He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

Luke 8:40-9:6 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. ⁴¹ And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; ⁴² for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

⁴³ And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, ⁴⁴ came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. ⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” ⁵⁰ But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.” ⁵¹ When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. ⁵² Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.” ⁵³ And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. ⁵⁴ He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵ And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

9 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. ² And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. ³ And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. ⁵ And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” ⁶ Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

In yesterday’s text, in Luke 8:22-25 it said: Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” In today’s text it says: He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.   Jesus didn’t hold it against His disciples that they lacked faith in the storm. Instead, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.  He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of god and to perform healing.  How often to we believe that our struggles and our lack of faith in life’s storms disqualify us for doing what Jesus has called us to do? That’s not Jesus judgement against us. It not His voice that says we can’t. It is the voice of the devil, who wants to keep us from fulfilling our destiny. He is the one who says we can’t, while in John 14:12-14 Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  We can do the works that Jesus did. We have been given authority over demons and to heal. But in truth, the reason we can do the works He did, is because it is still Him that will do it. It is not our own power or authority that we are dependent on, Jesus says, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  Of course, we cannot ask in His name what is contrary to His will or His word and expect that He will do it. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray saying: Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We are to pray that the situations and circumstances on earth would come into alignment with the realities of heaven. In heaven the demons have been cast out. In heaven the is no sickness or disease. On the cross, in John 19:30 Jesus said: “It is finished!”  Isaiah 53:5-6 says:  He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. That is the finished work of the cross. It is already fully accomplished in heaven. In Matthew 27:50-53 it says:   Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  That the veil of the temple was torn in two signifies that because of the cross there is no longer a separation between us and God. Hebrews 4:16 says:  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.We can come into His presence and even more, we can walk in His presence. The scripture also reveals that it means more than just that we can be in His presence. It means that there is now no barrier between the realities of heaven and the circumstances on earth. “It is finished,” is the key to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray; Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Matthew 16:18-19 Jesus says:  “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  The rock that the church is built upon is the revelation that Jesus is the Christ. He is the one who has all authority. Through the finished work of the cross, He has given us the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Because the veil was torn in two, the gates of Hell will not prevail. He gave us power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent us out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.