Adapted from a Greg Nance sermon https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/2-over-committed-greg-nance-sermon-on-commitment-190959?ref=SermonSeriesDetails

2. Are you too busy? What does God tell us about
over commitment in Christian service?
Last week we began a sub-series of lessons on
commitment, with the question:
Where is your commitment?
We ended that lesson looking at some of
Jesus’s words from the sermon on the mount
where Jesus tells us what to commit to and
what not to commit to, what not to worry about
and what to seek above all else.

3. Jesus’s teachings on the subject of commitment
are filled with power and promises. He does not
mince words. He says plainly, store up
treasures in heaven where things last, not on
earth where they don’t, and keep your focus on
that which is light, not darkness. He tells us that
no one can serve two masters…

4. … Applying it this way: you can’t serve both
God and money. Finally, we heard Jesus’s
command and promise: NIV
As we continue with this study on commitment,
today let’s look at some things God tells us
about over commitment.
Again, let’s consider three illustrations:

5. First: King Solomon. God gave Solomon
wisdom and wealth and fame. But Solomon did
something that became his downfall.
He married 700 wives and had 300 concubines.
I’d call that a serious case of over commitment,
wouldn’t you?
One of Solomon’s ladies asked him,
“Do you love me? Am I special to you?”
Solomon replied, “Yes my love, you are very
special, you’re one in a thousand!”

6. NIV

8. Solomon gives us this piece from his
experience.
NIV

10. Second: The third soil in the Parable of the
Sower.
Jesus explains what the seed sown in the
thorny ground means.
NIV

11. These people are committed to too much!
They can’t let go of the things of this world, but
don’t want to let go of the things of heaven
either.
Theirs is the case of trying to serve two
masters.
John warns us in his 1st epistle.

12. NIV

13. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father
is not in him.
It is over commitment.
Again, echoing Jesus words, “No one can serve
two masters… you can not serve both God and
money” That’s over commitment.

14. Third: Israel. When God delivered the children
of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and led them
into the desert He brought them to Mount Sinai
and gave them the covenant of the 10
commandments.
What is the very first commandment?
NIV

15. Don’t misunderstand that word “before” it
doesn’t mean put the Lord God first and serve
other gods after Him, it means NO OTHER
GODS at all.
What was Israel’s response to this
commandment?
Idolatry ruined them as a nation for generations.
Commitment to more than one God is over
commitment.

16. Over commitment causes us to do less, not
more good for the kingdom of God.
It can work in subtle ways as well as more
obvious ones. Let’s look at one of the more
subtle ways we can fall into over commitment.
Luke records an event in Jesus’ ministry where
Martha invited Jesus and his disciples over for
dinner. That’s 13 men. That’s quite a
commitment for dinner, wouldn’t you say?
tells this story. But 1st we’ll look
at .

17. We’ll look at this and see what we can learn in a
lesson about commitment and over
commitment.
Martha is a faithful follower of Jesus.
She is the sister of Mary and Lazarus.
We meet this family a few times in the scriptures
and it is obvious that Jesus was close to them.

18. We don’t know how they met or just how their
relationship grew, but a good guess is that
Martha had a lot to do with it.
Most notable about their relationship is the
event we find only in ’s gospel, chapter ,
where Lazarus becomes sick and the sisters
send a message to Jesus, hoping for Him to
come and heal their brother.

19. Jesus delays going until Lazarus is already
dead. Then when He does go to see them, by
the time He arrives, Lazarus has been buried for
four days. Martha hears that Jesus has come
and she runs out to greet Jesus and tearfully
says to Him, Lord, if only you had been here, my
brother would not have died. Then she goes
further and reveals her faith saying, even now I
know that God will give you whatever you ask.
Back to to pick up this story.

20. NIV

25. Now, that event happened sometime after the
event in; NIV

27. In this story, Jesus mildly rebukes Martha,
doesn’t He? In fact, Jesus speaks freely with
Martha in both this event and the one in
. Martha seems to have a strong personality.
She’s the one who invited Jesus and his
disciples in for dinner. She’s the first one out to
see Him when he comes at Lazarus’s death, and
she’s the one who speaks her mind to even
Jesus at this first dinner.

28. How many of you ladies would say that you
sympathize with Martha?
Well, the problem Martha has here is not that
she loves to work and serve, the problem is
when she not only blames Mary for not getting
up and helping her, but she comes to Jesus and
blames Him for not caring about it!
Did you see that?

