You Don't Need to Perform

We all know what it feels like to walk through the wrong door, both literally and figuratively. One moment, you're thinking you're on the right path, only to realize you've ended up somewhere you never intended. Spiritually, this happens to so many of us when we believe the way to God's love is through perfect performance. In today's world, where performance is praised and perfection is pursued, it is easy to get trapped in a performance-based religion.

But Jesus offers a radically different door. A better way. A way rooted not in our striving, but in His finished work.

The Rise and Fall of the Pharisees
In Jesus' time, the Pharisees were the elite religious leaders. They started strong: respected, revered, and even emulated. They knew the Scriptures backward and forward. They set the standards for piety.

Over time, though, their rigid commitment to performance without grace turned them into figures of judgment rather than inspiration. They believed connecting with God was about rule-keeping, box-checking, and staying "pure" through human effort. It was a classic model of performance-based religion, one that demanded endless striving but offered no rest for the soul.

Jesus interrupted that system. He exposed the emptiness of trying to earn God's love through human effort, showing that God's heart was never about perfection through performance. It was always about grace through faith.

Two Encounters That Changed Everything
In John chapters 8 and 9, Jesus challenges the Pharisees' framework through two powerful encounters:

1. The Woman Caught in Adultery
The Pharisees dragged a woman, exposed and ashamed, before a public crowd. They cared nothing about her restoration, only about her humiliation. Their agenda was clear: shame her, stone her, and trap Jesus in the process. But Jesus did not play their game. Instead of condemning her, He offered grace. He challenged anyone without sin to throw the first stone, and one by one, they all left. Then He spoke words she had probably never expected to hear: "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." (John 8:11)

2. The Healing of the Blind Man on the Sabbath
Another time, Jesus healed a man born blind. He did this on the Sabbath, the holy day when religious leaders believed no work should be done. Instead of celebrating a miracle, the Pharisees attacked Him. Their commitment to performance rules blinded them to the goodness of God standing right in front of them.

In both cases, Jesus demonstrated that compassion, not performance, is the true doorway to knowing God.

Performance-Based Religion: The Wrong Door
Jesus’ message was simple but revolutionary: "Performing and hoping for acceptance is the wrong door."

If you have ever based your relationship with God on how well you behave, you know how exhausting and frustrating that path is. Trying to earn God's love through perfect performance leads to:

●Exhaustion — always trying harder, but never feeling like I'm doing enough
●Frustration — when failure inevitably comes, shame quickly follows
●Discouragement — the sense that maybe real peace with God is just impossible

I have been there, too. I thought that if I kept every rule, avoided every sin, served endlessly, and behaved perfectly, God would finally be proud of me. But the more I tried, the more depleted I became.

And the more depleted I became, the more guilty I felt.

That is the vicious cycle of performance-based religion. It promises blessings, but delivers burnout.

Jesus: The True Door
Instead of performance, Jesus offers Himself: "I am the door." (John 10:9)

He did not just open a new door to God. He became the door. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus made a way for us to step into relationship with the Father, not based on our efforts, but based on His finished work.

Paul describes it beautifully in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

We do not achieve righteousness through our performance. We receive it through Christ.
In God's kingdom, acceptance is not earned. It is gifted.

How to Rest in Grace Daily
Every day, we face a choice: Am I resting in my efforts or in Jesus?

Here are four daily steps to help break free from performance-based religion and walk in grace:

1. Evaluate Your Heart
Ask yourself each morning: "Am I doing this (praying, reading, serving) because I love God or because I am trying to earn His love?"

2. Anchor Yourself in Scripture
Fill your mind with truth, not lies. Passages like Romans 8:1, Ephesians 2:8-9, and Galatians 5:1 remind us that freedom, not fear, marks the life Jesus offers.

3. Pray with Honesty
You do not have to impress God. Bring your real emotions, your fears, and your failures. He already knows, and He already loves you.

4. Celebrate Grace Moments
When you fail (and you will), instead of spiraling into shame, celebrate the reminder that God's love is never based on your flawless record.

Walking Through the Right Door
Choosing to trust Jesus over performance is not a one-time event. It is a daily decision.
Culture will still scream that your worth depends on what you achieve. Religion will still whisper that God is waiting for you to get it together. But Jesus stands patiently at the door, reminding you that His acceptance is not based on your perfection. It is based on His.

When we walk through that door, we find real freedom:

●Freedom to rest
●Freedom to fail and get back up
●Freedom to love God back, not out of fear, but out of gratitude

So today, and every day, let us walk through the right door. Let us choose Jesus over exhausting religion.


This blog is based on the message shared by Cityrise Bellaire campus pastor Chris DeArman on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Check out the full message below!