Until The Day | Building Before The Rain | Pastor CJ Cousins | 10/10/26

Jesus calls His followers to prepare for His return in a world that is breaking down, not by panic, date setting, or sensationalism, but by faith. The kingdom of God is already in their midst because the King has come, yet it is not fully manifested until the Son of Man returns in fullness. This already, not yet reality means Christ’s people must live awake, anchored in His reign of love while the world keeps moving as if nothing is happening.

The days of Noah give the picture. Genesis shows a world where wickedness, violence, and corruption had become pervasive and normalized. Human hearts had become continually evil, and suffering had become just another day of the week. Yet Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Grace did not leave Noah passive. Grace moved him to build, obey, proclaim, prepare, and care for his household.

Jesus points to eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, not because ordinary life is sinful, but because ordinary life can numb the heart. The normalness of life can make people indifferent while violence, corruption, catastrophe, and human suffering become background noise. The world can keep shopping, dating, scrolling, working, and planning while it is falling apart. The pandemic showed how crisis and normalcy can exist at the same time, with people becoming jaded, desensitized, isolated, or caught in destructive coping patterns.

Noah’s ark stands as a type of Christ. Noah did not build the ark to earn grace; he built because he had already found grace. Christ gives the same grace through faith, and His grace calls for joyful preparation. The coming rain does not call for fear, but for a heart awakened out of spiritual slumber. The better way than fear is faith. The better way than indifference is spiritual wakefulness. The better way than merely watching prophecy unfold is living faithfully under the loving rule of Jesus as prophecy unfolds.

Jesus calls numb and cynical hearts to turn back, repent, abide in Him, return to the altar, and rebuild rhythms of prayer, Scripture, family faithfulness, service, and witness. The door of mercy remains open, but it will not remain open forever. Christ’s people can meet the coming King in peace when they enter the ark of safety now through a living relationship with Him.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Normal life can numb faith Jesus does not condemn eating, drinking, work, marriage, or daily responsibilities. The danger comes when ordinary routines make the heart indifferent to a world filled with violence and to a King who is soon to return. Spiritual numbness can look calm and productive while quietly losing sight of eternity. [53:48]
• 2. Grace moves believers to build Noah did not build to earn God’s favor. Noah built because grace had already found him, and that grace produced obedience, courage, proclamation, and care for his family. Grace that never moves a life toward Christlike faithfulness has not been received in its full power. [61:11]
• 3. Christ is the ark of safety The ark points beyond wood, animals, and floodwaters to Jesus Himself. Faith enters safety not by self-protection or religious performance, but by relationship with Christ. His saving grace gives assurance before the rain comes in fullness. [61:32]
• 4. Readiness is not fearful withdrawal Jesus does not call His followers to hide from a broken world or obsess over prophetic timelines. Readiness means living under His reign of love, serving neighbors, resisting violence, and revealing His character in the present. Hope in Christ’s return should produce faithful presence, not anxious escape. [67:37]
• 5. Repentance restores spiritual wakefulness Jesus meets jaded, cynical, and numb hearts with an invitation to turn back. Repentance is good news because it brings the heart back to abiding in Christ, prayer, Scripture, and the first love that has grown cold. The open door of mercy calls for a real response today.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:16] - Worship, Hurricane Prayer, and a Better Way
• [40:24] - Preparing for the Rain
• [42:24] - Until the Day: The Days of Noah
• [42:49] - The Kingdom Is Already, Not Yet
• [45:01] - Noah’s Ark and Noah’s Faith
• [47:37] - Wickedness and Violence Become Normal
• [51:21] - The Normalness of Life
• [55:18] - Crisis and Normalcy During the Pandemic
• [60:09] - Noah Built, Warned, and Prepared
• [61:11] - Grace Before Obedience
• [62:43] - Faithful Preparation Without Fear
• [66:19] - Turning From Spiritual Numbness
• [67:37] - A Better Way to Live
• [69:48] - The Door of Grace Is Still Open

Bible Reading

Luke 17:26-27
“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.” [51:25]

Genesis 6:5-8
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” [48:01]

Hebrews 11:7
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” [01:00:30]

Observation questions

1. In Genesis 6:5-8, what two very different realities are described about the world and about Noah?
2. According to Luke 17:26-27, what ordinary activities were people doing right up until Noah entered the ark? What does the passage emphasize about their awareness of what was coming? [51:25]
3. In Hebrews 11:7, what did Noah do because of faith, and who was included in the rescue God provided through the ark? [01:00:13]
4. What kinds of violence, corruption, and human suffering had become “normal” in the description of Noah’s day? [47:41]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus does not present eating, drinking, working, or marriage as wrong. Why can good and ordinary parts of life still become spiritually dangerous when they keep people from noticing God, their neighbors’ suffering, or Christ’s return? [52:03]
2. Noah found grace before he built the ark. What does this show about the relationship between God’s grace, faith, and obedience? [01:01:16]
3. Hebrews 11:7 describes Noah acting on what he had not yet seen. What might faithful preparation look like when a person trusts God’s promise without knowing every detail or timeline? [01:02:56]
4. If Christ is like the ark of safety, why is readiness more than religious activity, self-protection, or trying to earn God’s favor? [01:01:44]

Application questions

1. Where has the normal rhythm of life—work, entertainment, responsibilities, social media, or stress—made it easier for you to become spiritually distracted or numb? What is one sign that your heart may need to wake up? [53:48]
2. When painful news and constant crisis feel overwhelming, which unhealthy response are you most tempted toward: ignoring it, becoming cynical, isolating yourself, doomscrolling, or coping in destructive ways? What would it look like to bring that response honestly to Jesus? [57:36]
3. Grace moved Noah to build, obey, speak, and care for his household. What is one tangible act of faithfulness God may be inviting you to take this week—in your home, relationships, church, workplace, or neighborhood? [01:00:41]
4. Jesus’ return is meant to produce hope rather than panic. What fears or anxieties rise up in you when you think about the future, and how can Christ’s loving reign help replace fear with faith? [01:03:04]
5. Readiness is not withdrawing from a broken world but living under Jesus’ reign of love within it. How could you serve, protect, encourage, or bear witness to someone around you instead of simply watching the world’s problems unfold? [01:07:59]
6. Is there a spiritual rhythm that has grown weak—prayer, Scripture, repentance, family worship, gathering with believers, or sharing faith? What small and realistic step could help you return to abiding in Christ this week? [01:06:37]
7. The door of mercy is open now, and repentance is good news. Is there an area of sin, compromise, bitterness, or self-destructive behavior that you need to turn from and bring into the light before Jesus? [01:09:33]