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Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It remains a great privilege to preach to the saints and faith believers of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church.

I want to begin this morning by reading a free-style poem entitled “Those People.”

We all know “those people”

You know, “Those people.”

Those people who walk around the room

With their chests puffed out

Lookin like a personified soufflé

They make you want to shout.

The stuck up nose people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people with no standards

Their life is a party and they’re the disco ball

Who knows what they haven’t tried

You watch just waiting for the inevitable fall

The anything goes people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people who just can’t be satisfied

Always expressing how they want their life to rearrange

But that’s all they do—express

No action, just waiting for the change

The that’s where the green grass grows people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people with the lofty words

Who’s loquacious musings confound and confuse

Like they aren’t talking to me, but over

The I don’t know what you’re saying but I hope your amused

Always flaunting their prose people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people hanging on by just a thread

Everyday is another problem with no end in sight

Why are they telling me about this?

Do they expect me to be their white knight?

The life messier than sloppy joes people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people that just won’t cheer up

Some might label them a Debbie Downer

I think that’s offensive to those named Debbie

This one I’m talking about, no one wants to be around her.

The depressed, dejected morose people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people who just won’t leave well enough alone

Every conversation is a form of escalation

Won’t ever let a sleeping dog lie

I wish these folks would be put under sedation

The never friendly, always foes people

You know. “Those people.”

Or those people who define themselves by their relationships

Jumping from guy to guy with out a break

Where’s she gonna be sleeping tonight?

How long before the next guy flakes?

The girls had a few too many beaus people

You know. “Those people.”

We all know “those people”

You know, “Those people.”

But did you know we’re all someone else’s “those people.”

From each of us offensive sin flows, people.

But through Christ “Those people” become “Chose People.”

So let’s be less concerned with defining “Those people”

And instead show “those people” where hope grows, people.

Introduce them to the One from whom Everlasting water flows, people.

The One who loves even though all of our sin He knows, people.

For it is only because Christ arose, people, are we those He knows, people.

Yeah, I’m glad to be one of those people.

*PRAY*

Today we are picking up in the 9th verse of Matthew 9. You can turn there now if you have not already. And we are going to be seeing the interaction between Jesus Christ, “Those people” and, those people who define those people. As I was preparing this message I became fixated on the concept of “Those people” because in a divisive world fueled by identity politics and tribal identifications, we can become tempted to become insular. We’re becoming segmented. We create a digital echo chamber around ourselves and distances ourselves from the rest of broken humanity claiming that their brokenness is more broken than my brokenness. But what I hope will become abundantly clear as we walk through the text, is that comparing our brokenness, our fallenness, our sinful acts and dispositions, isn’t the point. We don’t come to church to feel better than our neighbors. The point is that we are all BROKEN. We are all THOSE PEOPLE. It is in our realization that we are broken that we see the great grace and healing of Jesus Christ. Let’s begin walking through the text.

Matthew 9:9 ESV

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.