Genesis chapter 7, verse 11. Genesis 7, 11. In
the 600th year of Noah's life, in the second
month, the 17th day of the month, on that day...
All the fountains of the great deep were broken
up. And the windows of heaven were opened. Father,
I'm asking you, even as you have confirmed already
through several prayers during our prayer time
and through Pastor Blessin's prayer. You've confirmed
the word of the Lord to me. And I ask God that
in this place, that the windows of heaven would
open. I ask God that you would speak to our hearts
through your word. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Hallelujah. I apologize this morning, you're
not getting me at my best. I've been in bed for
three days, and this morning I woke up and I
said, oh, praise God, I can function. And so
I am the first day back functioning today, and
I'm still feeling a little bit weak. So thank
you for praying for me. But I wanted to start
with this passage because this is... the first
passage in the Scriptures where the windows of
heaven opened up. And here it was a physical
resource, the resource of rain. But heaven opened
up. Up until this point in time, it had not rained.
The earth was watered by the dew of the earth.
And God had told Noah to build an ark. And so
Noah was building an ark for something that was
in the minds of everybody he was preaching to,
and perhaps even in his own mind, he was building
an ark for an impossible situation that was to
come. I'm going to flood the earth. Well, Noah
had seen the dew on the ground and he had seen
the waters of the land and he knew what water
was. But there was resource that was necessary
that was not in the natural. And when earth's
resources run out, God opens. The heavens. Amen?
And so here, we see that when heaven opened up,
the water was released. When there is an open
heaven, there is an abundance for whatever God
wants to accomplish. I want to read some other
scriptures here. Psalm 78 verse 23 says this,
Yet he had commanded the clouds above and opened
the doors of heaven. Now this is not referring
to Noah. This is referring to the Israelites
later on when they needed food in the wilderness.
And what do you think came out of the open doors
of heaven when they needed food in the wilderness?
It was not water. It was manna. He rained down
manna on them to eat and given them of the bread
of heaven. Men ate angels' foods. He sent them
food to the full. Hallelujah. Because when there
is an open heaven, there is an abundance for
whatever God wants to accomplish. I'm believing
God in 2026 for an open heaven in this place.
I'm believing God in 2026 for an open heaven
over your life. I'm believing in 2026 for an
open heaven in Lincoln, Illinois, in central
Illinois. I'm believing for an open heaven in
the United States of America. Hallelujah. Because
we don't just need laws to change. We need hearts
to change. We don't just need what man can do.
We need what God can do. The provision on this
earth, the provision of the good ideas of men
can carry Carry us to a certain place. But the
resources for what God wants to do, we don't
have. We need the heavens to open up. We need
the heavens to open up. An open heaven is a place
of incredible abundance. Some of you need heaven
to open up over your homes. We're going to believe
for that today. So, number one, an open heaven
is a place of abundance. Secondly, an open heaven
is a place of incredible spiritual activity.
Genesis 28, verse 10. Now Jacob went out from
Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to
a certain place and stayed there all night because
the sun had set. And he took one of the stones
of that place and put it at his head. And he
laid down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed.
And behold, a ladder was set up on the earth.
And its top reached to the heaven. And there
the angels of God were ascending and descending
on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and
said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, your father,
and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie,
I will give to you and your descendants. Also
your descendants shall be as the dust of the
earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west
and to the east, to the north and to the south.
And in you and in your seed all the families
of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with
you and will keep you wherever you go and will
bring you back to this land for I will not leave
you until I have done what I have spoken to you.
And Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely
the Lord is in this place and I did not know
it. And he was afraid. and said, how awesome
is this place. This is none other than the house
of God, Bethel. And this is the gate of heaven.
And he arose early in the morning and took the
stone that he had put at his head, set it up
as a pillar and poured oil on top of it and called
the name of that place Bethel. The house of God.
Spiritual activity is happening when the heavens
open up. And so he was sleeping, but it wasn't
just a dream. It wasn't just food that he ate
that night. He was experiencing the power of
God in that moment. He was experiencing God speaking
to him and encountering with him. And in fact,
when he awoke from his sleep, he was still fully
aware of the presence of God and trembling in
the fear of the Lord as Jacob met for himself.
