First Sunday in Lent - 7 Mar 1954

The first three Sundays in Lent are devoted to the consideration of temptations as proceeding from the devil, the flesh and the world. Today it is the temptations of the devil. In the Gospel we have an account of our Lord’s temptations. Every temptation of both of Christ and ours is directed against son-ship and its object is to interfere between the sons of God and their Heavenly Father, and to separate man from the favour and grace of God. Christ came to ‘destroy the works of the devil and make us sons of God’. Satan comes to ‘unmake’ the sons of God. Christ was tempted in three ways; we in many ways, but always with the same end in view, that we may lose our birthright as sons of God.

Our Lord’s first temptation was to use His miraculous powers as His own to gratify His own wants, whereas as a Son of God He ought to have faith in the care of the Heavenly Father and be dependent on his Father’s will. It was a temptation to destroy his son-ship.

The second temptation was to presume upon His son-ship. ‘If you are the Son of God then fall down from this pinnacle and God will protect you.’ To presume is to tempt God. It is to ask God to bless our disobedience. …………………………………………..

The third temptation was to be disloyal to His Son-ship. The devil wanted Jesus to worship him and to be disloyal to God. Our Lord’s answer was, ‘Get thee behind me Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ So we see that the temptations that come to us from the devil are to break off the relationship that exists between ourselves and God our Father.

(Editor: Blank space where smudging of the handwriting has made the words illegible.)