Exodus 4:24ff At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

Ephesians 5:6 (NLT) Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him.

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are  Study the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:15) 15 Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are  Study the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:15)  Don’t neglect ‘meeting together’ (Heb 10:25) And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are  Study the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:15)  Don’t neglect ‘meeting together’ (Heb 10:25)  Decide between you and God what you should offer financially and keep your word Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are  Study the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:15)  Don’t neglect ‘meeting together’ (Heb 10:25)  Decide between you and God what you should offer financially and keep your word  Always be ready to make a defense for your faith Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NCV)

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are 2.Know how to apply them to your life You are God’s children whom he loves, so try to be like him. Eph 5:1 (NCV) …learn what pleases the Lord. Eph 5:10 (NCV) So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Eph 5:15 (NCV)

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are 2.Know how to apply them to your life 3.Acknowledge the inevitability of struggle For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. …Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Eph 6:12-13 (NLT)

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are 2.Know how to apply them to your life 3.Acknowledge the inevitability of struggle 4.Seek God’s help and power By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. Eph 3:20 (NLT)

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are 2.Know how to apply them to your life 3.Acknowledge the inevitability of struggle 4.Seek God’s help and power Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks Phil 4:6 (NCV)

Following the directions… 1.Know what the instructions are 2.Know how to apply them to your life 3.Acknowledge the inevitability of struggle 4.Seek God’s help and power For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. Phil 2:13 (NLT)

Ephesians 5:15-18 (NLT) So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NCV) 15 So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. 16 Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17 So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. 20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:21-26 (NCV) Wives and Husbands 21 Yield to obey each other because you respect Christ. 22 Wives, yield to your husbands, as you do to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body, which is the church. 24 As the church yields to Christ, so you wives should yield to your husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it 26 to make it belong to God. Christ used the word to make the church clean by washing it with water.

Ephesians 5:1 (Message) Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, Christians have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect. Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, Christians have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect. You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God. You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God. Don’t let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don’t even hang around people like that. Don’t let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don’t even hang around people like that. You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it. You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.Relationships Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church— a love marked by giving, not getting. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church— a love marked by giving, not getting. Peterson, E. H. (1995). The message : New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs (Eph 5)

Keeping a covenant Conditions of a connection One cannot ignore God’s instructions and call it freedom in Christ! If one is a husband but doesn’t love his wife it is offensive to God If one is a wife and doesn’t respond to him in love it offends God

How do I know when I’m exercising freedom in Christ rather than being offensive to God

Some of the instructions Don’t neglect ‘meeting together’Don’t neglect ‘meeting together’ Study to show yourself approvedStudy to show yourself approved Decide between you and God what you should offer financially and keep your wordDecide between you and God what you should offer financially and keep your word Always be ready to make a defense for your faithAlways be ready to make a defense for your faith