The God of his father, Isaac, and the God of
his grandfather, Abraham. It came to Jacob in
the place of an open heaven. I can think of a
few other people that have experienced an open
heaven like that. You think about Saul in Acts
chapter 9. He is just headed on the road to Damascus.
And what happened? Heaven opened up. over Saul.
And he came to this place where God struck him
and began to speak to him and changed his life
forever. Because the place of an open heaven
is the place of spiritual activity. The place
of an open heaven is the place of revelation.
You, friend, are not going to go to heaven. Because
your dad knows Jesus. You're not going to go
to heaven because grandpa follows Jesus. You're
going to go to heaven because you have an encounter
with Jesus. You need heaven to open up over your
life. You and I need heaven to open up over our
lives. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Here, Jacob heard
God's calling for himself. And he realized, I
can't skirt along any longer just based upon
daddy's faith. I need my own. It's the place
of revelation. Do you know that we're supposed
to pray for the heavens to open? Isaiah chapter
64, he's praying. Oh, that you would rend the
heavens and come down. What does that word rend
mean? It means to tear open. Oh, that you would
tear open the heavens and come down. And come
down. That you would what? that the mountains
might shake at your presence. What's he saying?
That your presence might manifest here on the
earth. That your presence might manifest here
on the earth, even as it is in heaven. Rip open
the heavens so that the earth will start to look
like it is up there. Rend the heavens and come
down as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes
water to boil, to make your name known to your
adversaries that the nations may tremble at your
presence. Hallelujah. That reminds me of a New
Testament moment in Acts chapter 2 when the heavens
opened up. And fire came, just like Isaiah prayed,
and separated, and a tongue of fire came on each
of them. And as they prayed in the Spirit, as
they prayed in tongues, the nations around them
that had assembled heard their own languages,
and they said, oh God, what must this be? And
many of them trembled in the presence of God.
Lord, we need the heavens to open up. We need
the heavens to open up in Matthew chapter 6.
When Jesus taught us how to pray. In verse 10,
what did he say? Your kingdom come. Your will
be done on earth. As it is in heaven. We need
the heavens to open up so that the activity that
happens here on the earth will reflect heaven.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, I feel the presence
of the Lord in this house. Right now. I want
you to hear what happened. When Jesus prayed
in Luke chapter 3. After he was baptized. In
verse 21. It says this. When all the people were
baptized. It came to pass that Jesus also was
baptized. Now listen to this phrase. And while
Jesus prayed. The heaven was opened. Do you think
that that's a coincidence? I believe that not
only while Jesus prayed the heavens was opened,
but because Jesus prayed the heavens were opened.
Hallelujah. And what happened when the heaven
was opened? Spiritual activity began to happen.
The Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove and
descended and came to rest on each of them. And
the Father spoke, this is my son. With him, I
am well pleased. The heavens opened up. Why do
we... often open the altars for people to receive
prayer during worship because the heavens are
open. And when the heavens are open, spiritual
activity is released. Do I understand that all
the time? I don't always understand it, but I
know that this is not just an Old Testament thing.
It is Old Testament, New Testament. God wants
to interact with people. Hallelujah. When Stephen
was being stoned, and the Bible says he stood
up and looked, and what happened? He said, behold,
I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God. And then he prayed,
God receive my spirit. Don't count this sin against
them. And Jesus standing in the heavens received
Stephen. The heavens were opened up. Hallelujah.
We should pray for the heavens to open up. There's
three things. that the Scriptures attach to an
open heaven. And the first one we've already
talked about, prayer. And I'm kind of setting
this up because we're starting our week of fasting
and prayer on the 7th of January. And we are
going to pray every gathering. We're going to
be praying, God, open up the heavens. Amen? We
are believing for Him to establish an open heaven
in this place. Now, the church is not the building.
We understand that. But there are locations in
the earth where God's... where the heavens open
up. There are locations usually where people
have been fasting and praying and seeking God's
face. In those locations, there is oftentimes
an open atmosphere that is very easy to enter
into an open heaven. When God begins to pour
revival out in a location, why do you think the
people flood to that place? It is hopefully not
because of a man. It's hopefully because the
heavens are open in that place. The heavens are
opened up. Why did people flood to Brownsville
in the 90s? It was because... People had spent
seven years seeking God for an open heaven and
God heard their prayer. And for the next seven
years, the heavens were opened in that place.
