All Mouth, No Mission: When Faith Becomes Performance

 Sermon Title: "All Mouth, No Mission: When Faith Becomes Performance"

Scripture Readings:

Matthew 23:3-5

James 2:14-17

Introduction:
Good evening, church.
Tonight, we need to confront something uncomfortable — something that doesn’t belong in God’s house but often creeps in through the back door of pride and performance.

We’re talking about those who talk the talk, but won’t walk the walk.
Those who know the words of the faith, but not the weight of them.
Those who can quote Scripture, but won’t cross the street to help a neighbor.

I. Jesus’ Rebuke: Preaching Without Practicing (Matthew 23)
Jesus doesn't mince words in Matthew 23. He warns us about the religious elite of His day:

“They preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”

They were all mouth — no mission.

They loved appearances more than obedience. They enlarged their phylacteries and lengthened their fringes — all symbols of piety — but their hearts were hollow.

Let me ask you:
Are you more concerned with looking holy than being helpful?
Do you shine your shoes for church but ignore the needs of the widow or the poor?

Jesus isn’t impressed by religious performance. He’s looking for faith in action.

II. James’ Challenge: Faith Without Works is Dead (James 2:14–17)
James echoes the heart of Jesus:

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body — what good is that?”

In other words: talk is cheap.
You can say, “God bless you” a hundred times, but if you never lift a finger to help someone in need, then your blessing is empty air.

Faith without works isn’t faith. It’s fiction.

III. What Does Real Faith Look Like?
Real faith moves.

It gets involved.
It shows up early and stays late.
It prays — yes — but it also picks up the shovel, buys the groceries, changes the flat tire, comforts the grieving, and serves without applause.

Real faith doesn’t need a platform or a pulpit. It just needs a heart that loves like Christ.

IV. The Example of Jesus
Jesus never asked us to do anything He didn’t do Himself.

He washed feet when no one else would.
He touched lepers when everyone else ran.
He carried the cross when no one else could.

If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, you can’t sit in the bleachers. You’re called to the field.

Conclusion: Walk the Walk
Let this be a heart check tonight.

Are you just a speaker of good things — or a doer of God’s will?
Do your actions reflect your beliefs?

Let your faith be visible, practical, and sacrificial.

Because at the end of your life, God won’t ask how many verses you memorized.

He’ll ask, “What did you do for the least of these?”

Benediction:
“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18

Go out and live that truth.