This sermon emphasizes the importance of being a dwelling place for God, focusing on the need for holiness rather than grandeur. It highlights the concept of God's dwelling place being full of fire, symbolizing purification and continuous refinement. The message encourages believers to embrace a life of continual burning, seeking purity, forgiveness, and mercy in their relationships and interactions, ultimately reflecting God's character in their daily lives.

So, we've been considering the type of dwelling place that God wants. See, God has made us in his image, and all of us like to have a dwelling place, and God also wants a dwelling place. But he's not looking for something grand in the eyes of men. There are houses in the world that look very grand, like palaces, but God is not looking for that. He's looking for holiness. The first dwelling place of God that we read in the Bible is in Exodus chapter 3. Exodus chapter 3, we read that God, verse 2, God appeared like a blazing fire in a bush to Moses, and 40 years later, we read in Deuteronomy 33, how Moses is blessing all the different tribes of Israel. And when it comes to Joseph, Deuteronomy 33, verse 13, and of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land. And he says, May God bless him, verse 16, with the choice things of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the bush. See what he calls God, 40 years, he hasn't forgotten, I met God who dwelt in a bush. He never forgot it. That was his first encounter with God. And he saw that God dwelt in a bush which was completely on fire. So, we see that the first dwelling place of God was full of fire. And in the tabernacle also, he dwelt in a fire in the most holy place. So the fire is a picture. So, what do we learn from that? Fire is a picture we can say of purification and purity. And something that's enduring, testing of whether something is enduring or not. You put wood and paper into the fire, it just gets burnt up. But you put gold into the fire, it not only doesn't get burnt up, it gets purified. So, the Bible speaks of God wanting to dwell in a place where there is purity and where there is a continual purification going on. If you want God to dwell in your heart, you must be open to purity and continuous purification. I heard a story once of a man who went to a goldsmith's shop where he saw the man purifying the gold in the fire. And there was a big chunk of gold in that fire. And this man asked the goldsmith, how do you know when you should stop? And the goldsmith said, when I can see my face clearly reflected on that gold, then I'll stop. Now that is what Jesus says, when is he going to stop the purification in your life and in mine? When he says, when I can see in my child that he is exactly like me, then I can stop. None of us have become like him yet. So, when he puts you in the fire, remember, it's because he wants you to be his dwelling place. Don't complain about it when you are in the fire. You can't purify gold with soap and water. Cheap things like cloth, you can purify with soap and water, but gold you cannot purify with soap and water, so it's only with fire. And that's why God takes us through some fiery trials. You know, difficulties in our home, financial difficulties, sometimes strong opposition from your parents, or relatives, or difficult neighbors. Or you may lose a job. These are all severe trials. But don't think that God doesn't see all these things. He even watches the sparrow that falls dead to the ground. And Jesus said, even the hair that falls from your head, he watches it. It's amazing that Jesus took the example of a little hair falling from our head. No human being can count the number of hairs on our head. Jesus said, the hairs on your head are number. Why does he say that? He knows exactly when one particular hair was lost from your head. The reason why Jesus took that example, was because losing a hair is the most unimportant thing in our life. Even I don't get worried if I lose one hair. Why should you worry? You've got so much hair on your head. It's such an unimportant thing. You know, you wake up in the morning and you find one hair on your pillow. You wake up in the morning and you find one hair on your pillow. Do you start worrying that you've lost one hair? No. But God can tell you the exact time in the night. 2.31 in the morning when that hair fell off. You believe in a God like this. This is the God Jesus told us our father was. Then you think some of the bigger problems you are facing, he doesn't know about it? There are many of you facing some type of problem in your home. Even without being any prophet, I can say definitely whatever problem it is, it is bigger than losing one hair. Yeah, sure. That is the most unimportant thing, losing one hair. Then if God knows that, you think he does not know what is happening to you right now? Many of you have prayed, Lord Jesus, I want you to live in my heart. Haven't you prayed that? Don't you want him to live with you all the time? He cannot live with you all the time unless there is this continual purification. See, the day you say, Lord, I don't want any more purification. That is the day you are saying, Lord, please leave me and go. It is the same thing. I don't want any more purification. See this wonderful verse. Isaiah chapter 33. Verse 14. In the middle of that verse. Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning? Oh, you say that is all old testament. It is consuming fire and all that. No, it is new testament. Who can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning? That means everlasting burning. It never stops. God is like a fire. So, if you are willing to live with that fire, you can have God's dwelling place with you forever. That means everyday when God shows you something in your life that was not Christ like. You say, Lord, that is right. I am sorry. I didn't speak to my husband or wife in a Christ like way. You children, you didn't speak to your parents in a Christ like way. How do you think Jesus as a little boy spoke to Mary? Make that your goal. I want to always speak to my parents the way Jesus spoke. At home. One day when Jesus left his home. And he set up his house in Capernaum. He moved away from Mary. Then he told Mary. No, you cannot interfere in my ministry. You can't even tell me to produce wine here at this marriage. So, one day when you get married, you move away from your home. Then you can tell your parents. Now, dear daddy and mommy, please don't interfere in my life now. That is the example of Jesus. So, we have to purify ourselves all the time. Now, it says in the Old Testament, who can live with such a continual burning? And it was very difficult in the Old Testament, impossible. All the things he mentions there are only external things. You know, verse 15, walking righteously, speaking with sincerity and all that. But in the New Testament, the standard is higher. It says in Hebrews 12. Verse 28 and 29. He is talking about the new covenant. Verse 24, Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. And he tells us some things about those new covenant. He says in verse 28. This new covenant is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. It's like that house built on the rock that cannot be shaken. He said, then what should we do? Let us be grateful that God has given us a place in this kingdom. And in this kingdom, let us serve God with reverence and awe. How should I serve God in the new covenant? With reverence and awe. Nowadays, in English, there are some new choruses that people are singing. I don't know whether in Tamil also that habit has come. But it's a very sad direction in which many English Christian hymns or choruses are being written. It's a very sad thing. They are singing songs to Jesus which are in the same spirit as this film songs where some girl is singing to a boy. There is no reverence there. And whenever I hear that type of song in CFC, I say, we don't want to sing that here anymore. Because young people don't have discernment. They think this is wonderful to sing songs like this to Jesus. We don't sing songs to Jesus like some boy sings to a girl. No, he is our husband but he is also our God. I must offer him service with reverence. And the more you know the Lord, the more reverence you will have for him. Why? Because it says, because verse 29, our God is a consuming fire. This is not an old testament, this is a new testament. In the new covenant of which verse 24, Jesus is the mediator. And in this new covenant, our God is a consuming fire. God still dwells in the burning bush. My heart must be like a burning bush. All the germs are burnt up. Do you think one germ could live inside that burning bush? There may have been a thousand germs in that bush before God came into that bush. But as soon as God came, all those germs were burnt up. My heart must be like that. I am so sad when I see brothers and sisters who have wrong attitudes towards other people. But what is more sad is, those brothers and sisters are not disturbed by it. Do you have a disturbance in your heart when you can't have fellowship with your husband or wife? That is a germ. That you can't have fellowship with your husband or wife. The fire of God has to burn up that germ. And kill it. Do you have a disturbance in your heart when you can't have fellowship with your brother? Do you think that is God's will? Supposing your bone is broken in your arm. You fell down somewhere and the bone is broken. That is not a disease. Broken bone is not a disease. If you say that your arm is broken, that is not a disease. It is broken. What will you do? What will you do if your arm is broken? You will leave it like that. You will never do it like that. It will be in such pain. You can't do anything. Anytime you try to do something, this pain is there. You can't eat, you can't sleep because of this pain. And we all love our body so much. You will immediately go to hospital, get some plaster. Or go to Puttur or somewhere and get it done. Or you will go to Puttur and get plaster. You will do something. But when fellowship with a brother is broken. What will you do brother? I am fine. Problem is with the other person. If you go to that brother. I am fine. Problem is with the other person. It is like this broken bone saying, I am alright. Problem is with the other one. That one only fell down and broke. The other one says, I am alright. This one only