Have Sufficient Enjoyment of God to Live in the Jubilee enjoying Freedom and Rest

When we have sufficient enjoyment of God in the age of grace, we will live in the jubilee and we will enjoy true freedom and rest. Amen!

The year of jubilee is the age of Christ as grace dispensed into us for our enjoyment by His words of grace; the New Testament jubilee is an age of ecstasy for our salvation, for when we receive and live Christ as grace, we are fully released and we have the enjoyment of Christ as our portion. Hallelujah!

Today we live in the age of grace, which is the year of jubilee.

Man was created in God’s image and according to His likeness, but due to the fall of man, he lost God as his possession.

God wanted to give Himself to man for man to enjoy, partake of, and live by, but man fell and now he is disqualified from enjoying God.

All men are born in sin, and at one point when the gospel is preached, man can repent and believe into God.

What a mercy that we believers in Christ heard the gospel and believed into the Lord!

It is truly God’s mercy and grace that we were touched by the Lord in our conscience through the gospel, we repented, and we received the Lord Jesus as our jubilee.

Once we received the Lord and were regenerated, we entered into the year of jubilee! Hallelujah!

We are now being set free from the sin that besets us, the world that usurps us, and from Satan who deceives us!

We are being set free not only initially at the time of our regeneration but continually, day by day, as we live in Christ and by Christ as our jubilee.

We now live in the acceptable year of the Lord, the acceptable time, which is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).

Today we can come to the Lord as we are, we can confess our sins under His light, and we can enjoy Him as our portion. This is our divine right in the kingdom of God today.

In the Old Testament, the jubilee lasted for only one year, but in the fulfilment, it refers to the entire New Testament age.

Today we live in the New Testament age and we can live in the jubilee, being freed from anything that enslaves us and being brought back to God as our portion to enjoy Him in our divine family, the church!

Before we were saved, we were enslaved in many sins, passions, lusts, and things in the world, but now, we are enjoying true freedom in Christ.

He alone is our Lord, and we are in the kingdom of the Son of God’s love, enjoying all that God is to us in Christ as the Spirit.

We are being set free from the enemy’s usurpation, our sight is restored, we are no longer oppressed, and we enjoy the Lord as our portion in the church as God’s house! Hallelujah!

The Jubilee is an Age of Ecstasy: when we have a Sufficient Enjoyment of God, we are in Ecstasy before Him!

We live in the New Testament age, which is the year of jubilee, the age of grace.

Today God in Christ as grace is dispensed into us for our enjoyment through His words of grace, and this entire age is an age of ecstasy for our salvation (Luke 4:22; Psa. 45:2; John 1:14-17; 2 Cor. 6:2). Praise the Lord!

This doesn’t mean that outwardly we behave as if we’re in ecstasy and care for nothing else but this feeling; rather, we are in ecstasy before the Lord for He is our jubilee.

The New Testament age is an age of ecstasy, and a Christian is a person in ecstasy (5:13; Acts 11:5; 22:17; Psa. 43:4a; 51:12; 1 Pet. 1:8; Isa. 12:3-6).

If we have never been in ecstasy before God, this shows that we did not have sufficient enjoyment of God.

When we enjoy God, when we drink of Him as the fountain of living waters, we are in ecstasy before Him, and nothing bothers us.

We may have some enjoyment of the Lord, and we may love to feel His presence as we read His word and meet with the saints, but we may have never had ecstasy before the Lord.

The meaning of the word ecstasy, according to the dictionary, is intense joyous or delight beyond rational thought. Wow!

Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:13 that, whether they have been beside themselves, it was toward God, and whether they were sober-minded, it was for the saints.

We can be beside ourselves before God as we enjoy God.

In Acts 11 and 22 we see the word trance; we may think that this word is quite strange or special, but Peter was in a trance. Then Paul was also in a trance.

The Greek word for trance is ecstasis, the root word for ecstasy.

It is a word showing that we are beside ourselves, that we are taken out of our regular position and we’re brought into a state of rapture or ecstasy. Wow!

This means that regularly we are in a certain place and do things according to the modus operandi, not in ecstasy, but when we enjoy Christ as our jubilee in the age of grace, we are brought into ecstasy, completely out of our regular position into a state of joy and being beside ourselves. Hallelujah!

We need to pray that in our time with the Lord, we will enjoy Him to the point that we are in ecstasy before Him.

We want to have a sufficient enjoyment of Christ so that we may be taken out of our regular position and be brought into ecstasy before the Lord.

When we have sufficient enjoyment of Christ, we are brought out of ourselves and into Christ.

This doesn’t mean that we should seek transcendent experiences or experiences that are out of this body and into another realm; rather, we need to contact the Lord, enjoy Him, and be filled with Him, and we will be beside ourselves with joy before Him! Hallelujah!

This is how Stephen was in Acts; though he was in danger of being stoned and later he was stoned by those around him, he was beside himself, for he was filled with Christ.

