“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in Heaven.

“When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you they have their reward in full. But when you give your alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then in this way:

“’Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.’]

“For if you forgive men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

“And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. I tell you the truth, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash you face so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who sees in secret; and your father who sees in secret will repay you.

“Do no lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth, nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 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!

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches. For this reason, I say t you, do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat or drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more that food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you being anxious can add any measure to his life’s span? And why are you anxious for clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil or spin, yet even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat? What shall we drink? With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles are eagerly seeking; for your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

“Do not judge, lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log from your own eye so that you can see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye.

“Do not give what is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way narrow that leads to life, and few there be that find it.

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad trees bear bad fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, did we not prophecy and cast out demons and perform miracles in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act upon them, will be like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”

The result was that when He had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one having authority…

“The Sermon on the Mount” – Lord Jesus