The message centers on Amos 3—especially verse 3’s piercing question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”—to examine what it means to walk with God in step, not merely to claim a relationship with Him. The preacher frames the Christian life as a relational walk rather than a mechanical routine: Bible reading should be an encounter with the living God, and prayer a conversation with the Father, not a checklist. Using Amos’s context and imagery, he exposes how believers often drift ahead of or behind God, missing His cues and leadership, and he pleads for a synced, obedient pace with the Lord.

Amos’s Setting and the Danger of Prosperity

Amos, a herdsman called by God, prophesies during a time when Israel is outwardly thriving—militarily stable, financially prosperous, and religiously active. Yet the prophet’s burden is that prosperity has corrupted the people: they have fixed their attention on the gifts and forgotten the Giver. The preacher warns that material comfort can quietly recast our priorities, absorbing our attention and energy until worship and obedience become optional. He insists that prosperity does not equal God’s approval, pointing out that Scripture regularly presents faithful people who suffered—so present comfort cannot be taken as proof of spiritual health.

The Question that Governs the Walk (Amos 3:3)

The key question—Can two walk together unless they agree?—becomes a diagnostic for the believer. “Walk” implies a shared journey and rhythmic alignment; to “agree” is to meet by appointment, be fitly joined, and purpose together. The preacher illustrates with Bluetooth pairing and tongue-and-groove flooring: without true connection, the signal doesn’t transmit and the boards eventually pop apart. Likewise, when Christians are not fitly joined to Christ, Scripture feels flat (black ink on white paper) and prayer feels hollow, not because the disciplines are empty but because we are out of sync with God.

How Believers Fall Out of Step with God

1) Confusing Privilege with Permission (Amos 3:2).
God tells Israel, “You only have I known… therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Their special relationship did not exempt them from accountability; it increased it. The preacher stresses that belonging to God lays holy boundaries on God’s people. When we assume salvation frees us from cultivating holiness, devotion, and prayer, we trade grace for license and show we may not understand the relationship at all. Privilege demands purity; to be “known” by God means living within His loving boundaries.

2) Ignoring Divine Chastening and Its Causes (Amos 3:4–6).
Amos strings together cause-and-effect questions (Does a lion roar without prey? Is a bird caught without a snare? Does a trumpet sound without danger?). These rhetorical questions teach that God’s warnings have reasons. The preacher applies this by urging believers to heed spiritual warning signs—tensions, convictions, providential checks—rather than dismissing them. God does not discipline to harm; He disciplines to retrieve His people and to yield the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.” When we repeatedly blow past red flags, our pace with God inevitably breaks.

3) Resisting the Messengers God Sends (Amos 3:7).
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Before verdicts, God sends voices. The preacher highlights God’s longsuffering: He raises warnings through Scripture and faithful messengers so we can course-correct before consequences escalate. When we mock or ignore these voices—or tune out preaching and counsel—we harden ourselves and make repentance more difficult later. Wisdom learns from correction; greater wisdom learns from others’ correction.

4) Redefining Worship Around Ourselves (Amos 4:4–5).
Amos exposes a people who bring offerings because they like it that way—worship tailored to their tastes. The preacher laments how easily church can become “about us”—music and messages curated to excite and flatter rather than to honor God and form holiness. He argues this self-referential approach empties worship of reverence and turns spiritual appetites toward the flesh: we start preferring what entertains over what sanctifies. This shift leaves us bored with the Word, prayer, and fellowship, not because they lack power, but because our appetites have been reshaped by lesser loves. When worship is refashioned to please self rather than to please God, we step out of rhythm with Him.

Practical Diagnostics for Your Walk

Throughout, the sermon offers tests to locate where we’ve lost the pace:

• Distance test: Are you too far ahead (self-directed plans) or behind (spiritual lethargy) to hear God’s timely promptings?
• Sync test: Do Scripture and prayer feel relational or routine? If lifeless, check your connection (agreement with God), not the practices themselves.
• Boundary test: Are you treating grace as permission to drift, or as power to obey within God’s boundaries?
• Warning-sign test: What conviction, hardship, or providence might be God’s discipline drawing you back? Are you listening?
• Voice test: Are you receiving or resisting God’s messengers—biblical preaching, godly counsel, and truth-telling friends?
• Worship test: Is your worship calibrated to God’s pleasure or your preferences?

Pastoral Appeals

The preacher closes with appeals anchored in grace. God’s discipline is restorative, not vindictive; His warnings are invitations, not condemnations. The call is to draw near, to re-sync with God’s pace so that practices regain life: the Word warms, prayer breathes, and fellowship edifies. The solution is not to abandon spiritual disciplines, nor to tailor worship to our tastes, but to re-align our hearts so those very means become channels of God’s presence and guidance. The final exhortation: strengthen your walk by walking with God—at His pace, in His direction, under His voice, and for His pleasure.‍