29. Mary’s sitting and listening to Jesus is not what
Martha has a hard time with, it’s that she’s
sitting and listening to Jesus when there’s work
to do in the kitchen and she needs help doing it
and no one seems to even notice! Not even
Jesus! I see this as a case of over commitment.

30. Over commitment can lead to unwarranted
blame and accusation. Now there’s a time for
blame and accusation, but not because I have
bitten off more than I can chew. That’s a time for
confession and a humble appeal for help. Had
Martha humbly walked in and said, “I’m so
sorry, but I have more than I can handle in here,
is there anyone who would mind helping?” This
event may have never been recorded in the
Bible.

31. But Martha is a wonderful servant hearted
follower of Jesus who has over committed and
when she feels the pain of it all, is not ready to
admit it, but is ready to scold the Lord for not
caring.
We have a lot of committed workers in this
congregation who fix food and serve at
fellowship activities and clean up and make
great things happen for us!

32. This church is blessed with lots of Martha type
working servants. God gave us this gift and we
need to be thankful and be aware of the ways
those of us who are not Martha types can do our
part. We have some Mary types here too, don’t
we? Some who’d rather sit with Jesus than
serve with Martha any day. Jesus commends
Mary for her heart, but, let’s face it, most of us
would rather go to Martha’s for supper wouldn’t
we?

33. Jesus defends Mary here.
He also defends Mary another time, after
Lazarus has been raised by Jesus at a dinner
given for him in the house of Simon the leper.

34. NIV

35. NIV

36. Mary and Martha love Jesus.
We never hear of Mary wrongfully blaming or
accusing anyone.
If she did, Jesus would speak to her as well.
Sooo… what’s the application?
What do we learn about over commitment and
proper commitment?

37. Commitment always needs to center on Christ.
Commitment to serve needs to be conditioned
by commitment to Christ so that we do it all for
Him the best we can and we do it without blame
and accusation toward those who do not join us
as readily as we may think they should.

38. Or when we see others that do not share our
over commitment, we do not get our feelings
hurt and operate out of that condition.
When we do everything we do in the name of
Jesus Christ and as working for Him, we can
avoid the pitfalls of blame and accusation that
come from over commitment.

39. Over commitment in service happens when our
serving loses its center on Christ and it causes
damage to relationships instead of building up
relationships. Faithful Christians who over
commit to service may get discouraged and
want to quit serving, or get their feelings hurt
and blame others when they see others who are
not doing what they think they should be doing
the way they think it should be done. It is easy
to hear the accuser whisper blame when our
eyes are off of Christ and on others.

40. But that does not mean that lazy bones, and
thoughtless Jones do not get addressed and
corrected. Is there a place for those committed to
service to call for helpers? Absolutely! And there is
a great benefit in those gifted in service teaching
and helping develop that gift in others. There is also
a place to point out laziness or distraction in others
who need to get to work. But it must be from a
proper center on Christ and not from a self-centered
position of over commitment that does more
damage than good for relationships.

41. By the way, hospitality is hard work. All of us
Mary's need to appreciate our Martha
counterparts. It is interesting in scripture how
many times the New Testament commands us to
be hospitable toward one another, and Peter
tells us to do it without complaining. Why?
Because it is hard work and it can be expensive
too. You have to buy the food, clean the house,
make the meals, clean up afterwards, and all the
while be nice!

42. That’s not easy! Hey, it’s easy to be like Martha
when you invite a pile of people over and work
your head off and no one seems to notice how
swamped you are in getting the food at the
store, working in the kitchen before, during and
even after the meal!
Hospitable people need all the support and
encouragement we can give them.

43. By the way, all of us need to be hospitable.
Hospitality is not a suggestion in the Bible.
It is a command.
Want to see?
Why should you and I be hospitable?

44. God is a hospitable Father.
He has prepared a great banquet for His church. He
has purchased us with the highest price He could
pay.
It cost the casting of every sin of humanity, from the
beginning till the very end, on His beloved Son, to
the point God the Father could not even look at
Jesus as He died from the weight of all the wrongs
of the world.
He has thought of everything for us to have the
greatest joy forever in His presence at this glorious
feast.

45. You and I are invited to come.
Meanwhile, we are commanded to invite others
to join us.
He is committed to us, and He wants us to be
committed to Him and not distracted by over
commitments that do not bring about His
purposes.