fell down and broke. What to do? You know what both of them need to do? They both need to listen to their head. Please go to the doctor. This will be alright. It is not such a big thing that cannot be cured. It just needs a little rest and it will be alright. You will be able to function much more effectively. You think the devil wants you to do that? No. There are many husbands and wives who are not listening to the head. There are many brothers and many sisters who don't listen to the head. They don't care that in the body of Jesus a bone is broken. They don't care that in the body of Jesus a bone is broken. Some people's teachings are different. It is difficult to get along with them. I can understand that. We can love them. We can love everyone. But we can't work together with everyone. But what when we agree on all the doctrines? Then what is the problem? Then the only problem is my big self. Dear brothers and sisters, can you dwell with this continuous burning? Every branch and twig in that bush was burning. I have many times wanted to say, Lord, I want to be like that burning bush. You know what is the result of being like the burning bush? From the middle of that bush God speaks. From the middle of that bush God speaks. Moses stands there and listens. Do you look like a burning bush? God will speak from you. Not just a sermon. If you speak a few words to someone who comes to your home, it is enough. You read in Exodus 3, God did not give Moses a big sermon. Few words. Just 2-3 minutes, that's all. You know 2-3 minutes is so powerful. When God is dwelling in you, 2-3 minutes that you speak will be so powerful to somebody who visits your home. And people will stop because they are listening to God. For many years I have wanted to be like that. Lord, make me like a burning bush. Even if nobody wants to live with the continual burning, I want to live with the continual burning. I don't want one sin in my heart. In my thoughts. In my words. In my deeds. In my attitude to anybody. I am willing to go and humble myself and ask forgiveness from anybody in the world. From a child I am willing to ask forgiveness. From a beggar on the street I will go and ask forgiveness. I want to live with the continual burning. I want all pride to be burnt up from my life 100%. I don't want to be 99% humble. I want to be as humble as Jesus was. Burns up all pride from my life Lord. I don't want to sin once with my eyes. If I do, I want to repent immediately. And repent and repent and repent until I stop doing it. If you have a burning desire like that, I tell you, God will speak from your midst. God doesn't speak through people studying the Bible. Nowadays, by God's grace, the words that we speak are going through DVD and internet all over the world. Lot of people are listening to it. Praise the Lord. Some people, their life is being changed. But some people are listening to it only to get some points for a message for them to preach somewhere. There are many pastors like that. But you know, it won't be God speaking. It will be like a man trying to imitate God speaking. But if you allow God to purify you inside and He dwells in you like a burning bush, then God Himself will speak through you. This is wonderful. When Jesus said, you shall be my witnesses, the picture I have in my mind is a burning bush. Not just speaking, but being a witness. A burning bush. Burning with the purity of God. Burning with the purity and the humility of Jesus Christ. Burning with the love and compassion of Jesus for people. All wrong attitudes being burnt up. Dwelling with continuous burning. That is God's dwelling place. I am sorry to say that many believers don't want to dwell with God. They just say, Christ has come into my heart. But you don't see the brokenness which they had when they were first converted. My dear brothers and sisters, think back to that day when you were converted. How quick you were to receive correction. How quick you were to go to God when you had a small prick in your conscience. Now you can do so many wrong things, say so many wrong things, and it doesn't even prick your conscience. What does that prove? Shall I tell you? The fire has gone. You can sit in CFC, but the fire has gone from your heart. Your glory is now. I belong to a good church. I have got the finest doctrine. You can have the finest doctrine and go to hell. Pharisees had all the right doctrine and they went to hell. Dear brothers and sisters, let there be a great longing in your heart that God will dwell with you. That is the most important thing. God himself will speak through you. Again, I am not talking about standing in a pulpit. That is a special calling. God gives it to one in a thousand people. God may give me a gift, He may not give it to another thousand people. That is not God. God can speak in your home. God can speak through you through a visitor who comes to your home. So when I talk about God speaking, I am not just talking about the pulpit. I have that type of calling, so I want God to speak to me when I am in the pulpit. If you are a sister looking after children at home, God must speak through you to your children. That is how Timothy heard God from his mother. And he became a man of God. So you must have this great desire that I want to be the dwelling place of God. This is the whole meaning of the day of Pentecost. That is why I say I am more interested in the fire on top of the head than the speaking in tongues that they have. That fire on top of the head was just like the fire on top of the tabernacle in the Old Testament. I say Lord, I want that on my head all the time. That fire of the anointing of God upon me must always be upon me. That can be for you also. If you say to God one thing honestly, only one thing, Lord, I want to dwell with the continuous burning in my life. See what it says in 2 Corinthians 7. 