Title:- Wrap Rage
Luke 2:12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
Goods and gifts now purchased by us all are so securely packaged that there is rarely any chance of damage in either transportation or distribution. The problem is that for the average bear, getting into these things can be a formidable problem! Broken nails, chipped teeth, pulled out hair, and in 2003, in the United Kingdom, 67,000 visits to the emergency department of local hospitals are testimony to what has become known as ‘Wrap Rage!’I am sure that it will come of no surprise to many of you when I tell you that the Bible has always presented its greatest surprises tightly wrapped and that they too have caused some horrific problems, even some terrifying ‘Wrap Rage’, if you will.
From the fall of man in the garden of Eden, when the promise of the E.W.F. (Eternal Wrestling Federation) champion, the ‘Head Crusher,’ was given as a light and a hope to Adam and to all of us so genetically bound up in him, a struggle of gigantic proportions has been taking place. Time and again, from the slaying of Abel, through the attempted, fallen angelic corruption of humanity and the destruction of Messianic Kingdoms, the enemy has tried to thwart the arrival of the Promise, the Messiah, the Saviour, the Redeemer, the lovely, the beautiful, majestic, desirable, honorable, worthy, King, Master and Shepherd, the Good, the One and only, the Son of God, Prince Jesus! Yup, as soon as this promise was given, the cry went up from the ring announcer,
“Let’s get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeee!”
The enemy failed to stop the arrival of the promise and failed most thoroughly at trying to thwart His mission! However, his rage is still very great. Bunyan was correct when personifying our enemy as, ‘Apollyon the Destroyer,' who when facing ‘Christian’ walking in the will of God, comes against him breaking into ‘A grievous rage, saying, “I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate His person, His laws, and people: I am come out on purpose to withstand thee." Fear not these all too familiar and dreadfully felt words dear friends, and don’t cringe in cowardice after his fiery bombast, but rather, let your heart beat in time with Bunyan’s Christian when he replies, “Apollyon, beware what you do, for I am in the King’s highway, the way of holiness; therefore take heed to yourself.” My fellow Christian, if you are on ‘The Way of Holiness’ today then you need not fear the injuries of any Satanic ‘Wrap Rage.’ He needs to fear you!
Listen: -
“Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; and Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail; by the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made Christian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his work amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfully as he could. This sore combat lasted for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know that Christian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker and weaker.
Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall; and with that Christian’s sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am sure of thee now. And with that he had almost pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life; but as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching of his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly stretched out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying, Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall I shall arise; and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian perceiving that, made at him again, saying, Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon’s wings, and sped him away, that Christian for a season saw him no more.
In this combat no man can imagine, unless he had seen and heard as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made all the time of the fight--he spake like a dragon; and, on the other side, what sighs and groans burst from Christian’s heart. I never saw him all the while give so much as one pleasant look, till he perceived he had wounded Apollyon with his two-edged sword; then, indeed, he did smile, and look upward; but it was the dreadfullest sight that ever I saw…………………….. Then there came to him a hand, with some of the leaves of the tree of life, the which Christian took, and applied to the wounds that he had received in the battle, and was healed immediately. He also sat down in that place to eat bread, and to drink of the bottle that was given him a little before; so, being refreshed, he addressed himself to his journey, with his sword drawn in his hand; for he said, I know not but some other enemy may be at hand.
Pray: - Lord, in all this wrap rage of my enemy, help me to be a true resistance fighter, and please O God, contend with him who contends with me. Amen.
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