HOW TO HANDLE AN OPEN HEAVEN | OPEN HEAVEN | Pastor Chad Veach

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for joining us for this week's message from Zoe Church, Los Angeles. We're a church in L.A. that is committed to the message and the person Jesus as our King. We're going to jump into this week's message out of Malachi chapter number three. We're talking about living under an open heaven. And if you'd like to give this week, you can go to our website and you can give there. Also, I want to encourage you to like, subscribe and share the message today. with someone that needs hope. With everything that has transpired this last week, let's be those that are worshiping and choosing Jesus as our solution and as our king. We're going to jump into this week's message on how to handle an open heaven. Malachi chapter 3, go to verse number 10. We started a new series last Sunday called Open Heaven.

0:54 and I was using this illustration last Sunday talking about you know opening our windows at home and trying to get that draft we did it yesterday trying to get that breeze through your house trying to get that just anybody love to open the windows at your house come on let me see your hand yeah just I did it yesterday just open up those windows and God says that when we give, or specifically when we tithe, God says he'll open up the windows of heaven and pour out more blessing than you can handle. Let me just go back to our theme verse, Malachi 3 verse 10 says, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be comida in mikasa. test me in this says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room for you to store it where the Trader Joe's lovers at in the house anybody love Trader Joe's yeah yeah man I love going to Trader Joe's because I only got four aisles Let's do this.

2:05 we go through Trader Joe's my boys man we throw in stuff in that cart spin drifts and chips and when we get to our house our cupboards cannot hold the kettle popcorn that the kids have bought and I just love this idea that God's saying when you tithe I'll pour out more blessing than you have enough room for what the Bible's trying to teach you is you will not just be blessed to have enough for you, you will have enough that will pour out. You can bless others. In fact, I want to teach you a message today. Write down the title. It's called How to Handle an Open Heaven. How do you handle this kind of blessing in your life? Because some of us, we've got to start thinking this way. Stop planning on the worst and start getting ready for God's best. Come on, clap if you believe that today. God wants you to be blessed more than you want to be blessed. And the Bible says when the blessing of the Lord overwhelms you, it says the blessing of the Lord will make one rich and he'll add no sorrow to it. No strings attached, no traffic on the four or five. You'll just be blessed. So how do you handle this kind of blessing? Most of us need to understand this is how God works. This is how God worked with Joshua in the Old Testament, in the book of Joshua. Joshua takes over for a leader named Moses. The first thing God says to Joshua is, Joshua, Moses, my servant is dead. He says, buckle up, buddy, it's you. And God says to Joshua in the first section, he does three things in Joshua's life. He prepares him for what he's going to do. He says to Joshua over and over, be strong and courageous. And I'll tell you what your family needs, what your business needs, what Los Angeles needs is for you to be strong and for you to be courageous.

4:03 he says, Josh, buckle up, get ready, be strong and courageous. So he takes him through a preparation season. Then he goes into conquering mode, conquering season. This is when the walls of Jericho fall down. So now he starts to conquer. It's victory. Anybody believe in for victory in your life? If I could sing, I hit that. I'm going to see a victory. I'm going to see a victory for the battle belongs. You sing as good as me.

4:39 It goes from preparation to conquering. This is when you find your spouse and get married, have some kids. You go into building your business, conquering mode. But the hardest is the last third leg, and that is stewardship. See, most of us just get excited. Preparation, I'm getting ready. I'm gonna get married. I'm gonna give me a job. I'm going to school. Okay, preparation's one thing. Conquering, I'm killing it. Walls are falling. and I'm doing great. But I tell you, the hardest part of life is stewardship mode. Handling God's blessing in your life. Handling how good and faithful God has been. And I'm just trying to prepare you, because if you tithe, and when you tithe, buckle up, sweetheart, because the windows are going to be open, and the blessing is going to overwhelm you. It'll be more than you can handle. Come on, even at your house, give him a praise. God is not a man that he would lie. He's not a man that he changes mind. He's a promise giver. He's a promise what? Keeper, keeper, keeper. So I want to just encourage you today in four things. There are M's, all M's today. Write down the first thing you need to learn. Write down the first one. You need to learn how to manage, manage what God has placed in your possession. You need to learn. Let me say it this way. Stop living like a source and start living like a steward.