Five million people came to that church because
the heavens were opened. I've experienced...
and open heaven in a church for six months. Everything
that God did, we could not even recount to you.
It was so outstanding. So many lives changed
and healed. God, open up the heavens. Open up
the heavens. The second thing that is attached
to an open heaven is obedience. Obedience. You
want God to open heaven over your finances, over
your life? You have got to walk in obedience.
Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 28. These are the
blessings for obedience. It says this in verse
12. The Lord will open to you His good treasure,
the heavens. Because you're obedient. When we're
obedient to God, we can expect the heavens. To
open up on us. And again here, like Noah's day,
it was attached to something physical. Rain in
due season. The things that we need. In James
chapter 1, it says that God is the giver of every
perfect gift. It comes from the Father of heavenly
lights who does not change. In 2026, I believe
that the heavens are going to open up over America.
The heavens are going to open up over Illinois
even. I believe that with my whole heart. The
heavens are going to open up over Faith Church
because he's called us to more, friends. He's
called us to reach more for his kingdom. He's
called us to do more for his kingdom. He's called
us to do that which we cannot provide. We don't
have the resources to do it. But God does. And
they're going to be released over us. Hallelujah.
Why? Because of obedience. We see this again
in Malachi chapter 3. That the heavens open up
not just for obedience, but a very specific kind
of obedience. Obedience in giving. Bring the
tithes into the storehouse. that there might
be food in my house. And test me now in this,
says the Lord, if I will not open up for you
the windows of heaven. When you bring your tithe
to the storehouse here, that act of obedience.
is sowing into a mighty, mighty move of God.
It is not just about making sure you get enough
to get by. It is not merely about obedience.
It is. But it is about positioning you, positioning
the church to be in the place where God opens
up the heavens. Hallelujah. And that is about
provision for your life, but it is about, oh,
so much more than that. It is about spiritual
activity happening. It is about God moving in
your home, in your situation. Hallelujah. You
are positioning yourself by obedience. You are
positioning yourself by prayer. You are positioning
yourself by generosity. And those three things
together. Position yourself to be where the heavens
are opened. You say, well, pastor, who am I?
I'm not a prophet that you know of. I'm nobody
special. I love Ezekiel chapter 1 verse 1. And
this was before Ezekiel ever wrote down any prophecy.
He wasn't known yet. He was in exile. A nobody.
It came to pass in the 30th year, in the fourth
month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was
among the captives by the river Shabar. Shabar
means far off place. I'm in a far off place with
prisoners. I'm not in my home country. I'm not
living in the place of blessing. As far as I
can see, nothing is going right. Separated from
my family, most likely. And in that far off place,
the next sentence says, the heavens were opened
and I saw visions of God. Nobody else would choose
the river Shabar. Nobody else perhaps would choose
to be in the position you're in. Maybe you would
say, I don't even choose the position I'm in.
But God sees right where you are. He sees your
faithfulness when nobody else does. He sees your
prayer in the secret place that nobody else sees.
And he will reward you openly. In the place of
Shabar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions
of God. God's chosen you. That's been the theme
of several of my messages lately. God has chosen
you. God has chosen you. When Jesus got done
in Revelation 3 with the final church, had rebuked
Five of those churches had John write down all
the words to seven of them. And then he turns
to John in chapter 4. And he says, hey, John.
Because the Bible says John saw an open door
in heaven. Revelation 4 .1. He saw an open door.
And John heard a voice that said, come up here
and I will show you things to come. A place of
revelation. John, I don't know how he did it
in his dream, if he just floated up or if he
had to climb up. to get there. I don't understand
it, but he got himself to the place of the open
heaven. And it was there that God began to reveal
to him the rest of the revelation. We need God
to open up the heavens. You might feel stuck.
Do you know what you need? You need God to open
up the heavens. You might feel like Isaiah did.
There's so much more. I don't want to just hear
about what you used to do. I want to see it in
my time and in my day. How many of you have heard
of the revivals of the past? How many of you
are content just to hear about the revivals of
the past? I hear about what God, in fact, even
the present, what God does around the world.
And I get jealous because I don't want it to
just happen in the far off corners of the world.
I do want it to happen there, but I want it to
happen here too. I want God to move in power
here. Hallelujah. I want him to move. I want
him to move. An open heaven can be over one life.
It can be over a people. And I believe that God
wants this to be a place of an open heaven.