chained to the gibbet of hell.

And their greatest madness and insanity is that they never once in their life remember death — as though they were going to live eternally upon this earth!!!

May the good God therefore grant even to them — and above all to us — the blessed gift of repentance, so that we may not lose from this life, but especially There, our eternal and immortal soul and the heavenly Kingdom!!! Amen!!!

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

(The Holy Gospel According to Matthew, chapters 5–7)

Chapter 5

1 Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

The Beatitudes

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ Fulfils the Law

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger and Murder

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment. 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be liable to the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery and Lust

27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Divorce

31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Retaliation

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Chapter 6

Almsgiving in Secret

1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Prayer in Secret – The Lord’s Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting in Secret

16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Treasures in Heaven

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Mammon

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Chapter 7

Do Not Judge

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The Golden Rule

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow Gate

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, 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 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

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

Build on the Rock

24 “Therefore 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 the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

To our Lord Jesus Christ be glory, honour, and worship, together with His Father who is without beginning and His All-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.