Persecuted Series

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

IT’S A POP STAR CONSPIRACY

We live in a world filled with conspiracies about what is real and what isn’t. Everything from Elvis still being alive in a gas station in Minnesota to the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot.

Musicians cannot escape their own conspiracies it seems as evidenced by Elvis. But there are others:

1. Justin Bieber is a shapeshifting monster. At a concert in 2017, hundreds of Australian fans claimed to have witnessed the teen idol transform into a lizard before their very eyes. Amazingly, in this age of camera-enabled smartphones, there’s no footage of this shocking moment, but there is video of Bieber in which some conspiracy buffs insist they can see his eyes turn into a lizard-like black. (Other celebrities who have been tagged by conspiracists as reptilian include Mark Zuckerberg, Bob Hope, and the late Queen Elizabeth.

2. Deaths are also frequently claimed as faked. Elvis and Michael Jackson are 2 frequently mentioned. A third, Tupac Shakur has been said to have faked his death. Shakur died in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting in 1996. Or did he? At the time of his death, the rapper was signed to Death Row Records, a label founded by Marion “Suge” Knight, who as of 2019 is serving a 28-year prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter. He has a long rap sheet of other violent crimes, and Shakur so feared being murdered by Knight that he faked his death and fled to Malaysia.

3. Taylor Swift is said to have really died and has been replaced by a body double to continue bringing in money to her record company. In the video to the song, “Look What You Made Me Do” there is a line where Swift says, “Sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Cause she’s dead.” The song is supposed to be about personal rebirth and leaving the past behind, but some fans believe this line is a secret coded admission that she really died and the woman we now see walking around performing is an impostor, hired to keep making hits and raking in millions for the record company.

4. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are clones. The story goes that back when they first became famous in 1999, the teens got into a serious accident together when they were dating. Not wanting to let go of its cash cow, Jive Records replaced Britney with a clone (and they trot out a new one every few years when the current one goes crazy). As for Justin Timberlake, the current incarnation is also a clone, while the real one is still in a coma from that accident.

5. The Beatles aren’t even real. They weren’t four guys from Liverpool named John, Paul, George, and Ringo who got together to form a band, write song, and tour the world. It would be physically impossible for four individuals to have produced so many hit albums in such a short period of time, while maintaining a vigorous touring schedule. So how was the deception pulled off? By the use of “multiples”—a revolving door of lookalikes who played the roles of the “Fab Four” singing and performing songs written by teams of record label employees.

No one is safe from these kinds of stories. The moon landing, JFK…it seems that we live in a world where people are persecuted for just existing and having success.

This morning, we come to our last beatitude in Jesus’ Great Sermon on the Mount. Though this is the last one, we are going to split it up into 2 Sundays. I want us to consider the things Jesus is saying in these 3 verses that make up the final beatitude. For today, let’s read just verse 10 of Matthew chapter 5.

MATTHEW 5:10

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Up to this point, Jesus has preached some difficult sayings. Things that people have to work on and if successful, they will have lived a difficult but noble and admirable life. Being humble, meek, merciful, peacemakers is hard, but something we all aspire to. Then he takes all those things and says, “Guess what? Those things prepare you for this last one.”

Blessed are those who are persecuted.

Jesus is preparing these people for something. He is giving them an awareness about the life of a disciple. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, this Messiah you have been waiting for for centuries, you need to hear these words because this is the way you live as a follower, a student of Jesus.

But are those who are persecuted blessed? It seems like an obvious oxymoron. I certainly don’t feel blessed when I am persecuted. These people at this time did not like being persecuted and did not feel blessed. It was terrible! Jesus, why can’t you deliver us from persecution? Take all of these terrible people out! Send your armies to deliver us!