Why Obedience Is the Key to Breakthrough | Jonathan Evans

Your obedience is tough. What you're going through is hard. Be obedient to the brim. Draw from it and give it to who he tells you to give it to because the gospel can come from you, to you, and through you. >> Believers, your obedience is necessary. >> It is necessary to be obedient for the for the sake of the gospel, >> the word of the Lord.

And um I also want to say thank you to Myron Butler for taking us into worship this morning the way that he did. They done messed around and made him an elder. ((applause)) We're going to turn our Bibles to John chapter 2. John chapter 2 verse 1-10. And we're going to read this story that will be familiar to you.

And I believe we'll find out it still is a little unfamiliar. John 2 1-10 it says on the third day there was a wedding in Canaa of Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there and both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."

And Jesus said to her,"Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it." Now there was six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification containing 20 to 30 gallons each.

Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." So they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, "Draw some out and take it to the head waiter." So they took it to him. When the head waiter tasted the water, which had become wine, and did not know where where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew.

The head waiter called the bridegroom and he said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first. And when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poor wine, but you have kept the good wine until now." >> Today I want to talk to you from the title, A Wedding You'll Never Forget. >> You may be seated.

Can you imagine being the bride and the bridegroom at this wedding? You can imagine 10 years, 20 years after the wedding that in their photo album and in their wedding scrapbook, they would say, "This is a wedding we'll never forget." We had Jesus turning water into wine at our wedding.

It was a wedding we will never forget. They experienced a miracle of Jesus at their wedding. I need you to understand, how in the world did they experience this miracle? How in the world would they experience a wedding they never forget? How in the world would they experience Jesus turn water into wine and their emptiness becoming filled and their lack becoming lavish?

How in the world would they experience this? Let me tell you what they did. They invited Jesus to their wedding. Amen. >> If they don't invite Jesus to the wedding, they're stuck with their lack. >> If they don't invite Jesus to the wedding, they're stuck with their emptiness.

If they don't invite Jesus to the wedding, they're stuck with the reality that they have just run out. A lot of people talk about their lack, but the question is, have you ever invited Jesus? >> I know that there's areas where you may lack in resources. You may lack in your marriage, you may lack at the job, you may lack in different areas of your life, whether it's wisdom or understanding or discernment or energy or passion.

But the question is not just about the lack. My question would be, have you invited Jesus? Because without Jesus being at the wedding, they would just be stuck with the lack. >> Okay. I'm glad that the paralytic found Jesus. >> I'm glad that the woman with the blood issue found Jesus.

I'm glad that Jarius, the official of the synagogue, went and invited Jesus to his daughter because the miracles would come to and through Jesus Christ. So, if you have lack in your life, you need to do something that they did at this wedding and send Jesus an invite.

Many people get married and they send out a lot of invitations, but a lot of married couples forget about a primary invitation they need to send out. So they invite everybody and forget the main guest and then they wonder why they're experienced so much lack. And instead of it being a wedding they'll never forget, it's a wedding they want to forget because they didn't invite the main guest.

Too many married couples come to the altar and get married at church but leave Jesus at the altar when they go on the honeymoon. And immediately we experience lack in our life because our life did not have an invitation to the one who can actually pour in where we need to be filled. >> Jesus makes sending him an invitation very easy.

He makes it easier than chat GPT. >> He makes it easier than Grunk. >> He makes it easier than boxer. He makes it easier than text or email. He makes it easier than dropping a DM. In order to send Jesus an invitation, all you got to do is open up your mouth and pray.

And the Bible says, "Pray without ceasing." That means when you leave, you pray. When you come in, you pray. When you drive, you pray. When you come and go, you pray. When you wake up in the morning, you pray. When you go to bed, you pray. Prayer doesn't have to be a formal thing.

It just needs to be an ongoing thing. He has made it easy for us because by his work, he has shattered the dividing walls and removed the veil, making it to where you can go all the way into the holies of holies and talk directly to God to tell him what you need and how you're hurting and what's going on.

So, if it's that easy to invite the King of Kings, who can turn water into wine and give you a life that you never forget as it relates to your testimony of him, then why wouldn't we pray? >> Why wouldn't we talk to him? Okay, this couple sent Jesus an invite.