2 Corinthians 7. It says here that we must cleanse ourselves verse 1 from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Why? Because it says in the same verse we have these wonderful promises. Why should we cleanse ourselves? Because we have these wonderful promises. Which promise? What is the number one promise? Verse 16 of chapter 6. God says, I will dwell in them and walk among them. Oh, Almighty God is going to come and dwell in me. What a fantastic promise that is. Today people are thinking oh God is going to bless me with another increase, double my salary. He is going to bless me with a bigger house. He is going to give me a car. You can get a hundred cars. A hundred houses. Ten times your salary. That is rubbish compared to God dwelling with you. What all stupid rubbish today's Christians are running after. All the churches have started preaching that. Because they know that believers are only interested in earthly things. They want physical healing. But what about God dwelling and purifying the inner being? You tell me, is there a greater promise that God can give me than this? You tell me, which is better? God says to me, I will dwell in you. Or you will dwell in a ten bedroom house. Which is better? Which do you want? I say Lord, I am willing to sleep in the railway station. You come and dwell in me. I said that to God when I left the Navy. I said, I don't want money. I don't want money. I want to serve you. If I have no place to sleep, I said this to the Lord, I will sleep in the railway station. But I want you to dwell in me. Forty three years later, I say the same thing. I am willing to sleep in the railway station. I don't want land or money. But I want God to dwell in me. I want to be like a burning bush to the end of my life. I want God to speak through me. Even when I am speaking to people for two minutes, you will get what you ask for. You ask for earthly things, you get that. You are satisfied with that earthly thing, it's okay. You won't get anything more. You want healing, you ask for that, you get it and you are happy. And for the rest of your life, you testify, oh Jesus healed me from some sickness. Praise the Lord. But, is God dwelling in you? Are you a burning bush? You are not. And you are just satisfied that Jesus healed you of some sickness? I have seen so many pastors and preachers testify. Oh, I gave up everything for the Lord. For so many years, God has taken care of all my financial needs. Praise the Lord brother. I can also testify to that. But that is to me like a drop in the ocean. God provided my needs for 43 years without my asking anybody. God took care of my children, educated them, fed them, clothed them without my asking anybody. That's a good testimony. But it's only a drop in the ocean. What is the rest of the ocean? God promised to dwell in me. And He has dwelt in me. I am dwelling with a continuous burning. And He speaks through me. All the time. And His words are words of power and blessing to His people. That is what I wanted more than anything else. I will tell you something. All of you sitting here, the thing in your life which you want more than anything else, God will give you that. You want a job more than anything else, that's all you will get. You want God to take care of all your financial needs, that's all you want, God will take care of you. You are happy that God has educated your children, they got good jobs, they got married, they are alright. None of your children are disciples. None of your children are whole hearted for God. And you are happy like the worldly person. I educated my children. We got them married. Now I can retire peacefully. My children are also married. They have got good jobs. I am not happy with that. You know my prayer? Lord, make all my children burning bushes for you. Not only that, I have started praying for my grandchildren now. They are only two, three years old. make them grow up to serve you, to be your witness. I know that is the most important thing that we have to hear on earth for. What do you pray in secret for your children and grandchildren? That is an indication of what you really believe is the most important thing in life. Are you satisfied? My children are baptized. You are worried, worried, worried so many times. My children are not baptized, my children are not baptized. What will people in the church think about me? You are more worried about what people think about you because your children are not baptized. Now all your children are baptized. Thank God. What sort of Christian are you? You don't want them to be a