5:57 Some of us have gotten it confused. You're living like you are the source of your income. You are the source of your strength. You are the source of your network. No, I'm just here to tell you today, God is the source of everything you have. So I am not the source. I am simply a steward. I am managing what God has placed in my possession. I love this because in our church, we've got people that manage, some people manage wealth. We've got a guy that manages over 400 employees in our church. I know a friend that manages the Chick-fil-A. It's always good to have a friend that manages the Chick-fil-A. You know what I'm saying?

6:41 Some people are managing teams, fantasy football. so my question is what are you managing from God what are you looking after that belongs to the Lord because I'll tell you my kids are not mine they belong to the Lord Julia is not mine she belongs to the Lord Zoe is not my church Zoe is God's church everything I have it the Lord provided it. I'm not the source. God gave it to me. So I'm just looking after what belongs to somebody else, and I want to manage it to the best of my ability. Look here in James chapter 1. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows. What about Psalm 24 verse 1? Look at this scripture. The earth is the Lord's and everything that is in it, the whole world and everybody that lives in it. So guess what? If it all belongs to God, I should probably take care of it. Like it's not my car. It's his car. It's not my money. It's his money. It's not my gift. My gift is not mine. My gift mix, it belongs to the Lord. And so everything I have, I've got to have the right approach that this is not my stuff. This is God's stuff. So I'm going to manage it to the best of my ability. I love this.

8:10 Put it on the screen. Utilizing. Here's what it looks like. Utilizing and managing all the resources God provides for his glory and for his creation. Put the next one up. We are not owners. We are managers. And managers are expected to produce a return. So any good manager doesn't just go like, okay, I'm just going to make sure these kids are, well, food and shelter for the children. I'm just going to make sure my wife knows that I'm home at night and we share a bed and I'm here. And I'm just going to show up on Sundays to the church. And hey guys, good to see it's good to see you guys no managing and stewarding is trying to create the best return possible for the lord saying i'm going to turn this remember the parable of talents the one turned five into ten and one turned two into four and when you're good at stewarding you're not just looking after stuff, you're bringing a return on God's investment in your life. So when we moved here to Los Angeles, we moved here with two kids and a pod full of stuff. Julia's close.

9:29 and we had two kids and a pod, and we tried to do everything in our power to be good stewards of all that the Lord had placed in our possession. The question today is not if God loves you. The question today is, can God trust you? Can God trust you with more? Because the quickest way to lose what you currently have is to be negligent or to neglect it. The greatest way to impact and influence what you currently have is by being a good manager or steward of what he's placed in your possession. And I don't know about you, but I want to get management skills, stewardship skills to bring glory and honor to the Lord. What did he say to that one servant? Well done, my good and my faithful servant with whom I'm well pleased. Enter into the joy and the rest of my master.

10:28 Anybody down to be a good steward of what God's put in your life? Come on, clap and give them a praise. And the way that you do that is you become a good manager, write down the next one, and you start to multiply what God's given you. Multiply. We serve the God of multiplication. If you're not good at multiplication, welcome to the family. You know, I'm good at two times two, four. You know, I'm good at five times five, ten. You know, but I'm not good at the big ones. leave the math, you know, leave that, leave that. What did I say? Yeah, whatever. And I've met five times to tell you, you know, math ain't my thing. I'm here to smile. Come on.

11:11 Math is Julia's department. Come on. I'm a good steward though. But multiplication is God's business. And God takes the little that we got, and he turns it into something beyond our wildest dreams. Oh, I love the story of this prophet Elijah in the Old Testament, 1 Kings. And this prophet Elijah rolls up on the scene and there's a widow and her son. And the widow and her son are preparing, they're fixing to have their last meal. And so they've got just a little bit of flour and a little bit of oil left in their jar. And so they're gonna have their last meal. And so watch this. So Elijah walks up on the scene. He sees the woman and the child. And Elijah is such a gangster. He says, make me a meal. I want to come to one of your houses and say that one day. Make me a meal. Elijah said, make, and the woman said, oh, man of God, sir. Well, I'm so sorry. We just got enough for us.

