If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 9.  We've said, as we have been studying Matthew 8 and 9, that in Matthew 6 through 7, the Lord Jesus sets forth His doctrine of the Christian life.  He gives us a compendium on His  teaching,  on how believers are to live kingdom life in a fallen world.  In Matthew 8 and 9, His deeds of power are set side by side with His teaching on the  Christian life.  And so together, by His words and deeds, He is shown to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  As we have studied Matthew chapter 8 and the first few verses of Matthew chapter 9, we have seen an ascending series of events in which the power of Christ is emphasized.  If you'll look back at Matthew 8 and scan the first 17…