We all need to have a sufficient enjoyment of God to live in the reality of the jubilee.

This is how Paul was; though he was in prison, he sought to magnify Christ and express Him, and he wanted to be found in Christ in all things.

He was so much beside himself that even the king asked him about it, for he was a testimony before the king. Amen!

On the one hand, we rejoice and make a joyful noise; on the other hand, we are soberminded, exercising restraint toward others.

If we have never been in ecstasy before God, we are not up to the standard, for we did not have a sufficient enjoyment of God.

If there’s no joy in us, we cannot be beside ourselves, but if we are always enjoying the Lord, we will reach a point where we cannot help but be beside ourselves. Amen!

Lord Jesus, thank You for saving us from the world and delivering us from sin, the world, and Satan with all their usurpation and deceit! Hallelujah, we today are in the age of jubilee, the acceptable year of the Lord! Amen, Lord, we open to You and we let You release us from any bondage under sin, the world, and Satan so that we may be free to enjoy You! May we have a sufficient enjoyment of God so that we may be in ecstasy before Him! Amen, Lord, we come to You to enjoy You in Your word. Fully release us from anything that holds us back and bring us into a state of being beside ourselves with joy before You! May we be Christians up to God’s standard, those who are in ecstasy before the Lord and restrained before others for their sake! Bring us fully into the experience of Christ as the jubilee in our daily life. We love You, Lord! We love to enjoy You! You are our portion! You are our everything! Hallelujah, Jesus is Lord!

Receive and Live by the Lord Jesus as the Real Jubilee to be Delivered from Bondage and have Real Freedom and Rest

As we live in the age of jubilee, the acceptable year of the Lord, we need to receive the Lord Jesus and live by Him as the real jubilee so that we may be delivered from bondage and have real freedom and rest.

Jubilee means having no worry or anxiety, no concern or care, no lack or shortage, no sickness or calamity, and no problems whatsoever! Amen!

The jubilee means that we have all the benefits!

All things, therefore, are pleasant and satisfying to our heart, and we are free from anxiety, at ease, excited, and exultant (Psa. 103:1-5; 116:1-7, 12-13, 17-19).

This is accomplished not by any self-motivation or self-reflection but by the enjoyment of Christ as the real jubilee!

Human life is full of anxieties and worries, and there are so many problems; however, when we enjoy the Lord as our jubilee and live by Him, we have no problems!

We may buy a new car and we may enjoy it so much, but then there may be a dent or a scratch, or something may go wrong, and this new car that is so good becomes a source of problems for us.

We may fall in love with someone and discover they are the love of our life, but right after marriage, we realize there are so many shortcomings both in us and in them, so we may become disappointed and have many problems.

In our human life, hardly anything is pleasant and satisfying; everything becomes a problem.

But here was Paul, the apostle who was in prison, who said he learned the secret to enjoy the Lord and live Him, and he was content in all things.

May the Lord shepherd us into the secret of enjoying Christ and living Christ, even allowing Christ to live in us, until everything becomes satisfying and pleasant to us.

Nothing bothers us when we enjoy Christ – we have sufficient enjoyment of God.

We bless the Lord, we bless His holy name, and we enjoy all His benefits for us. The Lord is full of riches for those who call on His name and enjoy Him.

He qualified us for an allotted portion, for us to enjoy the all-inclusive Christ together with the saints in the light (Col. 1:12-13).

We may feel we are not worthy, but even though we may feel this way, we need to remember that the Lord redeemed us and opened a way for us to enjoy all His benefits!

We can wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb and have the right to partake of the tree of life!

When we take the word of God by faith and join ourselves to the word, pray the word, and declare the word with the exercise of our spirit, we enjoy Christ as the real jubilee and we live Him out.

We must receive the Lord Jesus as the real jubilee in us; if we have Him, we have God as our possession and we can be delivered from the bondage of sin and Satan to have real freedom and rest (Acts 26:18; Eph . 1:13-14; Col. 1:12; Matt. 11:28; John 8:32, 36).

When we have Christ, we have all joys, but when we don’t enjoy Him, we have only pain and problems!

We all need to have a sufficient enjoyment of God day by day.

When we receive Christ as our Savior and life, He comes into us to be our jubilee; however, unless we allow Him to live in us and unless we live by Him, we are not practically living in the jubilee.

This is why so many believers, us included many times, are joyless Christians, that is, so many believers in Christ have Christ as the jubilee in them but they do not enjoy the jubilee nor do they live in the jubilee. Oh Lord!

The Lord is the light of the world, but we may still walk in darkness.

We need to exercise our spirit and enjoy the Lord, even live Him and allow Him to live in us, so that we live in the jubilee!

If our heart is set on any person, thing, or matter other than the Lord, this is idolatry, and the end is wretchedness (1 John 5:21; cf. Ezek. 14:3, 5; 6:9).