burning bush for God? You know God sees that the deepest desire in our heart is all earthly. It is all only for honor in the church. Let your burning desire for yourself and your family be that they will all be burning bushes for God. Lord, there is a great need for many burning bushes across this world. We pray that all our brothers and sisters and all their children will become burning bushes for God. If you have not prayed like that till now, you start praying today. Lord, I am not happy that my children are just born again and baptized. How many years some of you prayed for your children to be born again and baptized? It didn't happen in one day. But one day it happened. Didn't God answer your prayer? Now, start praying that they will be wholehearted disciples and become burning bushes for God. It won't happen by tomorrow. But if you never give up praying, sometimes you fast and pray, I tell you in Jesus name, you will see it happen in your family. But you first start in your own life. Say, Lord, I want to dwell with the continual burning. You have given me this fantastic promise that you will dwell and walk in my midst. Then, I want to cleanse myself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And once you are doing that in your life, you can start doing it in your home next. So many people want to have a ministry in the church first. I want to get up in the church and preach. That is step three. Don't go to third standard before you go to first standard. First standard is, make sure you are dwelling with the continuous burning. Yet you are a burning bush. Second standard is when you say, my home must be like a burning bush. Like I said, pray for your children. Then, we go to the church, third standard. So, we must pray that our home will be like a burning bush for God. That's why you must dwell in a very understanding way with your wife. And that's why as a wife, you must learn what it means to be subject to your husband. Both sides. To understand each other. To be quick to ask forgiveness from each other. You know, we can hurt one another so easily. We must be very quick to say, I am sorry for what I did. You know, supposing you accidentally step on somebody's foot. Supposing you are travelling in a bus. Accidentally you step on somebody's foot. Should you say, I am sorry, forgive me? What do you think? You didn't do it deliberately. You didn't see. And so, what do you tell him? Do you go to him with a big explanation of conscious sin and unconscious sin and all that? And do you give him a big lecture about how you did not know that he was standing there? Say, I am sorry. Why can't you do that to your wife? If you can do it to some unknown stranger in a bus, whom you will never see again. Why can't you say sorry to your wife? Or to your husband? You say, no, it was not deliberate. Yeah, I know, even that man in the bus, you didn't deliberately stamp his foot. So often we hurt one another. When you are aware of it. When we are aware, say, I am sorry. My biggest advice to married people is this. Be quick to ask forgiveness from each other. When your partner asks forgiveness, whatever sin, be quick to forgive. Sometimes our pride can say, hmm, let me see. Don't do that like that again. Imagine if God treated us like that. You can say, Lord, please forgive me, I have done something wrong. And God says, hmm. Let me see. I will run away in fear. God is not like that. As soon as I ask forgiveness, he immediately cleanses me. He forgives. Do you want to be like God? Once God gave me this understanding in my heart. You know, we use our imagination for all types of filthy things in our unconverted days. Why not use our imagination to think about God now that we are converted? I do that. I use my imagination to study the Bible and think about God and I learn wonderful truths. And one of the things I use my imagination for, I imagine God listening to prayers from the earth. See, how many millions of people are praying on this earth? 24 hours. Prayer is going up. So many sincere believers. Oh Lord, forgive me. 24 hours, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. What is God saying from heaven? There. Forgiven. There. Forgiven. I said, Lord, make me like you. Make me like that. Do you want to be like that? Forgive people. We are all imperfect people. We hurt one another. If you dwell with this almighty God, in this continual burning, you will not even waste one second to forgive somebody. Forgiven. Is that the thousandth time you did it? Oh, forgiven. God doesn't stop and say, ah, yours is the thousandth time, I better warn you now. He doesn't keep a record. One thousand times now. It says in Lamentations, chapter three. You know, I am telling you how to live with this continual burning. You know, make your home like a burning bush. Lamentations three, verse twenty-two and twenty-three. Lord's loving kindness never ceases. His compassions never fail, they are new every morning. God's mercies are new every morning. I have thought about that. What does it mean new mercy every morning? That means not the old one repaired and given to you, it's a new one. Something new. Like the manna, new manna every day. New mercies every morning. That, I