As It Was In The Days of Noah | Denny Cline

Devotional

Day 1: Building Arks While the World Drinks

The days of Noah reveal a pattern: cultural indifference masks impending divine action. People ate, drank, married, and mocked Noah’s century-long project. Yet the flood came suddenly, sweeping away those unprepared. Faithfulness looks like steady obedience amid distraction, constructing "arks" of purpose even when others dismiss the urgency. Preparation isn’t panic—it’s persistence. [01:48:52]

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:26-27, ESV)

Reflection: What “ark” is God asking you to build faithfully today? Where has cultural noise dulled your awareness of His timing?

Day 2: Salt Pillars and the Peril of Looking Back

Lot’s wife froze mid-glance, her heart divided between Sodom’s ashes and God’s promise. To linger on what’s behind—nostalgia for old compromises, resentment, or distraction—risks spiritual paralysis. Forward momentum in Christ requires releasing the gravitational pull of former identities. Discipleship means fixing eyes on the new creation, not the smoldering ruins. [01:33:34]

“Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:32-33, ESV)

Reflection: What “backward glance” subtly entangles you? How does Christ’s promise of life ahead compel you to release it?

Day 3: Lightning Across the Sky, Posture on the Ground

Christ’s return will illuminate history like lightning—sudden, undeniable, horizon-filling. But until then, posture matters more than predictions. Fear of the Lord isn’t cowering terror but calibrated alignment: hearts tilted toward His kingdom like sunflowers tracking light. This stance turns ordinary moments into rehearsals for eternity. [01:30:56]

“In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:26-27, ESV)

Reflection: Does your daily rhythm reflect someone anticipating a lightning-strike moment? Where does your posture need realignment?

Day 4: Grinding Grain, Snatching Souls

Two women grind grain—one taken, one left. The difference? Awareness. Eternal realities hide beneath mundane tasks. Harvest readiness means seeing coworkers, neighbors, and strangers as souls ripening toward eternity. The grind becomes holy when hands work while eyes watch for divine appointments. [01:35:05]

“Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35, NIV)

Reflection: Who in your daily “grind” needs you to see them through heaven’s harvest lens? How could routine interactions become eternal interventions?

Day 5: Unblemished Before the Roaring Crowd

The doxology crescendos: Christ presents us unashamed before galaxies of witnesses. Final preparation isn’t self-improvement but surrender to His keeping power. Like athletes awaiting medal ceremonies, we live now for the roar of approval that matters—the Father’s “well done” over every faithful step. [02:11:45]

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: What shame or insecurity hinders you from living boldly? How does Christ’s promise to present you “blameless” redefine your daily courage?

Sermon Summary

Luke 17 sets the tone by saying the Son of Man will not be found in rumors or backrooms. His day will be as obvious as lightning ripping the sky from end to end. Jesus then ties His return to the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Ordinary life will hum along, and indifference to God will feel normal, right up to the day judgment falls. The text warns against chasing sensational claims and calls for steady readiness instead.

The image of Lot’s wife presses the point. Looking back to preserve a former life will cost a soul the very life it is trying to save. Jesus’ hard word about two in a bed or two at a mill clarifies a common confusion. In this passage the ones taken are taken in judgment, and the ones left are spared. God’s goodness never goes missing here. His throne is founded on righteousness and justice, so the Judge of all the earth must do right. In a world that slaughters the most vulnerable and multiplies harm, justice is not a glitch in love, but its outworking.

The prayer Your kingdom come is not a lullaby. It is a summons for the King to rule here as He rules there. Revelation 8 pictures bowls filling with the prayers of the saints until they tip and history moves. So normal life should continue under the Genesis mandate, yet without the shrug of fatalism. The lazy shrug that says whatever will be will be breeds indifference. The dominion shortcut that says believers themselves are the second coming is, frankly, hogwash. The text calls for preparation, not presumption.

Noah’s mockers and a century of hammering preview the last-days cadence. Even modern hints of an ark-shaped imprint cannot soften the core point. The flood came as promised, and so will the King. Faith holds because Jesus has already overwhelmed hearts with His love, not because a date can be circled on a calendar.

The fear of the Lord threads it all together. It is not a feeling, it is a posture. Jesus says to fear the One who holds both body and soul. Proverbs calls this fear a fountain of life and a refuge. Acts shows the church multiplied walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Spirit. Jude then arms the church to build itself up, pray in the Spirit, keep in the love of God, and go after the perishing with mercy, even snatching some from the fire. In short, the King is coming. The bride should be ready, hopeful, and hands-on in the harvest.

