Shepherding Saints Toward Death, Pt. 3
One of the major themes that winds through the book of Hebrews is the encouragement to believers to persevere in their faith, ever holding on to Christ, especially as the Day of judgment draws near. In other words, the author of Hebrews is pastorally preaching in such a way so as to strengthen Christians to not give up; to be prepared, to be ready, for the day of death. The words of Hebrews 11:13, “these all died in faith” almost perfectly captures the heart of this theme.
It is not for nothing that death is referred to by Paul as “the last enemy” (1 Cor. 15:26). He is a fearsome and ferocious enemy of God and God’s people, stealing away life and severing love. We praise God for the hope we have in Christ who not only will destroy death but as turned our death into sleep. In Christ, all believers wake up! Still, we know that many saints still tremble at the encroaching coldness of that last enemy, death. And so, the questions that we’ve been wrestling with is how might pastors better strengthen their congregants to face that last enemy when the time comes.
As was argued previously, pastors are to work hard in grounding the faith of the sheep solely in the word, ever hopeful for heaven, and entirely reliant upon Christ. In the end, Christ must be held and sought after. Not only because he is the destroyer of death; he certainly is that – “that through [his own] death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15) But also because he alone is uniquely fitted to help believers now who are tempted to give up! “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).
Pastors then are Christ’s gift to the church to help the church find their ultimate help in Christ. And make no mistake, the sheep within the church are daily being tempted – tempted by the world, by their own lusts, and by Satan himself – to abandon and forsake Christ. This is why pastors must feed Christ’s sheep, ever strengthening them with His word, so that they have the strength to resist temptation and continue following Jesus. Having your congregants persevere in faith is why pastors preach week in and week out. We don’t stop feeding them with Christ’s word so that they don’t stop following Christ till the end. “Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13).
Puritan pastor David Clarkson (1622-1686) reminds us well, “It is he who must hear that ravishing welcome from the mouth of God, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’ and must receive a glorious crown from the hand of Christ – ‘Be thou faithful unto death.’ Faith enters with triumph into heaven, it conquers all opposition. ‘This is your victory whereby ye overcome the world, even your faith.’ It conquers Satan; the shield of faith quenches his darts, conquers sin, conquers death… it disarms him, and then enters heaven with a triumph, ‘O death, where is thy sting?’ Given victory through Christ, what we have through him, we have by faith in him.”[1]
This is the pastors charge – to feed the sheep so much with the inscripturated words of Christ that, upon death, they may immediately wake up and hear the audible words of Christ: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” This is precisely why Hebrews charges us to “take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:12-14). It should go without saying, but pastors are the chief “exhorters” within the church! And so, we exhort. We preach Christ.
I have found deep encouragement, as of late, in the last dying days of one great “exhorter”, the man known as the Pastor of Kilsyth, the Reverend W.H. Burns. An acquaintance of his records for us his last days and I add here as an encouragement, a model, of one who spent his days exhorting and encouraging others and who himself fed on that self-same encouragement. Indeed, “the art of dying well is easier learned by examples than by directions.”[2] Here is a great example.
“The weakness which at last laid low his massive and once robust and active frame, commenced about ten weeks before his death; this weakness gradually increased till he was able to sit up, only for a few hours at a time. The last day of his public service on earth was Sabbath, 27th March, when he preached from the text, ‘A faithful man who can find?’ He was scarcely able to ascend the pulpit; but as there was no supply forthcoming for that day, by a very great effort he engaged in his loved employment, and was wonderfully strengthened during the first part of the service, but found after praise and prayer that he was unable to finish the discourse. Many of the people felt or feared it was his last appearance in that pulpit, where, till the advanced age of eighty, which he reached two months before, he had continued to break the bread of life amongst his people, most of whom he had baptized and admitted to the communion of the Church, and many of whom, there is reason to believe, he had been the honoured instrument of guiding to the Saviour…
‘If I only could get something to restore the tone of my stomach,’ he one day said, ‘I think I might still wear through this attack,’ having had a similar one about the same season last year.
‘Ah no, father,’ said his daughter, ‘this is the battle with the last enemy.’
‘Do you think so?’ said he, calmly and even cheerfully.
‘Oh yes,’ it was replied.
‘And does the doctor think so?’
‘Oh yes, he does.’
‘I am very glad of it,’ said he; and after that he scarce had one other thought about life. He had a desire to remain for the sake of his poor flock, who lay very near his heart; but he had a stronger desire still to depart and to be with Christ, which was far better. After he had fully realized that his end was approaching, his meekness, and humility, and longing to be with Christ were very beautifully displayed in harmony together. His frequent exclamation was, ‘Let me away! Lord, take me home!’
During severe sickness, which was one of the most distressing aspects of his illness, he was heard praying… ‘Lord, thou canst not refuse me,’ and after a pause, ‘for His sake.’ The singing of his favourite psalms and hymns always soothed him, even when he was in the greatest suffering; and when it was thought he was realizing little of the world without, even till within one hour of his end, he was often heard joining with his low bass voice in the last line or words of the verse, and always adding in a loud, clear voice, ‘Amen, Amen.’[3]
[1] David Clarkson, The Works of David Clarkson, vol. 1 (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1988), p. 239-240
[2] Samuel Ward, Sermons (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1996), p. 43-44
[3] Islay Burns, The Pastor of Kilsyth: The Life and Times of W.H. Burns (The Banner of Truth Trust, 2020), p. 167-170
