Open Heaven | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church

Genesis chapter 7, verse 11. Genesis 7, 11. In

Genesis 7:11

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,

Psalms 78:23

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

Genesis 28:10

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

Acts 9 · chapter mention

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

Isaiah 64 · chapter mention

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

Acts 2 · chapter mention

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.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

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

Luke 3 · chapter mention

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

Deuteronomy 28 · chapter mention

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

James 1 · chapter mention

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

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

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

Ezekiel 1:1

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.