12:04 We don't got that. We're going to eat this last meal. We're going to die. Elijah said, make me a meal first and watch God do the rest. She goes back to the house. She makes the man of God, Elijah. The principle here is put God first. She makes Elijah a meal. and the Bible says the oil never ran out and God supplied all of their needs. Anybody believe today that when I give to God what belongs to God, come on, clap if you believe it, God will multiply and stretch out the little I got. When you get partnered with God, he takes your little fish and your little bread and he does miracles with it. And when I put God first, I start stepping into the God of multiplication. Oh, I love Genesis 26 verse 12. Isaac is trying to get out of the Philistine land. He wants to go to Egypt when he thinks is a better land. And he's saying to God, let me go out there. Let me get my harvest out in Egypt. And God says, no, you're going to stay right here where the Philistines are. And the Bible says that Isaac sowed and reaped a hundred foot harvest in the same year. And I'm just telling somebody here today, you're going to reap. You didn't sow it that big, but when you get attached to God's goodness and you start walking in God's kingdom, you get wrapped up into the God of multiplication.

13:27 I hate meth, man. And so most of us, we're looking at what we have. Most of us, and you listen to the widow, ain't nothing like a complaining Christian. All we have is like a little bit of... and you're like, Zoe, go on, and Elijah didn't even flinch, did he? He said, go give it to God, and watch God do wonders with your little. That's why the Bible says, do not despise the day of small beginnings, because I serve the God of multiplication. When we started Zoe, we didn't have much, but we gave our little, and God multiplied it.

14:20 I've watched God multiply strength. I've watched God multiply rest. I've watched God multiply joy. I've watched God multiply influence. I've watched God multiply impact. We serve the God of multiplication. And when you get swept up into the God stuff, he opens the window of heaven. He pours out so much blessing. You will not have room enough to store it. Clap if you believe that about our God. Luke 16, 10, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with very much. And whoever is dishonest with very little, you're gonna also be dishonest with very much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

15:12 And if you have not been trustworthy in someone else's property, who will give you your own property? I love this about God. God's saying, hold on. Don't you understand it's all connected together? The way you manage determines whether I can multiply what you have or not. Stop thinking in scarcity. Start thinking in abundance. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Anybody believe in the God of miracles? I said, does anybody believe today in a God that can perform miracles,

15:50 multiplication? So stop going by what you see and start going by what God says. Stop going by what you feel. Start living by faith. Oh, look at Proverbs 11. One person gives freely yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly and comes to poverty. A generous person will, what's that word right there? Everybody, what's that word? Prosper. Who prospers? The generous. The world of the generous. And it says this, look at this last part, whoever refreshes others, will they themselves be refreshed. I got to tell you, my sister, I was talking to my sister last night and my mom and dad were at her house down in San Diego and we were talking to my sister, says to me, you know, she preached at a women's conference yesterday. She's like, how about you? How many times you got to preach tomorrow? I said, well, your boy's preaching four times. And she says, four times. Oh my gosh. Four times. I said, I got to be honest though. I'm going to preach four times today. 9, 10, 30, 12, 15, 6 PM. 6 PM is off the charts. But I got to tell you, I'm going to try and do my best to refresh others. But I promise you when I get my McFlurry at 11 PM tonight, you cannot out give God. Cause when you refresh somebody, you'll refresh yourself. Come on, clap if you believe it. You can't out give. Oh, come on. Clap and praise him today. You can't out give God. The generous will prosper. Give to God the little you have and watch him breathe on your efforts. Partner with your business. Take your household to places you never dreamt or imagine. The Bible says in Ephesians 3.20, now unto him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, far above anything you can ask, think, or even imagine. So when I don't just manage, but I surrender to God, he multiplies it. He multiplies it. And I'm praying for you, multiplication. Amen. What's five times five? Ten. Come on. We're just having fun today.

17:56 So, so manage what God has put in your possession. Multiply it. Don't just sit on it. Multiply it. Get God involved. Write down the third one. Might seem interesting to you, but just listen to me. Morals. You need good morals. And I think our culture needs good morals. Our world and our city needs morals. Morals, by the way, I want to give you a definition of what morals are. put up on the screen. Morals are God's standards of right and wrong, revealed through his word and rooted in his holiness. So it's not my opinion that matters. It's God's opinion. And so what is right is what God says is right. And what is wrong is what God says is wrong. What is good is what God says is good. And what is evil is what God says is evil. Can I get an amen in the church? In fact, look at a scripture, Isaiah. This is a really powerful scripture.