And you know what Jesus did? He came to the wedding. This means that Jesus is not a recluse in heaven that doesn't operate in the normal affairs of human life. >> Some people won't call on him because they think they're too small for him or their situation won't matter to him. >> That is not the case.

All through the scriptures, Jesus would be in places everybody else thought he shouldn't be. He would tell Zakius, "Come down from that tree. I'm staying at your house. He would be sitting with sinners and the Pharisees would say, "Why in the world would you be with these people?"

But Jesus would be in places a lot of times you would think that he wouldn't be because Jesus is not a heavenly recluse. He operates in the normal affairs of human life. So whatever your affairs are, whatever you're going through and dealing with, I beseech you therefore, brethren, to call on Jesus because he can take your lack and turn it into lavishness.

That that is what he is able to do. And they did something smart. They sent Jesus an invitation and he accepts those invitation and he comes for his people. The question I had was, how did they know to send Jesus an invite? >> This is prior to Jesus becoming famous.

This is his first miracle. This is prior to crowds following him and people knowing all about him and his fame growing in the land. This is prior to that. And Jesus is from Nazareth. And this wedding is in Canaa, a small town. So, how in the world would a bridegroom even know I need Jesus at my wedding?

Well, let me do a little Bible study with you if you have a little time this morning. Y'all got some time? >> John chapter 1. We already in two. Just go up to John chapter 1. And I want to read verse 47-49. It says, "Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and he said to him, behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit."

Nathaniel said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathaniel answered him, "Rabbi, you are the son of God. You are the king of Israel." Okay, let me just say it this way.

Jesus saw Nathaniel and he said, "Man, that's a good dude right there." Nathaniel said, "How you know me?" Jesus said, "I saw you under the fig tree." Nathaniel said, "Oh, you the son of God." Y'all got that? That's what happened right there. There was a relationship getting built between Nathaniel and Jesus.

Okay. Now, turn to John 21:2. I'mma flip over there with you. Y'all okay with a little Bible study? >> We going to turn to John 21:2 and read that verse. John 21:2 says this. Simon Peter and Thomas Thomas Thomas called Dudamus and Nathaniel of Canaa in Galilee and Nathaniel of Canaa in Galilee.

And Nathaniel of Canaa in Galilee. Where Nathaniel froma in Galilee. It tell you where he from. >> This is a small town. >> He's from Kaa. The wedding in Kaa. Jesus from Nazareth. Nathaniel just had a relationship in John chapter 1 with Jesus where he called Jesus the son of God and the son of God said, "I see you, Nathaniel."

And they built a relationship. The bridegroom because of a small town atmosphere of Canaa knew Nathaniel. Nathaniel told the bridegroom about Jesus. >> The bridegroom said, "Well, I need to invite him to my wedding then." So, the reason why Jesus got invited to the wedding is because of a relationship Nathaniel had with Jesus that the bridegroom didn't have yet. >> Oh, y'all don't get it. >> I want to know how many people are sending an invitation to Jesus because of your relationship with him. >> I want to know, do people look at your life and see your relationship with Jesus and figure they better send him an invite?

The sad reality today is we got thousands of people that will go to church, but all of their friends don't send Jesus an invite because you don't send them an invite. They don't see them in your life, so they don't re they don't figure they need him in his. >> There was a relationship between Nathaniel and the bridegroom that gave the bridegroom the insight that I need to invite Jesus to my wedding.

You have a job to do, saints, that's much greater than sit in church. You should have a relationship with Jesus to the degree that your stylist says, "I need to send Jesus an invite." That your barber says, "I need to send Jesus an invite." That your coworker says, "I need to send Jesus an invite."

It should be obvious from the saints that are in church who are not satisfied with just being in church, but being the church. >> We It has to go beyond just our conversation with Jesus. Because Nathaniel's relationship to the bridegroom and Jesus would be the go-between for the bridegroom's miracle that we may be in our lack of relationship with Jesus postponing or stopping somebody else's miracle from Jesus. >> And here the bridegroom made that invite.

