I once heard another preacher tell a story about a man who ignored all the warning signs.
He was driving down the highway, headed toward a bridge. It had been raining all day, and unbeknownst to him, the floodwaters had weakened the structure. A bright orange sign stood by the side of the road: “Bridge Out Ahead.” But the man barely noticed it. He had driven this route dozens of times. The sign must have been left there from a previous storm, he thought.
A little further down the road, he saw another warning: “Turn Around – Bridge Out.” Again, he ignored it. “Surely, if the bridge was really out, there’d be more warning,” he reasoned.
Then he saw flashing lights ahead. A police officer stood by his patrol car, waving frantically for him to stop.
But the man was in a hurry. “I know this road better than he does,” he muttered. He swerved around the officer and kept going.
Seconds later, his car plunged into the river below.
It’s a tragic story. But it’s not just about one man’s mistake—it’s a story about human nature.
We all have moments when we ignore the warnings … when we hear advice, see the signs, but dismiss them.
Maybe it’s a flashing light on your car’s dashboard—something small like an oil change reminder. You figured, “I’ll take care of it later,” but later never came. And then one day, you’re stranded on the side of the road, steam pouring from under the hood, and you realize that little warning wasn’t so little after all. Or maybe a doctor told you to change your diet, to exercise, to take your medication seriously. But you felt fine—until one day you didn’t. The warning was there all along, but you didn’t listen.
The thing about warnings is that they only help if we take them seriously. And this isn’t just true in everyday life; it’s true in our spiritual lives as well.
And this was exactly the problem in Amos’ day. The people of Israel had every opportunity to hear God’s voice. They had the Law. They had the prophets. They had centuries of stories about how God had led them, rescued them, and guided them. Yet they refused to listen. They thought they were fine. They thought they were special. They assumed that because they were God’s chosen people, they were exempt from judgment.
And then, through the prophet Amos, God delivered a warning: God was speaking. God was revealing His plans. But the question was—would they listen?
The Danger of Deafness
Ugh!
God is not in the business of surprising people with judgment. He always gives warnings. He sends His messengers. He speaks through His Word, through circumstances, through that still, small voice. He warns because He loves. But warnings are only useful if we listen.
History shows that Israel had received plenty of warnings. Prophet after prophet had called them back to faithfulness. They had every opportunity to repent, to realign themselves with God. But they refused. They assumed they were fine—after all, they were God’s people. But a title without a transformed life meant nothing.
Last week we considered the striking image Amos used to describe Israel’s spiritual condition: They had once walked with God, but they were no longer in step with Him. They had agreed to the covenant, but they had stopped living by it.
Think about what happens when a relationship begins to drift. At first, it’s subtle. Conversations become shorter. Excuses replace time together. Priorities shift. Then, one day, you realize you’re no longer walking the same path at all.
Israel’s drift was spiritual. They still went through the motions of worship, but their hearts were far from God. They still offered sacrifices, but they ignored justice. They still claimed His name, but they acted as if He didn’t see their corruption.
They had not openly rejected God—they had simply stopped listening to Him.
God Still Speaks
Aha!
And this is where Amos brought them to a moment of decision.
As our reading said: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy? ”
Amos compares God’s warnings to the roar of a lion. A lion does not roar for no reason—its roar is a sign of its presence, its power, and its coming action. If you hear a lion roar, you don’t ignore it. You prepare. You react. God had spoken. He had warned. His voice was loud and clear. The question was: Would Israel listen?
Despite Israel’s stubbornness, God kept sending prophets. He kept calling them back. Because at His core, God desires relationship.
This is the turning point. It’s not just a turning point for Israel; it’s a turning point for anyone who hears God’s warnings today.
God isn’t silent. He has always communicated with His people. The issue has never been whether God speaks—it has always been whether His people are listening.
From the beginning, God has been revealing Himself. He spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden. He called Abraham to follow Him. He gave the law to Moses and sent prophets to guide His people. God’s heart has always been to communicate with those He loves.
The question is not whether God is speaking. The question is: Are we listening? Or have we filled our lives with so much noise that we’ve drowned Him out?
Hearing Through the Gospel
Whee!
And today? One of the most remarkable truths of Scripture is that our God speaks. Unlike the lifeless idols of the nations, which have mouths but cannot speak (Psalm 115:5), our God is alive and actively communicates with His people.
God still wants to be known. He doesn’t operate in secrecy. He doesn’t leave His people in the dark. He hasn’t changed. He still speaks.
And He doesn’t just speak in the past tense. He still speaks today. Through His Word, through His Spirit, through the wisdom of other believers, through circumstances, and through that still, small voice that nudges our hearts. And ultimately, through Jesus, He gave us the full revelation of His love and salvation.
John 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Jesus is God’s voice in human form. Every word He spoke, every action He took, was a message from God to us.
Jesus didn’t just bring a message from God—He was the message. He didn’t just tell us how to live—He showed us. In His teachings, His miracles, and ultimately in His death and resurrection, Jesus was speaking the clearest truth humanity has ever heard: that God loves us, that He calls us to repentance, and that through Him we can have eternal life.
Over and over again, Jesus called people to listen. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Mark 4:9). He told parables not just to entertain, but to separate those who truly listened from those who only heard words without understanding. And today, His voice still calls to us. Through Christ, we are invited into a relationship where listening isn’t just about gaining knowledge—it’s about transformation.
But hearing alone is not enough. Remember the story Jesus told of two builders—one who built on the rock and one who built on sand. The difference? Both heard His words, but only one acted on them. True listening leads to obedience.
So, what is God saying to you? Is there an area of your life where you’ve stopped listening? Is there a call you’ve been ignoring, a conviction you’ve been pushing aside? The Gospel is an invitation—not just to hear, but to respond.
Responding to His Voice
Yeah!
God isn’t looking for people who hear and forget. He’s looking for people who hear and obey. People who, like Samuel, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:10).
Imagine for a moment what it would look like if we all truly listened to God’s voice. Imagine a church where people didn’t just attend services but lived out God’s Word daily. Where we didn’t just hear sermons but allowed them to change us. Where prayer wasn’t just about talking to God but also about making space to hear from Him.
What if today, you made space to listen?
Not just to the parts of God’s Word that are comfortable, but to the convicting words too, the calls to change and transformation? What if, instead of assuming we’ve already heard all we need, we came before God with fresh ears, ready to receive?
I want to invite you to take a moment right now. Close your eyes. Quiet your heart. Ask God to speak. Not in some mystical, dramatic way, but through His Word, His Spirit, and His truth.
And when He speaks—because He will—commit to obeying.
Because the blessing isn’t just in hearing. The blessing is in doing.
As Jesus said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28).
Will you be one of them?
