Emptied of Yourself to be Filled Up with Christ

Someone who is full of himself needs, not only to be emptied of himself, but to be filled up with Christ; lest seven other demons worse than the first come and set up house in him.

Judas got over himself, alright; yes, he saw to that himself, when he ended his own life in despair.  Not the solution.  Simon Peter, on the other hand, was first of all emptied, and then he was filled up, when he was both humbled and exalted by the Lord.  For the Lord lifts up the lowly and fills the empty with good things, by the preaching of the Gospel to the poor, by proclaiming the Year of Jubilee to those who are under the thumb, and by giving the Kingdom of God to those who have become like little children.

The real problem with being full of yourself, is not that it is tacky, rude, or boorish, but that it is deadly idolatry.  It is a kind of self-cannibalism, really, for your own insatiable appetite for yourself will simply consume you from the inside-out, piece by piece.  The god of yourself can never fill you up; you cannot add an inch or an hour to yourself or your life; you cannot bestow more than you already have, but, instead, you are emptied of everything you were given, by devouring yourself, one bite and one breath at a time.

When the Lord demolishes the idol of yourself, He does so not to shame, embarrass, or humiliate you, but rather to be your God and give you life.  He tears down, in order to build up.  He wounds, in order to heal.  He kills, in order to make alive.  His goal is not to get even or get revenge, nor to teach you a lesson, nor to punish you, but to save you from yourself, for life with Himself.  He is not jealous of you, but for you.

So He does not simply crush your ego, but He recreates you in His Image.  And when He knocks you off your pedestal, He does so in order to bring you into His Kingdom.  For He would not have you make a name for yourself, which could not last, but He names you with His own Name.  He makes you His own child, and gives you what is His.  Thus, He restores you, He makes you brand new, and He brings you to perfection.

The Lord does not "put you in your place," as you deserve for your hubris, but He has taken your place in humility, and emptied Himself, and made Himself nothing, in order to raise you up, to fill you with Himself and His good Spirit, and to give you His own glorious place with the Father.

Rebuke, Redemption, and Repentance

A pointed rebuke, apart from the proclamation of redemption, is not yet the preaching of repentance, but is simply the accusation of the Law, which exposes sin, burdens the conscience, and drives man to despair.  This work of the Law is necessary, but, by itself, it is not able to bring about repentance.  For true repentance comprises not only sorrow for sin, but also confident trust in the Lord's mercies.

In confronting an individual concerning a particular wrong, it may be that he remains recalcitrant and stubbornly persists in his sin.  In such a case, he should be admonished and rebuked with the Law, but not absolved or consoled with the Gospel, until his prideful heart is broken by contrition. That does not call for a reading of his heart, but for his acknowledgment of sin and sorrow for it, and a fleeing to the Lord for mercy.

In offering an open rebuke, however, whether in preaching to the congregation, or in public discourse online or elsewhere, there must needs be the preaching of Christ and His Redemption of the world.  The preacher does not presume upon anyone's heart, whether for good or ill, but proceeds in the confidence of the Word of the Lord, both the Law and the Gospel, that these will accomplish the purpose for which they are spoken.

The sharp sting of the Law, which pierces the heart and soul of the sinner, and slays the old Adam in his sin, is to be accompanied by the sweet savor of the Gospel, which heals the brokenhearted and comforts the terrified conscience, setting the sinner free from guilt and shame through the Cross and Resurrection of Christ Jesus.  For God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men's trespasses against them.  It is by the preaching of this Gospel that true repentance is accomplished and brought to completion through faith in the forgiveness of sins.