Zac Poonen emphasizes that God desires to dwell in homes characterized by peace, humility, and holiness. He explains that a true sanctuary is not just a physical structure but a place where God's glory is present, which is often absent in homes filled with conflict and material concerns. Poonen highlights the importance of being contrite and lowly in spirit, focusing on personal shortcomings rather than the failures of others. He also stresses that holiness should permeate every aspect of life, not just during religious activities, but in daily actions and interactions. Ultimately, a home should be a sanctuary where Jesus feels at home, reflecting His presence in all that is done there.

In Exodus 25:8, we see for the first time, God revealing His will that He wants to dwell with man. "Let them construct a sanctuary…that I may dwell among them." That was referring to the tabernacle upon which the fire of God rested - the glory of God that marked those Israelites out as different from all the other people in the world. It is easy to make a tabernacle exactly like the one we read of in Exodus, because all its dimensions are given there. We can make an exact replica of that tabernacle, but there is one thing there that we will not be able to duplicate - the glory of God that rested upon it. The most important thing about that sanctuary was the glory of God that rested upon it - and this indicated His presence among His people. A Christian home must be a place where Jesus feels completely at home. That means that He is happy about everything He sees there. He is happy about the books we read, the magazines we get, the conversation between husband and wife, the things we talk about, the programs we watch on TV and everything else. 1. Where does God dwell? First of all in a home where there is peace. When Jesus sent His disciples out to different places to preach, He told them in Luke 10:5- 7 to look for a home where there was peace. And when they found a home like that, they were to stay only there and not look for another home. Why did He say that? Because He knew that they would not find many homes where there was peace. God dwells in a home where there is no fighting. What do husbands and wives fight about in any case? Mostly about material things - some earthly matter that went wrong. Things will go wrong in this world. But when something goes wrong, remember that the only thing that is serious is sin. All other matters are secondary and unimportant. I hope we will see this clearly: That the only thing that is serious is sin. Remember that our home is to be a sanctuary for God. 2. The second thing I want to say is found in Isaiah 57:15 : "God dwells in the high and holy place and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit". God dwells with those who are contrite and broken in spirit. A broken person is one who is more aware of his own lack and failure than anyone else's. The world is full of people who are aware of the failures of other people. In the average home today, the conversation is mostly about the failures of other people and their families. We are quick to notice failures in others. But often, we don't see the good points in those people. 3. God dwells in a home where the husband and wife walk in holiness every day. It says in Ezekiel 43:12 : "This is the law of God's house - the entire area shall be Most Holy..." The tabernacle had three parts - the outer court, the holy place and the most holy place. And of the three, the Most Holy Place was the smallest. But here we read that in the new covenant, there will be no outer court or holy place. The whole area will be the Most Holy Place. That means that the glory of God under the new covenant will rest not just in one corner like in the tabernacle, but over the whole compound. What that means for our life is that we are going to be holy all the time - not just on Sundays, but every day. We are going to be holy not just when we read the Bible, but when doing anything. Every nook and corner of our life and of our home is going to be holy. And holiness is not a matter of following certain religious rituals, but of avoiding everything that displeases God - according to the light that you have. May this be true in our lives.