18:48 Isaiah verse five, verse 20. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who call what is good evil and woe to those who call what is evil good. That's moral corruption. How do we get moral excellence or morality? And let me say it to you this way. You giving your tithe and getting the windows of heaven open in your life is not even a money issue.

19:24 It has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with trust, obedience, and faith in what God says is right. Because God asks us a question. He says this. Will a man rob God? And the church is it. How are we going to rob you? You got everything. You got the cattle on a thousand hills. You own Dodger Stadium and crypto, which is really Staples Center.

19:53 How are we gonna rob you? And God said, you robbed me in what? Tithes and offerings. So I don't know about you, but I got paid yesterday. Anybody love payday when it hits your account? That's a good morning. Good morning. And the first thing I did when I got paid yesterday, you wanna know what I did? did all the math, went to Google, did all the stuff, got to zoechurch.org, hit give, and I give what God said is his. Because if God said that's good and that's his, I don't want anything in my account that doesn't belong to me. I don't want nothing in my account. He said, not my opinion, his opinion. He said it belongs to him. Look at moral corruption. Put it on the screen. Moral corruption means that a person's heart, mind, and actions have turned away from God's standards of what is right and wrong. It is more than just making a mistake. It's being inwardly twisted or compromised so that sin guides your decisions instead of God's truth. So my prayer for you is that what guides your decisions is God, not the world. It doesn't matter what a podcaster says. It matters what God says.

21:12 Doesn't matter what some influencer says. It matters what God says. Doesn't matter what so and so says. It matters what God says. And if God said it's good, if God said it's true, if God said it's right, then I'm going to let God guide my path and God order my steps so I can Come on, clap if you believe it. So God can lead my life. So man's opinion is down here and God's opinion is up here. My opinion took the back seat. God's opinion took the front seat. You know that song, Jesus take the wheel. Yeah. Let him take the wheel. Whatever God calls good is good in my house. And whatever God calls evil is evil in my house. And God runs the world and God runs my life. Somebody clap and give him, give him a praise today. That's just the bottom line. So I got to have, I got to have management and stewardship. I want to give God my best so he can multiply it. I want to have morals, which are doing what is pure and what is right in the eyes of God. I want it to the best of my ability. Whatever God's about, I'm about. Whatever God says true, I'm going to walk in that truth. Whatever God wants me to do, I'm gladly submitted and committed heart, soul, mind, and strength to the future that God has for my life. So management, multiplication, morals. Here's the last one. This is so fun. Maximize.

22:43 I want you to maximize what God has given you. Stretch it and make it as good as you can. Maximize what God has put in your possession. Now, I'm half Mexican, but I really look white, so let's just say I'm a white guy. And I grew up loving basketball. Any basketball lovers in the house. I love basketball. Man, do I love basketball. And I'll tell you, your boy, you know, because I look white, so sometimes it affected my genes. Not these, but, and so, but, you know, I couldn't, I can't, you know, you know how they say white men can't jump. This is very true. And so I couldn't jump really. And I'm not that fast, to be honest. Most people would say I'm slow. So I can't run very fast and I can't jump very high. So as a white guy playing basketball, I had to maximize what the Lord gave me, which is not a lot. So growing up, I'm telling you, I can't run, I can't jump, but I'll tell you if I'm out there, I can hustle. and I could pass dribbling. I used to watch videos of Pete Maravich back in the day from LSU on how to dribble, and I took the little God gave me and tried to maximize it so I could get on the court, and when you're a good steward, you say, I might have just this. It's not how much they have, but it's what I, when you get to heaven, you will not be held accountable for what they have.

24:00 you will be held accountable for what God gave you. so that's why I know you know what the Lord gave you time you know what the Lord gave you talent you know what the Lord gave you treasure that's why don't waste your time some people say time is more valuable than money stop living laws of law whatever start assigning your time to live for the glory of our King. Talent. Your talent. Some of you are so good with numbers. Some of you are so good with creativity. Some of you are so good with words. Your talent is not so you can build your kingdom. Your talent is there so you can build God's kingdom. It's not to make much of your name. It's to make, come on, clap if you've got a heart, to make much of Jesus through your life.