Key Takeaways

1. Preparation replaces last-days fatalism [01:41:57] Preparation is not panic. It is clarity about the hour and fidelity to what Jesus already asked for. The shrug of whatever will be will be numbs discernment and saps urgency. The church lives awake by resisting cynicism and trimming lamps for a real return. [101:57]
2. Jesus returns visible and decisive [01:29:33] Luke’s lightning image refuses secret timelines and rumor-chasing. The days of Noah and Lot expose the real danger as spiritual indifference, not the calendar. Readiness looks like uncluttered allegiance, not running back into the house to grab what cannot be kept. [89:33]
3. Fear of the Lord as posture [01:51:48] Holy fear is alignment, not anxiety. It puts God first so lesser fears shrink to size. Scripture calls this fear a refuge and a fountain of life because it keeps hearts near the One who both comforts and commands. [111:48]
4. Prayer hastens the King’s arrival [01:38:43] Your kingdom come is a bold ask for rule, not ambiance. Revelation’s bowls of prayer say history does not drift; it is moved by intercession. Praying and obeying today are not small. They are how the bride gets dressed. [98:43]
5. The fields are ripe right now [02:08:35] Jesus says to lift up the eyes, not the excuses. Harvest means joy, sweat, and speed, because others sowed before. Mercy moves first, even when explanation must catch up, and love refuses to stand by while someone edges toward the cliff. [128:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[85:15] - Eagle sign of confirmation
[87:20] - Wedding dream call to prepare
[89:33] - Luke 17 lightning and return
[91:23] - Days of Noah and Lot
[93:34] - Remember Lot’s wife
[94:42] - One taken, one left clarified
[95:28] - Goodness and judgment together
[98:43] - Bowls of prayer hasten day
[101:57] - Rejecting fatalism, be ready
[105:45] - Ark discovery and mockers
[111:48] - Fear of the Lord posture
[116:24] - Jude build up and rescue
[119:51] - Evil’s rise and global worship
[128:35] - Ripe harvest and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 17:26-30 (ESV)
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Observation Questions

What two historical events does Jesus compare His return to, and what characterized daily life during those times?
What warning does Jesus give about Lot’s wife looking back, and how does this connect to clinging to a "former life"? [01:33:34]
According to Revelation 8, how do the prayers of believers influence the timing of God’s actions in history? [01:38:43]
How does Jude 20-23 instruct believers to respond to those who are spiritually struggling or in danger?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus use the examples of Noah and Lot to illustrate spiritual indifference? What does this reveal about the danger of normalizing sin or complacency?
The sermon describes the fear of the Lord as a "posture" rather than an emotion. How does this align with Proverbs 14:26-27, which calls it a "refuge" and "fountain of life"?
How does the image of prayer "filling bowls" in Revelation 8 challenge the idea that prayer is passive or ineffective? What does this imply about our role in God’s plan?
Why does Jesus clarify that the ones "taken" in Luke 17:34-35 are taken in judgment, and how does this correct common misunderstandings about His return?

Application Questions

In what areas of your daily life (work, relationships, habits) might spiritual indifference subtly creep in? What practical step could you take this week to prioritize "steady readiness" over complacency? [01:41:57]
How could you cultivate a "posture" of holy fear in your relationship with God? Consider one specific way to honor His authority in decisions, time, or priorities this month. [01:51:48]
The phrase Your kingdom come is a prayer for God’s rule to disrupt earthly systems. What injustice, broken relationship, or cultural issue could you begin praying over daily to "hasten" His intervention? [01:38:43]
Jesus says to "lift up your eyes" to the ripe harvest. Who in your life is "edging toward the cliff" spiritually, and how could you intentionally show them mercy or truth this week? [02:08:35]
The sermon warns against excusing inaction with fatalism ("whatever will be will be"). What is one situation where you’ve felt tempted to resign to apathy, and how could faith-fueled action replace that mindset?
Lot’s wife hesitated because she valued her old life. What comfort, habit, or attachment might God be asking you to release to fully embrace His calling in this season?

Sermon Clips

Like, Lord, why would you have me preach a message like this? I want you to be prepared. doing what you're doing. Keep shouting about from the rooftops how good God is and be messengers and ambassadors of hope, but also be ready and walk in what the Bible calls the fear of the Lord, which is just simply walking close to God on a daily basis and paying attention to what's going on and not being indifferent or worse, cynical about the day that we live in and what's happening. We don't have any time for cynicism. That's right. We only have time to be ready and to be around and to be real. [02:07:25] (60 seconds)

Like I said, it's not about emotion. It's about a posture. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will be added to you. If you do that, you don't have anything to fear. There's no fear in love, it says in first John. Well, that's what it's talking about. When you're living in love and your posture is seeking first the kingdom of God, you don't even think about fear. You only think about the overwhelming love of God and the goodness of God. Right? Yeah. So they seem like, you know, contradictions, but they're not. [01:55:41] (41 seconds)

That's talking about how we approach preaching the gospel. We do it with compassion. We do it with mercy. We do it with love. And some people, you know, who are so you know, if you saw somebody about to jump off a click, would you just watch it happen, or would you run over and go, no. Wait. Don't jump. I don't have time to tell you about the love of the father right now, but I will, but don't jump. I'll tell you afterwards. Please don't jump. [01:58:04] (31 seconds)

We're living in those days, folks. I pray that the revival that that's already begun all over the earth begins to manifest the glory and presence of Jesus to where the unbeliever can't come into a meeting all messed up and unsaved and headed for the abyss and leave that way. Whether they slide in to get safe or not or however it happens, I pray that we get that atmosphere back in the in the house again. [02:05:53] (42 seconds)

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As It Was In The Days of Noah | Denny Cline | Jesus Pursuit Church