understand it like this. That if I have asked God to forgive all my past sins up to yesterday, or till today, till today, I confess that God has forgiven me completely tomorrow morning when I get up and I do something wrong. Hey, maybe some small thought came which is wrong. And I say, Lord, forgive me. And the Lord says, Oh, that is the first time in your life that you are asking me to forgive you. First time. I say, Lord, what about the million times I asked you in the past? Don't you know my word? I will not remember their sins anymore. It's new. That means, he does not say to me, Ah, I've kept a record now. That is the 10,000 times you did that. That is how we speak to one another at home. How many times I told you, God doesn't speak to us like that. I want to ask you, how many of you seriously want to be like God? Then I'm telling you what God is like. Jesus came and explained what the father is like. That is my job also as a preacher to explain what God is like. I want to tell you that this is how God is. His mercies are new every morning. He treats me as if I've never done anything wrong in my life. Imagine if I can look at my wife as someone who's never done one single thing wrong in her life until today. Or you look at your wife like that from tomorrow on. Or one another. It doesn't mean that they've never done anything wrong. But you've become so much like God that you've learned to forgive like him. Get this vision that I got. From heaven God is saying, forgive him. I said, Lord, wonderful. And it is not my imagination. What is the meaning of this verse in Ephesians 2? Ephesians 2. We know that God is very rich. Here it says in Ephesians 2.4 God is rich in mercy. He wants to be like God. Today so many believers are preaching what is called prosperity gospel. What are they looking for? They want to be rich in money. God make me rich in money. I want to pray also. Another prosperity gospel. God make me rich in mercy. Because that's how you are. God is not rich in money. He has no bank account, no purse, nothing. But God is rich in mercy. How many of you want to be like God? Lord, I want to be rich in mercy. I want to be rich in mercy first of all to my wife. And rich in mercy to my husband. Even to our poor children. That doesn't mean we shouldn't discipline them. God disciplines us. God is rich in mercy. When you look at your children I always tell parents this. Your children have got a bad nature that you need to discipline. Otherwise they'll go to hell. So you must be strict with them. Why? Because they got this corrupt nature. But then you must be also merciful to Why? Because they got this bad nature from you. Don't forget that. They got that nature from you. So you must be merciful. God is rich in mercy. So when we live with this continuous burning all this unmerciful attitude in us gets burnt up. There is only one area where God said where Jesus said we must be like our Heavenly Father. Do you know there is a verse like that in Matthew 5.48? Have you read this? Matthew 5.48 To dwell with the everlasting burnings You must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. How do we normally preach that? We preach one day you will become perfect like your Heavenly Father. No, Jesus said now. You must be perfect like your Heavenly Father is perfect. You can't be perfect in holiness. That will only be future. You can't be perfect in love. You can't be perfect in humility. You can't be perfect in wisdom. You can't be perfect in power. Then you say, Lord, which area can I be perfect? The Lord will say Don't be lazy. Compare scripture with scripture. Compare scripture with scripture. This is in the middle of the sermon on the mount. The sermon on the mount is mentioned in Luke 6 also. There in the middle it says, Luke 6.36 Not be perfect as your Father is perfect. Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Then I get a revelation that I have to be perfect only in one area. Mercy. And that I can be perfect on this earth. I can be like God in mercy doing what? Saying, forgiven, forgiven, forgiven, forgiven, forgiven. You did something wrong, forgiven. Did somebody speak evil against me, forgiven. Even before he asks me. Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing. And maybe your wife didn't get light on something, forgiven. Don't wait even till she asks forgiveness. Forgiven. Be like God. Rich in mercy. Let me show you one more verse. Acts 17. You know this is what it is to dwell with the everlasting burnings. It says that God when he looks at us. Verse 30. Acts 17.30. He overlooks the times of ignorance. He says that person does not know that that is wrong. So he doesn't have to ask for forgiveness. I have forgiven him. Can you say that about your wife? Maybe she doesn't know that is wrong. Maybe my husband doesn't know that is wrong. I want to overlook his ignorance. I tell you, your life will be revolutionized when you decide to dwell with the everlasting burnings. Little by little your home will become like a burning bush. Let's pray. Don't let a message move you just temporarily for a short while. Say Lord this is the way I want to walk till the end of my life. Help me. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.