He had a relationship with Nathaniel. And let me tell you what happened in verse three. It says, "When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine." Okay, let me help you. In the Bible days, weddings were a big deal. They would celebrate for seven days.

They they would celebrate for a long time. Not only were weddings a big deal, but wine was a big deal. Wine was a big deal because wine wasn't just about drinking wine. Wine had some symbolism to it. Wine meant joy to them. Wine meant uh prosperity to them.

Wine meant abundance to them. Wine meant security to them. So when the wine ran out at the wedding, it was actually disgrace and an embarrassment because that was the bridegroom telling the bride that because this wine hasn't ran out, your security will not run out. because this wine hasn't not run out, I can give you abundance and that won't run out.

Your security won't run out. Your your prosperity won't run out. Your joy won't run out. So the in-laws would look at the bridegroom crazy if the wine ran out because that meant everything the wine represented would run out for their daughter. >> So for them, they were like, "Oops, the wine ran out."

And Mary said, "There's no more wine." Now, I need you to understand based on the definition of of the wine, um, I got three girls. One day, far from now, there going to be some young dudes that think they got swag. They can come into my house with swag.

They can have a beard. They can have a sleeve. You know my girl. Oh, he got a They can pull up in something. They can have shades. They can have a eight pack. I don't care about none of that because I know that that wine can run out.

And if Jesus ain't there, that means all that other stuff don't matter. >> So, I'm going to open up that Bible and sit them down at that kitchen table in 1 Peter 3 and Ephesians 5 and Titus 2. We going to run around the scriptures and I'm going to find out what they know about Jesus.

So if any of y'all got plans, >> they going to come in there and get their teeth knocked out by this word. >> Because you can't just come in with worldly wine. >> You got to come in as a finisher. And the only finisher I know is Jesus Christ.

I want to know, do you have him? Because when things are lacking, if you have him, things don't have to stop. In their culture, wedding and wine was like a movie without popcorn. >> It It was like a birthday with no cake. It was like a wedding with no reception.

It was like going to a concert and there ain't no band. It's like somebody inviting you to play basketball and they ain't got no gold. I thought we would just dribble. Dribble. I'm trying to hoop. That's how it was for them in their culture. Can you imagine them being at the reception and going D.

Mary's mom. Jesus. There's no wine. D. No wine. Everything would stop. You like that's not just their culture. That's my house. Yeah. I know some of y'all. Yeah. Not just they c. Now, let me say something. Since I'm talking about wine, let me talk about drinking for a second.

We in parentheses right now parenthetical. I'll come back to the message in just a second. The Bible does not condemn the drinking of wine. The Bible says, "Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled by the spirit." To be drunk is idolatry because now you have have gotten yourself under the control of another spirit. >> That's why they call them spirits because now you're under the control and you you are no longer under the control of the Holy Spirit.

You're under the control of something else. So God sees that as you choosing another God because only God is supposed to have control. There is no condemnation for someone who's drinking wine. It's only getting drunk with wine that is the problem. You say, look at y'all. Some of y'all like, "Oh, he just set me free."

[laughter] ((applause)) I see it in your eyes. You like ((applause)) cuz I know you be ((applause)) So that's not the problem because if Jesus was turning water into wine and the Bible says God doesn't tempt, he evidently wasn't tempting the people to sin, which means it must not be. >> You say, "Well, what about hard liquor?" >> Well, if you at the bar taking shots, you probably got to go.

((applause)) Hard liquor falls under the same category. It's about drunkenness. >> It's not about the type. >> However, you said preach too soon. Somebody preach. ((applause)) however, >> Paul says everything that's permissible. >> That's right. Is not necessarily beneficial. ((applause)) >> Then he also says, "I do all things for the sake of the gospel." >> So if I'm Pastor Jay and you I got a young Christian and they see me at the bar I may not be sinning, but I may mess them up. >> And because the gospel goes first and is the anchor of the reason why I do what I do, it may not be sin, but it is not beneficial >> to trip up somebody else >> just to get a drink. >> We are not called to live at a standard that says just don't sin.

You're called to live at a standard that says for the sake of the gospel >> and for the sake of the gospel that determines there there may be some things you do in private that you don't do in public because you know it's for the sake of the gospel.

