I. God has a Plan to Bless His Righteous People so that He may be Glorified
Isa 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor/meek; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (cf LXX)
2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,                      And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3  To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (cf Isa 49)

6   But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles…7 you shall have double honor…Everlasting joy shall be theirs. 8 I will direct their work in truth…9 All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed. 11…Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 62:1  For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. 2  The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory…3  You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD…
4  For the LORD delights in you…5  So shall your God rejoice over you.

II. God uses His Servants so His People can be Experience All of His Blessings  (Jn 20:21 as Father sent Me…so send I you)

Lk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me a) to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me b) to heal the brokenhearted, c) to proclaim forgiveness to the captives and d) recovery of sight to the blind, d) to set at liberty those who are oppressed, (58:6) 19 e) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. (gap) 20  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21  "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Acts 10:38  "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 42  And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43  To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."

A. To proclaim the good news to the poor/meek/humble

Mt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Lk 6:20…eyes toward His disciples: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is

Lk 7:22  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

B. To heal the brokenhearted

Mt 13:15  For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’
Mt 15:25  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 28 "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her demonic daughter was healed from that very hour.
Mk 5:28  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." 29 she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 33  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

Mt 8:8  Centurion: Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 10 Jesus marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Lk 8:47 she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace
Lk 9:11multitudes followed Him; He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.
Lk 17:13 they lifted up their voices: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God 18  returned to give glory to God? 19 "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."

1Pt 2:24  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25  For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all

Heb 12:4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 forgotten 11  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen…knees 13  make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Js 5:16  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

C. To proclaim forgiveness/deliverance/remission to the captives

Lk 1:68 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, 74  to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75  in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. 77  To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, 78  through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Paul’s commission: Acts 26:18  ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ (cf Acts 20:32)
Eph 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Heb 9:22…without shedding of blood there is no remission. 10:18  where there is remission of these, no longer an offering for sin.

D. The recovery of sight to the blind

Jn 9:25  He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
Jn 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" 41  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
2Pt 1:9  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
2Pt 1:5  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Rev 3:17  "Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ ——and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—:18  "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19  "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21  "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

E. To set at liberty those who are oppressed

Jn 8:31 Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.33  They answered "We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?" 34  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

Rm 6:11  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.16  Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

F. 19  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD  

Year of Jubilee = Fresh Start 
Lev 25:10  And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 17  ‘Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

Isa 49:8  Thus says the LORD: "In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; 2Cor 6:2  For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

2Cor 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19  that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20  Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. Are forgiveness and “blessings” automatic, or is there something we have to do to get/receive them? What do we have to do/believe?
2. What keeps people from receiving God’s forgiveness or “healing”? Does the same thing cause a forfeiture of blessings?
3. If Jesus came to offer “freedom” why are so many living in bondage?  Is freedom really attainable? How?
4. How does the Year of Jubilee concept square with libertarianism, capitalism, and socialism on both the principle and pragmatic level?
5. As followers of Jesus, what responsibility do we have to carry on the mandates of the Nazareth Manifesto?
6.  How can you more fully enter into the purposes for which Christ came? How can you help others do the same?