Let's look to the Lord in prayer and ask God to speak to us this morning. He's already here, already working, already moving. There's so much power in his word. Let's open our hearts, open our spirits, and be ready to receive what the Lord wants to speak to us this morning. Dear God, we want to thank you for such an amazing presence in our midst. Jesus, we're so blessed, so overwhelmed. Jesus, you're not just God somewhere far above, not just a concept or a philosophy, or a person, Lord, who has loved us and saved us, made us your children. You're more real than all the things that we physically see around, and we can sense your presence, that you are here. And, Lord, we are so blessed to have you, Jesus, among us. That's our prayer, that always you be the center of this church, you be the Lord of this church, oh, God. We believe that there's power in your word, there's life in your word. May people hear your voice, not any man's voice, but, Lord, as your word says, let those who have ears hear what the Spirit of God has to say. I pray that now you'll tune the ears, the spiritual ears, Lord, that they may be able to hear your voice and be revived and restored in your presence. We give you all the glory, honor, and praise, in Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Amen. Hallelujah.

At the beginning of this year, you know, we began this series on Open Heavens. How many of you believe that's going to happen? What are you expecting when I say the Heavens are going to open over you? I hope none of you are every day going on your terrace or balcony and looking for the skies to be open. That's not what I mean when I'm sharing the Open Heavens experience. So far, I shared from Nathaniel's experience, Jacob's experience, and last week, I shared about Jesus' experience. What does this mean? Is there an opening of a spiritual realm, a spiritual dimension? For the matter of fact, do you know that heaven is not something far above the sky somewhere we need to reach? Some of us have that wild imagination that heaven might be just far above this expanse that we see. Or you might also think hell is something right below the Earth, deep below the Earth. You'll be surprised; probably when Jesus comes and just opens our eyes, Heaven is right here. It's just another realm, another dimension. God wants each one of us to walk in the dimension of walking with him, having a spirit of Revelation, walking in his favor and mercy, knowing that God's hand is upon our lives, being aware of his presence with us. That's what I mean by walking in Open Heavens experience. Amen. I hope I made it abundantly clear. So don't look above; look within. Heavens are going to open right within your spirit. Amen. Today, I would like to talk about another person's experience of Open Heavens. So, as I shared this, you know, my desire and prayer, I hope to help you understand what to expect when God opens Heavens over our lives. Today, I'm going to look at a Prophet by the name of Ezekiel who had an Open Heavens experience, which is recorded in his own words in the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 1, verses 1 to 3. Can we turn to our Bibles if you have them, or you can look up at the screen? Let's pay attention to these verses. Are you all ready? All right. "In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar River," everybody say, "the heavens were opened," open, "and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month, it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Chebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him." The first thing I would like to notice here is the age of this man of God, Ezekiel when he experienced the Open Heavens. How old was he? He was 30 years old. Last Sunday, we saw somebody else who experienced the Open Heavens

when he was 30 years old. Remember that? Jesus himself. The age 30 is significant in the scriptures. As I told you, in the Old Testament, that was the time the priests were ordained or anointed to be priests of the temple. We read from the scripture who was Ezekiel? What was his profession? He was a priest, he was the son of a priest. He was about to get into the priesthood. At the age of 30, is when people were ordained, the people born in the Levite tribe to enter into the service of the temple. So, I imagine Ezekiel, while he was growing up, all along he dreamed about becoming a priest, being a son of a priest. That was a noble service, a great profession, a great service to be right in the temple of God, involved in worshiping.

God and serving people—that was what Ezekiel had been dreaming about and preparing himself for over the course of 30 years. When he turned 30, on his birthday, one would have expected this year to be the one where he would be ordained, anointed, and become all that he had dreamed of his entire life. However, right at that moment, when he expected to be ordained as a priest, something tragic happened. Instead of fulfilling his dreams, he was taken into captivity.

During those times, the Babylonian Empire had risen to power. King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over all the land around 597 BC, and he came and took many of the people of God from the Kingdom of Judah. Thousands of people were taken away back to Babylon, leaving Ezekiel and others in captivity, stripped of everything they had. They lost their homes, their wealth, their professions, and possibly even their families. They found themselves disappointed, discouraged, hopeless, broken, and miserable, unsure of what would happen next.

This situation mirrors experiences many of us face in life. We all, at some point, experience disappointment. Some of us might even be going through a season of disappointment right now. We get disappointed when we don't get into a college we wanted, when a job opportunity falls through, or when a marriage doesn't go as planned. Various losses, such as relationships or financial setbacks, can also bring disappointment. We prepare for something, we expect it to happen, but when it doesn't, we feel let down.

In Ezekiel's case, he found himself in a situation he didn't deserve, as it wasn't his mistake that led to his captivity. The nation of Judah had sinned against God, leading to their downfall and subsequent exile. Sometimes, we also find ourselves in trouble because of someone else's mistake, our own mistakes, or even just as a test of faith from God or an attack from Satan.

In response to such problems, people often seek someone to blame—whether it's others, themselves, or even God. However, Ezekiel's reaction to his situation was different. Despite his disappointment and captivity, Ezekiel remained contemplative and open. When the heavens opened for him, he experienced three things: visions of God, the word of God coming to him, and the hand of God upon him.

This suggests that even in our most disappointing and hopeless moments, God can reveal Himself to us. He can open up new dimensions of understanding and purpose in our lives. Rather than blaming others, ourselves, or God, we should seek to open ourselves to the reality of God's presence and guidance. With God on our side, we can face any challenge with confidence and strength.

Whom Shall I Fear when God is with me? That will be the confidence and courage when you're gripped by a greater reality above every situation. Walking in power, confidence, and courage, you won't be overwhelmed by circumstances. Even in terrible situations, knowing God is with you brings a different perspective. Here's a breakdown of Ezekiel's visions:

The first vision Ezekiel had was of the visions of God. His experiences were unique and challenging to put into words, much like encounters with God often exceed language. Sometimes, in experiencing God's presence and glory, words fall short. Understanding God surpasses language.

Ezekiel saw three main things in his vision: Heavenly beings, a Heavenly Throne, and a Heavenly rainbow. The cherubim he saw represented different aspects of creation, emphasizing God as the creator of all.

The cherubim also symbolized the presence of God. While Jewish people associated God's presence with the Temple, Ezekiel learned that God's presence isn't confined to a place. Even in captivity, God is present.

The Heavenly Throne Ezekiel saw reminded him that God reigns above all earthly powers. Despite the wickedness of earthly rulers, God is sovereign.

The Heavenly rainbow symbolized God's covenant faithfulness. Just as God promised not to destroy the earth with a flood again, He remains faithful to His promises.

Despite seeing these visions, Ezekiel's circumstances didn't change immediately. He remained in captivity. However, his perspective changed. He understood that God was with him, in control, and faithful.

The second aspect of Ezekiel's experience was the word of God coming to him. The word of God gives strength and sustains us through difficulties. Even when situations don't change, the word of God strengthens us to endure.

Finally, Ezekiel experienced the hand of God upon him. This represents God's empowering presence, enabling Ezekiel to fulfill his calling as a prophet.

Similarly, we can experience God's presence, the power of His word, and His empowering hand in our lives. Even if our circumstances don't change immediately, we can walk in freedom, knowing that God is with us.

In conclusion, let's expect to see God's hand move in our lives, to experience His empowering presence, and to be transformed by His word. With God, we can conquer our captivity and walk in freedom.