Both of them may not be sin but one is a better choice for the sake of the gospel. >> So I need you to understand that just because it's not sin that's not your focus. Your focus is gospel. >> And how am I representing the gospel? So I set you freeish.

So Jesus here is not tempting. He's turning the water into wine. And Mary just lets them know Jesus, they ain't got no wine. Because this is a big deal. They have no wine. Now in our culture, okay, in their culture, they would have known that they ran out, >> but they didn't want to speak about it.

No one really wants to speak about their lack, >> especially when it's embarrassing. >> They just want it to just go away. >> They don't want to talk about something they know about that they're lacking, especially when it's embarrassing to do so. But Mary did it for them.

So they probably, if it's American culture, could have looked at Mary like a hater. Like, stop putting my business out there. If I didn't tell them, why would you tell them? Like, this is not for you to do. It's for me to do. So Mary could be viewed as a hater.

But if it wasn't for Mary, they would have got no miracle. That's it. Some of us are getting mad at people that are the conduit of our miracle just because we didn't want to say nothing. >> It's not everybody. Mary was someone that was invited. >> Mary was someone that was invited.

In other words, everybody shouldn't speak about it, but there are people in your life you invited. How you going to get mad at the people you invited? Do we not want accountability that much >> that we will invite somebody and when they speak we think they a hater?

If it wasn't for Mary, they would have had to deal with their embarrassment and their lack and they wouldn't have had an experience with Jesus. >> So if they speak, don't be mad. >> You could have spoke and you didn't. >> And Jesus moved on the invitation. Well, actually Jesus had kind of an interesting response. >> Jesus said, Mary said, "Hey, they ain't got no wine."

Jesus said, "Woman, what they got to do with us? My hour has not yet come." Now, I do not suggest. All I know is if I talk to Mama Low like that woman, what that got to do with us? >> Bap. We don't we don't talk to our mothers that way.

In their culture, it was a little bit different where this wouldn't have been viewed as disrespectful. Matter of fact, at chapter 19 26, he calls her woman again when he tells her, "Hey, John is going to be your son. John, this is going to be your mother." when he's being crucified and saying that's who's going to take care of you, he calls her a woman again.

That in their culture, it wasn't disrespectful, but it was also to show that there was a switch and a change in the relationship between Jesus and his mother. >> That's right. >> That her title now that he's starting his messianic journey to let everybody know who he is, her title is not greater than his title. >> That's right. >> You may be mama, but I'm Messiah. you going to have to submit to me now like everybody else. >> Well, it's a different playing field now.

And you need to make sure you understand that no matter how high up you go and no matter what your title is, your title better never be higher than his title. So him speaking to the mother this way was showing a an inverted structure that was happening between the relationship with him and Mary that Mary would now have to submit to him not the other way around.

And when Mary hears this woman, basically he said, this is an idiom, hard to translate, but he said,"Woman, um um this is not a matter that we need to be concerned with in everyday language. This is this is not for us. This is not my concern." That's what he said.

You know what Mary said? Nothing. He said,"Woman, what that got to do with us? My hour did not come." She said, "Okay." ((applause)) She didn't say nothing. She didn't nag him. She didn't go back. She didn't say, "Do it this way." She didn't say nothing. She submitted and and she just said, "Okay."

But let me tell you what she did do that was smart. >> In verse 5, his mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it." woman. What that got to do with us? Nothing. >> Hey y'all. >> Just in case he decide to do something. >> Whatever he tells you, you do it. >> Oh, y'all don't. >> Woman, what that got to do with us?

None. >> I don't know what he's going to choose to do because he's sovereign. >> He can do whatever he wants. >> But whatever he says, >> I'm going to need you to do it. >> Here, let me say it to you from a preacher. I don't know if he going to heal you.

I don't know if he going to bring your mate. I don't know if he gonna give you a promotion. I don't know if he gonna give you a better day tomorrow. I don't know if he gonna take your suffering away. I don't know if he gonna take your pain away or that person away.

I don't know what he is going to do. But what I can tell you is whatever he tells you to do, you better do it. Some of us need to stop wearing Nikes and live the logo. Just do it. When he speaks, you just do it because you never know what the sovereign God has up his sleeve.

