The Alternative

Jonathan Evans: He makes it easier than ChatGPT. He makes it easier than dropping a DM. All you have to do is open up your mouth and pray. Jonathan Evans says communication with God is meant to be constant, not complicated. Prayer doesn't have to be a formal thing; it just needs to be an ongoing thing.

Guest (Male): This is the Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, founding pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative.

We've all had moments where what we thought would be enough wasn't. Today, Pastor Jonathan Evans revisits a well-known biblical story to uncover a truth that can reshape how we see our lack, our limits, and our need. Let's listen.

Jonathan Evans: 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.

How in the world would they experience this? They invited Jesus to their wedding. 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 are 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.

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. Then they wonder why they experience so much lack. 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. 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 ChatGPT. He makes it easier than Grok. 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 have to do is open up your mouth and pray. 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.

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 Zacchaeus, "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 is what He is able to do, and they did something smart. They sent Jesus an invitation, and He accepts those invitations 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. Jesus is from Nazareth, and this wedding is in Cana, a small town. So how in the world would the bridegroom even know I need Jesus at my wedding?

John chapter one, we're already in two, just go up to John chapter one, and I want to read verse 47 through 49. It says, "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and He said to him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit.' Nathanael 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.' Nathanael answered Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.'"

Let me just say it this way. Jesus saw Nathanael and he said, "Man, that's a good dude right there." Nathanael said, "How you know me?" Jesus said, "I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael said, "Oh, You the Son of God." Y'all got that? That's what happened right there. There was a relationship getting built between Nathanael and Jesus.

Okay, now turn to John 21:2. John 21:2 says this: "Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee." And Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. Where is Nathanael from? Cana in Galilee. It tells you where he's from. This is a small town. He's from Cana. The wedding is in Cana. Jesus is from Nazareth. Nathanael just had a relationship in John chapter one with Jesus, where he called Jesus the Son of God, and the Son of God said, "I see you, Nathanael," and they built a relationship.

The bridegroom, because of a small-town atmosphere of Cana, knew Nathanael. Nathanael 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 Nathanael had with Jesus that the bridegroom didn't have yet.

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've got thousands of people that go to church, but all of their friends don't send Jesus an invite because you don't send Him an invite. They don't see Him in your life; they don't figure they need Him in theirs.

There was a relationship between Nathanael 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 sitting 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.

It has to go beyond just our conversation with Jesus because Nathanael's relationship to the bridegroom and Jesus would be the go-between for the bridegroom's miracle. We may be in our lack of relationship with Jesus postponing or stopping somebody else's miracle from Jesus. Here, the bridegroom made that invite. He had a relationship with Nathanael.

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.'" Let me help you. In the Bible days, weddings were a big deal. They would celebrate for seven days. 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 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 has not ran out, I can give you abundance and that won't run out. Your security won't run out, 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.

Guest (Male): What seemed like a social embarrassment was about to become a divine revelation. Jonathan will tell us more about that when he continues in just a moment. First, though, fixing your eyes on Jesus changes how you see interruptions, inconveniences, and impossible situations.

That's what we're discovering in this special series from Pastor Jonathan Evans called All Eyes on Jesus. This eight-part collection reveals how Christ's presence transforms ordinary moments into opportunities for His glory. When you learn to recognize His work in your life, your faith becomes active and expectant.

All eight messages are available on CD, USB flash drive, or digital download, and can be yours with our thanks when you make a donation to support the ministry. Through this week, we'll also include Jonathan's inspiring book, Your Time is Now, a practical guide to stepping forward in faith instead of holding back. Together, these resources will help you trust God more fully and respond to Him more easily. Make your request today at tonyevans.org or call 1-800-800-3222. Our team is ready to assist 24/7. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222. I'll repeat our contact information after part two of today's message and this.

Tony Evans: Many of the stories of the word of God were depicted in artistic forms, and some of the most magnificent pieces are still available to us today.

Guest (Female): On the Unbound podcast, Dr. Tony Evans and his guests explore how we encounter the spirit in everyday life, including art. I love that you are looking at the art and the architecture and really tracing that line. It must be true above all else, right? Why not make it beautiful while you're at it?

Guest (Male): Listen to the Unbound podcast with Tony Evans, available on all major podcast platforms. Let's return now to more from Jonathan Evans.

Jonathan Evans: Mary said, "Hey, they ain't got no wine." Jesus said, "Woman, what's that got to do with us? My hour has not yet come." Now, 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, verse 26, He calls her woman again when He tells her, "John's 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 woman again.

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. Now that He's starting His messianic journey to let everybody know who He is, her title is not greater than His title. You may be Mama, but I'm Messiah. You going to have to submit to Me now like everybody else. 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.

He said, "Woman, what's that got to do with us? My hour did not come." She said, "Okay." In verse five, His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Let me say it to you from a preacher. I don't know if He's going to heal you. I don't know if He's going to bring your mate. I don't know if He's going to give you a promotion. I don't know if He's going to give you a better day tomorrow. I don't know if He's going to take your suffering away. I don't know if He's going to 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 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 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.

And Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." So they filled them to the brim. 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. He's 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. 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 five thousand: 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. And he as the head waiter said, "I have no idea where this came from," but it says in parentheses, "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. 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.

When the head waiter tasted the water which had become wine, he did not know where it had come from, verse nine. The head waiter called the bridegroom 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 said, "Say, bro, everybody serve the good wine first; you kept the good wine till now." What they did in that culture is they would serve the good wine first, everybody 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 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 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?

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, that old wine doesn't just give you joy; it gives you judgment. 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.

In John chapter two, verse one, it starts with four words: "On the third day." On the third day, He went to Cana. 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's 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.

Guest (Male): Pastor Jonathan Evans, celebrating the redeeming love of a Savior who calls us His own. Now, what you heard on the broadcast today had to be edited for time, but the complete message, along with the seven others in Jonathan's All Eyes on Jesus series, is available to help you go deeper.

This eight-lesson collection walks you through Scripture to help you understand your identity in Christ and live from it with confidence. As I mentioned earlier, we're offering the entire series on CD, USB flash drive, or digital download, along with Jonathan's encouraging book, Your Time is Now. They're yours as our gift when you make a donation to support this ministry. Get all the details at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org, or call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members assist you. That number again is 1-800-800-3222. I'll have a quick word about what's coming up tomorrow right after this.

Tony Evans: I want to invite you to join me for the trip of a lifetime. Tony Evans invites you to journey with him through Israel this October. We're going to gather together with many of our friends to survey the sites of the Holy Land. You'll visit the site of the Sermon on the Mount, tour the Old City including the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and the Garden of Gethsemane. You'll overlook Nazareth, stand on the Mount of Olives, and walk the road where Jesus made His triumphal entry.

Along the way, Tony will share messages that'll give you new insight into familiar Bible stories. Not only will we have a great time in His word together, we'll have a great time being together with so many of who love the Lord and who love His word. There's a lot more in the itinerary. Visit tonyevans.org today to get the details and register before space runs out. Don't miss this chance to add a whole new dimension to your faith. Visit tonyevans.org today. Looking forward to meeting you for a glorious time on our journey to Israel.

Guest (Male): Have you ever known something was true about you, but struggled to live like it? To hear words of hope, but still feel weighed down by what you've been through? Tomorrow, Jonathan will walk us through a pivotal moment in Jacob's life, a night that looked ordinary on the surface but carried life-changing significance. It's a powerful story we can all learn from. I hope you'll join us.