25:05 Treasure? Oh, everything I have. Everything I have. It's all from you. It's all for you. It's all to you. It's all through you. And I'm gonna maximize. I'm gonna maximize to the best of my ability. Whatever you've put in my lap, whatever you've put in my bank account, whatever you've put in this mine, whatever you've given me, it's all. I'm leveraging it not so that I could be famous. I'm leveraging it so you could get glory. that's why Jesus said let your light shine before men that they could see your good works and glorify the father in heaven maximize it maximize it don't waste your gifting don't waste your money don't waste your anointing don't waste this season of your life prodigal son goes to his dad says dad I want my inheritance now gets all that money goes out He's out at One Oak.

25:58 He's out at the club. and the Bible says he's caught up in loose living, loose, whatever, spin, swipe, more, this, that. His God was his appetite. His stomach was his idol. but when you live for God you deny the flesh so you can live for something bigger than yourself no no no I'm not I'll need all that I'll need I'll need to go there I'll need to be with them I'll need no no I need I need I got I got stuff to manage I got stuff I got a job I got a wife I got kids I got gifting I got calling I got anointing I got influence I can't be messing around with all that foolish living I can't be messing around with all that foolish talking I can't gossip. I can't be so in discord. I can't be messing around with them. I can't sleep around.

26:55 No, I got a call of God on my life and I'm trying to live. Come on, clap. But you understand what I'm trying to say to you. Maximize it. there's a story there's a story that jesus tells about these virgins and he said half the group half of these group the the girls that go out and while they're waiting while they're waiting they get they get they get impatient and they go waste their oil and then when the time came for it to be serious they they try to get some of the good steward managers oil and the other girls are like y'all are y'all are crazy because while you've been living in loose living we've been managing and we've been multiplying and we've been maximizing and we've been living for God. I don't know about you, but I want to live for God. Anybody else? I live for the glory of God. I want to live. I want to hear those words, man.

27:47 I want to hear those words. How about when you die? How about when you go to heaven? I want to hear those words. Well done, my good and my faithful servant. With whom I'm what? Man, I'm so pleased with how you've been managing. How you maximize. I got, we were with a friend recently. these people have so much money and I'm just comparing them to us. Compared to us, they got a lot of money. And the wife uses coupons. And when she said that, I thought, I'm sorry, what? Maximize it. Maximize it. Being a good steward. Managing wealth. and the culture says man buy whatever you want to buy you deserve it you earned it you deserve that all right let's just ask god god what do you want me to do with him we play that game in our house if you win the lottery what are you going to do boys if you win the lottery what are you gonna do i think i've trained them good enough because all of them are like you the pain in their voice is like first thing i'm gonna do but then i'm gonna go out and buy a new nintendo switch I'm trying to raise my boys to say the first person and the first priority and the first thing we do is make sure the window of heaven is open on our life because you can win the lottery and go bankrupt. It didn't change your morals. Money won't change your morals. Money will expose the morals you currently have. And I want to encourage you to walk in the fear of the Lord.

29:50 it's the beginning of wisdom amen to that come on stand to your feet today stand your feet just want to put up just one more quote real fast i'll just use this real fast just stand right there you're good you're good clap for my guy alfred what just want what this guy just read this one can you put up the quote about faithfulness listen faithfulness is not about how much we have but about how well we use what we've been given. Faithfulness is not about how much you have. I know you're worried about how much you have. God is not. Because my God will supply all of your needs according to his riches and according to his glory. So God's not worried about what you have. God could supply your needs. Amen to that? Faithfulness is not about what you have.

30:44 faithfulness is about how well am I using what I currently have. And I'm just praying over our church that we'll manage well and we'll maximize well and we'll multiply and we'll be good walking in the morals that God has set for us. Amen. Come on, let's pray today. Well, thanks so much for joining us. I hope this message brought you great strength and great encouragement. We want to encourage you to download the Bible app, follow along on the plan Zoe Devo, and read the Bible with us every day. But we'll see you next week here at Zoe Church.