You never know what he's going to do. You never know what answer to prayers he's going to answer. You never know how he's going to move. You don't know what he's going to do. But what you better do >> is be obedient when he speaks >> because your miracle is processed through your obedience.

So if you're waiting for him to do something and he waiting for you to do something, you're going to be waiting a long time. >> Whatever he says, Mary said, you better do it. We need to get into a a place in our lives where we understand just do it.

Just do what God has called you to do because the miracle is evidently processed by obedience to God. >> So I can't turn no tricks for you. >> I can't make something happen for you. >> I could preach the word of God, but I am not him at all.

He decides what he's going to do in your life and with your prayers and with your family and with your wife and with your husband and with your job and with your health. He's going to make that decision. But what if he's waiting to see you move? >> Mary said to the servants, "Hey man, I'm going to need y'all to serve." >> Whenever he speaks, I need you to move. >> Now, let me tell you, let me tell you how this went. because he said to his mother, his servants, "Whatever he says, do it."

And Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." >> So they filled them to the brim. >> Now, let me tell you what Jesus does. Okay? I want you to be obedient. I want you to fill these water pots with water. I want you to fill them up. >> That makes no sense. >> His command makes no sense.

In verse 6, it tells you the they are stone water pots that hold 20 or 30 gallons. >> He's telling them to bear a load that's heavy to carry. >> This is actually what I want you to do. I want you to go carry this heavy load and fill it up.

A stone water pot that's got 20 or 30 gallons. Try that. >> So, he's telling them, "Go carry this heaviness." And then he tells them to go fill it fill up the water pots. That doesn't answer our prayer. We need wine. You telling me to go put water in it?

That don't make no sense. So now he's asking me to do something that makes no sense at all. And then these water pots were used for ceremonial cleaning. Everybody already in the party, Jesus, they didn't already clean before they came in here. This makes no sense. It's too heavy.

It makes no sense and it doesn't solve our problem. But Mary still said, "Do it anyway." There are going to be things that come to you where the spirit of God is impressing upon you and hitting you and he's nagging you and he's touching you and he keeps hitting you with the same thing over again and you keep justifying.

It's too heavy. Don't make no sense. It don't answer my prayer. This has nothing to do with nothing. Why do I keep experiencing God hitting me with this same thing? Because he's trying to give you a miracle and he wants to see if you have the faith enough to get it.

So, I've said it before. I mean, the spirit of God will knock you out. >> Boom. Boom. Because you're justifying your way out of it cuz it doesn't make sense. But you can't stop that sensation from hitting you. >> And you're justifying and it's boom, justifying, boom, justifying, boom.

And he's just going to sit there. ((music playing)) And many of us are wasting a lot of time >> when our miracle sits right on the other side of our obedience. And he says, "Whatever I'm telling you, do it." And it did not make any sense at all. But you know what they did?

They filled it to the brim. >> You know what they did? >> Their obedience was to the brim. It wasn't quarter obedience. It wasn't halfway obedience. It wasn't obedience that I feel like I can carry. It was obedience to the absolute max when they didn't understand when it was heavy and it didn't make sense.

Real faith as a Christian doesn't mean it makes sense. It means when God speaks it doesn't have to make sense. I will still carry it and I'll do it to the brim. is looking for faithful people who will not just come to church but they will live a faithful life to the brim >> that they will fill it all the way up and he tells them okay now that you did that part now draw it out and give it to the head waiter >> drawing out is like a well they drew out they handed it to the head waiter >> um the head waiter tasted it and it had already become wine. >> So somewhere between the drawing and the handing there was a miracle. >> They were obedient and they had the water. >> But when they drew it out and handed it to the head waiter, all of a sudden there was a transition that occurred.

In other words, you can have obedience, but the question is, do you have service with the obedience that you have? Because the miracle is not just in your obedience. The miracle is when your obedience is drawn from in order to give to somebody else. Oh, you don't the feeding of the 5000.

They had two fish and five loaves. But when Jesus said, "You give them something to eat." And they started breaking the bread and passing it out, that's when it began to multiply. So the obedience is good, but a lot of Christians are spiritually waterlogged. >> They are satisfied with their own holiness, own righteousness, and own obedience as if it's just for them.

