What Is This Sermon Trying to Do?
At its heart, the sermon seeks to answer a single question:
How does Scripture show that Christ is our true High Priest, and what does that mean for us now?
The preacher answers this progressively.
He first defines priesthood. He then demonstrates Christ’s fitness for the office. He goes on to establish Christ’s superiority over all previous priests. He shows that Christ’s priestly work is complete in both sacrifice and intercession. Only then does he ask what benefit this brings to the believer.
This is not a loose devotional. It is a structured doctrinal argument.
The Shape of the Sermon
The sermon unfolds in four deliberate stages:
definition → qualification → superiority → application
This progression is clear and sustained throughout.
The opening prayer is not incidental. It establishes theological tone. God is sovereign, salvation is gracious, and the people are dependent. Already the sermon is preparing the hearer to think in categories that will later be explained.
The catechism provides the entry point. Christ is introduced as Prophet, Priest, and King, and the sermon narrows its focus to the priestly office. The transition from the previous sermon on Christ as Prophet is handled cleanly, giving continuity to the series.
From that point, the sermon builds.
Suitability: Can Christ Be Priest?
The first major section asks what qualifies a priest.
Hebrews 5:1 supplies the framework:
This becomes the controlling structure.
The preacher shows that Christ meets each requirement. He is truly man, and therefore able to represent humanity. He is appointed by God, not self-appointed. His work is directed toward God, not merely toward human experience. And his task is to deal with sin.
Here the incarnation is interpreted priestly. Christ became man not simply to teach or to model, but to mediate.
This section is clear, ordered, and catechetically strong.
Superiority: Is Christ the True Priest?
The sermon then moves from qualification to comparison.
Drawing heavily on Hebrews, the preacher argues that Christ is superior to all previous mediators. The pattern is cumulative. Christ is greater in:
The argument builds toward a central claim: Christ is not only the priest who offers sacrifice, but the sacrifice itself.
This is one of the sermon’s strongest theological moments. The categories converge. The priesthood is not merely fulfilled. It is transformed.
The section is rich, though dense. The number of subpoints requires careful listening.
Completion: What Does a Priest Actually Do?
The third movement clarifies priestly action.
Two elements are identified:
The preacher insists that both are essential. Without sacrifice, there is no atonement. Without intercession, there is no application.
The Day of Atonement provides the pattern. Christ fulfils it completely. He offers himself. He enters the true Holy of Holies. He presents his work before the Father. He continues to intercede.
The sermon here is particularly strong in its insistence that salvation is not only accomplished in the past, but actively applied in the present.
Benefit: What Does This Mean for the Believer?
Only after the doctrinal structure is in place does the sermon turn explicitly to the hearer.
Old Testament imagery is used effectively. The high priest bore the names of the people on his heart and shoulders. This becomes a picture of Christ’s present care.
The application is simple and direct.
Christ remembers his people.
Christ carries his people.
Christ intercedes for his people.
The sermon presses the hearer: Do you know this? Are you living in the good of it?
The closing movement is experiential, though it arrives late.
Structural Strengths
The sermon is marked by clarity of architecture. It does not drift. Each section builds on the last.
Its use of Hebrews is especially effective. The preacher follows the logic of the text rather than imposing a foreign structure upon it.
The fourfold pattern from Hebrews 5:1 provides a memorable framework. This is good teaching. It helps the hearer retain the material.
Most importantly, the sermon is theologically centred. The atonement is presented as Godward. Sin is treated seriously. Christ’s work is sufficient and complete.
Structural Pressures
The sermon carries weight.
The superiority section, while rich, introduces many categories in quick succession. Without periodic summary, the hearer must hold several lines of thought at once.
Application is also delayed. The heart is addressed, but only after extended doctrinal development. Some hearers may struggle to remain engaged until that point.
These are not fatal flaws. They are pressures created by the sermon’s ambition.
A Pastoral and Rhetorical Reading
In terms of ethos, the sermon carries real authority. It is Scripture-saturated, reverent, and Christ-centred. The preacher does not draw attention to himself.
In teaching, the sermon is clear but demanding. It forms categories rather than offering impressions. It expects the hearer to think.
In delivery, as far as can be inferred, the structure supports clarity but risks fatigue in the densest sections. The strongest movement comes near the end, where doctrine finally gives way to assurance.
Final Assessment
This is a serious doctrinal sermon.
It teaches what a priest is.
It shows that Christ is that priest.
It explains what Christ has done.
It assures the believer of what Christ is doing now.
Its movement is deliberate:
from definition
to fulfilment
to completion
to assurance
It is not light. It is not hurried. It does not entertain.
But it does what faithful preaching must do. It leads the hearer to Christ, not merely as an example or teacher, but as the living High Priest who has made atonement and who now intercedes.
And that is solid ground for the soul.
