

B 45.

 Rain on just and unjust.

 If love them that love - What reward?

B 46,47. For.  

 If salute brethren only - Where differ?

Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven.

This insistence upon being like the Father is seen in the great prayer of chapter 6. `Forgive us our debts, as

we forgive our debtors', and in the Lord's comment:

`For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men

their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses' (verses 14,15).

See also Matthew 18:23-35. This truth however is not a part of the gospel of the Grace of God, and cannot

be preached as such without confusion and harm. It is however an essential element in the perfecting of the

believer in view of the kingdom on earth and its rewards.

We have already seen that the subject of Reward is a prominent theme in Matthew 5 to 7, forming the

key-word of the opening verses, and punctuating the first part of chapter 6. The fact that `reward' is emphasized

so much shows that the question as to whether the basis of the Sermon is `law' or `grace' is not relevant. The

subject is not a question of salvation, either by works or by faith, but of perfecting, of reward, of enduring in

view of the kingdom.

Let us notice the way in which the subject of reward runs through chapter 6:

1 Alms given before men.

2 Hypocrites who seek glory of men. They have their reward.

The Father shall reward openly.

4 Alms in secret.

5 Prayer as hypocrites.

The Father shall reward openly.

6 Prayer in secret.

16 Hypocrites fasting.

The Father shall reward openly.

18 Appear not to fast.

If we were to concentrate our attention upon the subject of Alms-giving, of Prayer, of Fasting, etc., we

should doubtless learn much for our good, but we should probably miss the essential lesson of the chapter, and

the real object which the Lord had in view at the time. If we step back as it were and obtain a comprehensive

view, the true theme is so evident that minor details can then be considered with safety. In the accompanying

structure it will be seen that there is a repetition of theme too obvious not to be intentional. This repetition

emphasizes the theme for us.

A 6:1-4.

Almsgiving.

Prayer.  a Not as Gentiles.

B 5-15.

b Your Father knoweth.

c Pray `Thy','Thy','Thy'.

C 16-18.

Anxiety. a The Gentiles seek.

b Your heavenly Father knoweth.

c Seek ye FIRST.

The first thing for us to notice is the fact that in the prayer which the Lord gave as a model for the believer

`seeks first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness' (cf. verses 10 and 33), and has the assurance that the