But the miracle is when you draw it out and hand it to somebody else. >> Don't you know that when it comes to this, your work can become somebody else's wine? >> That's why you can't get tired, single mama. when you're raising those kids and doing your thing.

I know it's heavy for you and I know you're trying to be obedient to the brim, but Jesus is saying just continue to do the work because when you draw it out and hand it to your kids, your work will become somebody else's wine. Single dad, keep doing what you're doing.

I know it's heavy and it's hard, but when you draw it out and hand it to your kids, your work will become somebody else's wine. Don't you know that your obedience when it's drawn from and it's given to somebody else, your work which was hard and heavy can become somebody else's wine?

This is when the miracle had occurred >> and he as the head waiter said, "I have no idea where this came from, but it says in parenthesis, the servants did because the servants know when they're obedient and they serve and somebody else is experiencing Jesus, they know where that came from.

That miracle didn't come from them. The miracle didn't come from their work. That miracle came from the Lord. They understood where it came from. And Jesus said, "Be obedient." They were obedient to the brim. They drew from it. They handed it to the head waiter. Why in the world would Jesus tell them to hand it to the head waiter?

Because the head waiter's job is to continue to pass it out. The head waiter's job is to continue to serve it. >> Jesus is not looking for culde-sacs. He's looking for conduits. >> The blessing of God to you that flows >> through you. >> And so here he is.

He says, "Give it to the head waiter." Because the head waiter is going to make that wine, the transition that he made go further than anybody else can make it go. Don't you know that when you are serving somebody else from your obedience of God in your life, you may be giving that thing to a head waiter? >> Okay, you don't get it.

My There was a man one day who had become saved and he was holding a lot, trying to hold his marriage together. He was trying to, you know, trying to make things happen. He was trying to learn his new faith. He was trying to not get a divorce, all of those different things.

But as he continued to learn the word, he had a 12-year-old son. That 12year-old son uh was somebody that accepted the gospel, somebody that got saved. And and that that that dad's work became that 12-year-old son's wife. But that dad had no idea that that 12-year-old boy was a head waiter.

And that 12-year-old boy in 1976 would grow up and start a church called Oakliff Bible Fellowship. Oakliff Bible Fellowship would now be where you're sitting now, where wine continues from Jesus to be passed out to thousands and millions around the world. That man was carrying a heavy load, but little did he know that he was drawing from it and passing it to a head waiter.

I need you to understand that God is calling you beyond you. Your obedience is tough. What you're going through is hard. Be obedient to the brim. draw from it and give it to who he tells you to give it to because the gospel can come from you to you and through you. >> Called it to give him to the head waiter.

And the head waiter said, "I'm going to make this thing go further than it can go on my own." Believers, your obedience is necessary. It is necessary to be obedient for the for the sake of the gospel. >> And this head waiter when the head waiter tasted the water which had become wine, he did not know where it come from.

Verse 9, the head waiter called the bridegroom. Here we go. And said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first. When the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. What was the head waiter saying to the bridegroom?

He says, "Say, bro." Everybody served a good wine first. You got the good, you kept the good wine till now. What they did in that culture is they would serve the good wine first. Everybody would would get their drinky drink on >> and then to make the wine last, they would dilute it with water >> because they knew by then the people wouldn't notice. >> Tongues would tongues would get a little numb and they wouldn't notice that they had diluted it to make sure that it carried on.

This head waiter said, "Wait a minute. You you got good wine at the end. Where did this good wine come from? Good wine means not only is it fermented, but it's been sitting long enough to mature. >> How did you get this good wine to sit long enough to mature at the end?

Where did this come from? Okay, I'm a foodie. Any foodies in the house? Any food? Okay, let me give you another pro tip. Me and my wife every year go to one of our favorite restaurants in the country, not Dallas. It's called Burns Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. >> Burns Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida.

We'll go sit on the beach for a day in Clear Water, but we thinking about Burns. >> If you go to Burns, you're going to have to set your reservation 60 days ahead cuz you ain't going to get in. You'll probably be there when you get in there for 3 or 4 hours because it's an experience.

