The Great Sin Of Presumption

I. "KEEP THY SERVANT ALSO FROM PRESUMPTUOUS SINS; LET THEM NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER ME; THEN SHALL I BE UPRIGHT, AND I SHALL BE INNOCENT FROM THE GREAT TRANSGRESSION"

A. Our text makes it crystal clear;

1. That the Psalmist considered the sin of presumption a most serious sin

2. He linked the sin of presumption with the great transgression

B. This approach by the Psalmist to the sin of presumption:

1. Should receive prayerful consideration by God's people

2. The serious nature of that sin deserves much prayerful thought by all of us

II. THE SIN OF PRESUMPTION

A. The meaning of the word "presumption":

1. To be presumptuous is to take too much for granted

2. It is the overstepping of the bounds of the perfect will of God

3. Presumption is motivated by audacity and effrontery

B. TheBibleisverypositivewhereitspeaksofthesinofpresumption:

1. That God has made no provision for the forgiveness of that sin - Num 15:28-31

2. "If a man comes presumptuously upon his neighbor to slay him with guile; thou shalt

take him from mine altar that he may die" - Ex 21:14

3. "And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that

standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel" - Deut 17:12

C. Thus it becomes very clear:

1. That the sin of presumption is an effrontery to God as demonstrated by Pharaoh's

arrogance when God asked him to release his slaves - Ex 5:1-3

2. This sin ignores the law of God and what the word of God requires of us

III. MY SPECIAL BURDEN ON THE SIN OF PRESUMPTION

A. It is a fatal sin to which anyone of us may be liable:

1. The Psalmist realized that and that is why he besought the Lord to hold him back from committing the great transgression

2. That it is a fatal sin is obvious from the penalty attached to it - death

3. It seems to this writer that John must have reference to this sin when he says, "There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he shall pray for it" - I John 5:16

B. It seems very obvious:

1. That the sin of presumption is a willful sin; a premeditated sin - a sin based upon arrogance

2. It is a sin of defiance against God and His word; if that is correct, then it is clear that Paul spoke of that sin on numerous occasions - compare Heb 6:4-6 with chapter 10:26-29

C. The Bible makes it clear, also, that the sin of presumption is a sin against light:

1. The antediluvians committed that sin when they boldly ignored the appeal of the Holy Spirit to repent - Gen 6:1-12; Luke 17:26-30

2. The world in the days before the Son of God comes in the clouds of heaven, after rejecting the appeal of God's mercy, will be guilty of the same sin

D. A few clear cases of the sin of presumption:

1. The man of God that returned with the prophet that had lied to him - I Kings 13:8-25

2. King Saul committed the sin of presumption when he deliberately disobeyed the voice of the Lord - I Sam 15:1-35

3. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, committed the sin of presumption - Acts 5:1-11

4. Judas committed the sin of presumption when he sold his Master and betrayed him with a kiss - Matt 27:1-5

5. Herod Agrippa committed the sin of presumption when he accepted the honor that belongs to God alone - Acts 12:21-23

6. Many religionists in the last days will commit the sin of presumption by assuming that they can substitute their own concept of righteousness for the word of God - Matt 7:21-26