Warnings are good things.
As Hurricane Dorian bears down on the East Coast, hurricane warnings have been posted so that people will prepare and be ready for the possibility of a destructive storm. If people listen to the warning, they can be spared from the full effect of the storm. If they do not, then they risk losing their lives and possessions.
In the next section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a warning for an even more destructive storm in our lives. Essentially, it is a warning against hypocrisy. As He teaches about giving to the poor, Jesus warns His listeners to be careful of their motives when doing good things. Far too often, we do good things for the wrong reasons. This is the epitome of hypocrisy. Jesus warns in Matthew 6:1-4, that when we do things for the applause of men instead of for the glory of God, there is a storm of regret that awaits.
Warnings are good things…if we heed them.