They give you the meal. Then they take you on a tour of their kitchen. Then they take you on a tour of their 150 year old wine seller, the oldest and most expansive wine seller in the country. Hundreds of thousands of bottles. And they take you on a tour of it.

Then after that, they send you upstairs to their dessert restaurant and seat you again. >> It's a whole situation. Write that down. As we were going on our tour of the wine celler, this dude who was giving us the tour took us to a place where they had a crystal glass in the middle that had some wine in it.

And then he stood there like this. This is our Don's Willie on whatever. And you know, I'm sitting there looking at Kenneka like, man, if he don't put his leg down, that's this is our Don Swilly Juwan or whatever the case is. And um it will not be opened until 2065.

I was like, well, we I don't know if we going to be here 205. He said, uh he said, and when when it opens and when we pour our first glass, the glasses will be $100,000 a glass. I said, "Well, it don't even matter cuz we ain't going to we 100,000 a glass."

I said, "So, it's going to take 40 years for that to mature." >> Yes, it'll take 40 years for that to mature and Jesus got good wine in an instant. >> You mean that all the maturity happened right now? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. >> You mean that the perfection of the wine was given immediately? >> You mean that it wasn't by works that it was by grace? >> That it was just set in there. >> Okay.

The good wine was at first, but then they got good wine at the end. In the Old Testament, there's something called the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant is good wine. It is perfect. It is a good law. Even in the New Testament, they say it's perfect. It's a good law.

That there's nothing wrong with the law. It is good. But by virtue of the fact that it can't carry you through, it runs out. >> See, the that old one doesn't just give you joy, it gives you judgment. >> That that old wine doesn't secure you. It just lets you know how bad you are.

And so it runs out. But enter Jesus Christ who would give a new covenant. >> And this is called new wine. And in that new wine, it never runs out. In an instant, he's able to perfect you. In an instant, he's able to mature you. In an instant, he's able to settle you.

In an instant, he's able to secure you. And anybody that accepts the new covenant, in other words, drinks this new wine will become the bride of Christ. The head waiter was talking to the wrong bridegroom. The bridegroom was actually Jesus Christ who was saying, "Anybody who drinks this wine will become my bride.

And when you become my bride, I'm going to take you to a wedding. And when I take you to the wedding, it will be a wedding you never forget because your joy will never run out. Your assurance will never run out. Your abundance will never run out. Your prosperity will never run out.

Your security will never run out. It will truly be a wedding you never forget because it wasn't just the old covenant. I came in with new wine called the new covenant. You say, "Jonathon, how in the world you know this got anything to do with Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and giving us this new covenant with this new wine?"

Because what I didn't tell you is how the story starts in John 2:1. It starts with four words. On the third day, >> oh no. On the third day, he went to Kaa. On the third day, he was at the wedding. On the third day, he gave new wine.

All I know is he died on Friday. But on the third day, he rose from the grave and introduced new wine. On the third day, he rose from the grave and gave you victory. On the third day, he secured you, gave you joy, gave you abundance, gave you prosperity.

So when he comes to get his bride, he's going to take you up and give you wine and a wedding you will never forget. Jesus is the bridegroom and you are the bride and he's starting his ministry letting us know that this thing is going to carry on >> and it will never run out. >> I'm so grateful that it will never run out.

I'm so grateful that I get to live in eternity with him. I'm so grateful that he covers me, secures me, gives me joy, gives me confidence. I'm so grateful that he holds me, that he loves me, that he redeems me, that he restores me, that he delivers me, that he adopted me.

I'm so grateful that he's bringing me in as his bride to give me a wedding I will never forget. Oh, I had to finish that thing. Ah, >> thank you Lord Jesus >> for saving us. >> Thank you Lord Jesus for loving us. >> Thank you Lord Jesus for redeeming us >> and for giving us new wine.

How you going to give us the maturity of perfection instantly ((music playing)) to firm us in your word and then to mature us by your grace and it is a grace that never runs out. Thank you Lord. >> Thank you Lord >> in Jesus name. >> Amen. Stand to your feet in the house and give him some praise.