But if we set our mind on our spirit and we allow Christ to live in us and we live by Him, everything is to our satisfaction! Amen!

If we allow Christ to live in us and we live by Him, we live in the jubilee, and we are satisfied and joyful.

But if we don’t do this, everything is a problem, and nothing is a jubilee.

As we live our daily Christian life in this world, it is easy to set our heart on outward things, even the practical things we need to take care of in our living.

We do have to take care of providing for our family and children, but our heart should not be set on these things.

May our heart not be set on our dreams, imaginations, or expectations.

May our heart not be set on trying to get a better job or earning more money. Rather, may we set our heart on the Lord!

When we set our heart on things other than the Lord, we will be like the psalmist in Psa. 73 who thought that he purified his heart in faith, he washed his hands in innocence, and he is plagued all day, even chastened every morning.

We may feel this way in our Christian life: every day we’re chastened, we need to do this or that, we purify ourselves but we are plagued and every time we come to the Lord, He seems to rebuke us. Oh, Lord Jesus!

May we discover the secret in Psa. 73:17-25, going into the sanctuary of God – our spirit and the meetings of the church – and realize that He is everything to us.

For us to live a meaningful life full of satisfaction and joy, we need to receive and enjoy Christ as the jubilee, and we need to live Christ and let Him live in us.

Sooner or later all things, persons, and matters around us will disappoint us.

We may have expectations and dreams which may never be fulfilled, and we may be disappointed, and this disappointment may become bitterness. Oh, Lord Jesus!

But if we allow Christ to live in us and we live by Him, everything is to our satisfaction!

Everything can be satisfying to us only after we have gained the all-inclusive Christ as our enjoyment!

It’s not outward persons, matters or things but Christ within us who enables us to be calm and free of worries as we face all kinds of situations (see Phil. 3:8-9; 4:5-8, 11-13).

Lord Jesus, we want to receive the Lord Jesus as the real jubilee and live in the jubilee today by living one spirit with You today! Hallelujah, in the jubilee we have no worry or anxiety, and there’s no concern or care! Praise the Lord, in the jubilee there’s no lack or shortage, no sickness or calamity, and no problems whatsoever! Amen, Lord, all things in the jubilee are pleasant and satisfying in our heart, and we are free from anxiety, at ease, excited, and exultant! Praise the Lord! We want to live in this way today by enjoying Christ as the real jubilee and allowing Him to live in us. Oh Lord, save us from just knowing these facts but still living in disappointment and sadness. May we live Christ and allow Him to live in us so that we may practically live in the jubilee! We choose to set our heart not on any thing, person, or matter but on the Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus, we allow You to live in us and we want to live by You! Hallelujah, in Christ we are freed from any bondage and we are fully satisfied! There is no problem in Christ but rather, when we’re in Him, we’re fully satisfied and at peace! Praise the Lord! We can now do all things in Christ, who empowers us, and He enables us to be calm and free of worries as we face all kinds of situations!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ricky Acosta in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 4, “The Jubilee,” ch. 2, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2024 July Semiannual Training), week 5, Enjoying Christ as the Reality of the New Testament Jubilee.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Proclaim the Year of Jubilee! More via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – The enjoyment of the jubilee through Christ’s death and resurrection – a free PDF leaflet to download and print and read.
  – Proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord, a portion from, Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 12.
  – The Jubilee Has Come! More via CSOC website.
  – What is the Jubilee? More via, Hearing of Faith.
  – A Christian having Christ, a portion from, The Pursuit of a Christian, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee.
  – My Sweet Experience of Growing up in the Church Life, via, Living to Him.
  – Being filled with the Spirit and the word to be ecstatic, a portion from, A Summary of the Study of the New Testament Way of Christian Service, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee.
  – Carrying out the divine commission to announce the New Testament jubilee, article by David Yoon in, Affirmation and Critique.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – The Lord has given freedom / To all who just believe Him. / Be no longer enslaved. / Come now! Return to Jesus. / Receive the Life that frees us! / Call on Him and be saved. / This is the year of jubilee! / Proclaim our liberty in Him! / Throughout the land we sound out: / The slaves have been returned to Him, / Released from toil, anxiety, and sin! / This is the year of jubilee! (Song on, This is the year of jubilee, stanza 1 and chorus)
  – Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night, / Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come! / Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light, / Jesus, I come to Thee! / Out of my sickness into Thy health, / Out of my want and into Thy wealth, / Out of my sin and into Thyself, / Jesus, I come to Thee! (Hymns #1050 stanza 1)
  – All is in Christ; / God’s dear Son is Lord of all. / In me there is naught but weakness, / I am worthless, full of sin, / Stricken by its mortal sickness, / Lacking light and hope within. / Now in Christ I find abundant / Victory and strength and power. / Savior, come and live in me, / Come and make me rich in Thee. (Hymns #515 stanza 3)