EK
(Greek Word Meaning “Of”)
Scripture: First John 4:4; 5:4; John 3:3-7; Romans 5:12, 19
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (First John 4:4)
The title of my message this morning is “Ek.” Ek is the Greek word meaning “of” or “out.” It speaks to origin as in “from out of.”
We have all seen commercials for products where part of the advertisements mentions that the product was “made in America or the USA.” According to the Federal Trade Commission, “Made in America or the USA” means that “all or virtually all” the product has been made in America. That is, all significant parts, processing and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. Think about that. That one word “in” gives the location of where a product was predominately made, including the parts, processing and the labor required to produce it. The word “in” in this instance provides location and in some cases origin. Now let’s take a moment and think about the word “origin.” The Encarta dictionary defines this word as “the thing from which something develops, or the place where it comes from.” So the word “origin” can also define the location from which something comes from, but it also has another meaning. The other meaning of “origin” means “the thing from which something develops.” That definition is not speaking of location as in a place, but the “cause, beginning or foundation” of something coming into being. So let’s look at what happens when a child is conceived.
When I was conceived by my parents, their combined DNA structure created me. I was born a Johnson and I will die a Johnson. Now that part of me (my last name) is just the name only, but the name is not what makes me a Johnson. What makes me a Johnson is the fact that I look like a Johnson. If you look at my physical characteristics, you will be able to see both my father’s and my mother’s physical features in me. In other words, I look like both my father and my mother. The reason for this, as you well know, is because each parent gives the child some of themselves during the conception process. A child is made from the information found in the cells of the parents. These characteristics are called genes. Genes are present on the chromosomes which we receive from our parents in the egg and sperm. The characteristics of an individual human being are passed from one generation to the next in their chromosomes. We look like our parents because the way we grow and develop is determined by the genes we received from them when we were conceived. I want you to listen closely to what I am about to tell you because if you understand this statement you will understand everything else that will follow in this message. The only possible way that I could change my gene pool – my DNA – would be to be born again. If I am born again with a different gene pool resulting in a different DNA structure, then I would literally be a different person. I would no longer “look” like my parents because my genes would be different. I would no longer “act” like my parents, i.e. share their mannerisms, because I would be raised by another set of parents. Do you see where this is going? This understanding, New Light, brings us to the word “Ek” and in order to understand this word fully you must be born again. Remember when Nicodemus asked Jesus about being born again in John chapter three?
Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews who visited Jesus one night to gain a better understanding of His teachings. During their conversation, Jesus tells him he must be born again. John 3:3-7 records the following, “(3) Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (4) Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ (5) Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Being born again of the Spirit changes our spiritual gene pool – from a sin nature to a Godly nature. It is important to understand this because when we get saved, our spirits are regenerated (re-born) but we still have the same mind and the same fleshly body. It is at this point that the battle starts – the spirit fighting against the flesh and the mind (thoughts). The stronger we grow in the Lord the more victories we will have when our flesh and minds (thoughts) rise up against our spirits. But let’s get back to the subject at hand.
When we are born, we are born in the natural to our parents, meaning that we will have some of their physical characteristics. If we are raised in the same house with our parents, then we will not only share their physical characteristics, but we might also pick up some of their mannerisms. Mannerisms are distinctive gestures, habits, or ways of doing something that we pick up from our parents without even knowing it. But all of this pertains to the natural. Spiritually, when we are born, we are born with a sin nature because of Adam and Eve’s decision to rebel against God in the Garden of Eden. Their sin opened the door for all of mankind to be born into sin receiving a death sentence (both physically and spiritually.) Romans 5:12 and 19 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned….For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” So this was the spiritual nature we were born with. In other words, before we accepted Christ, we were born with a nature that desired to sin and didn’t think it was wrong to sin. But then we accepted Christ. When that happened we were changed on the inside. Our spiritual nature changed. We were no longer what we used to be even though we had the same mind and flesh. In fact, our origin, “the thing from which something develops,” or in this case, “the One from whom we were developed” changed. New Light, when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior our “Ek” changed.
I want to pause and read a few Scriptures for you so that you can begin to see the importance of the Greek word “Ek.”
In John 15:19 Jesus tells His disciples, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
In John 18:36 Jesus tells Pilate, “….My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Finally, in First Corinthians 2:12 Paul wrote, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
In each of these verses, the word “of” is the Greek word “ek” which is a primary preposition that denotes origin – the point from which a motion or action proceeds or the thing from which something develops. It identifies where someone or something has its beginnings. In John 15, Jesus is speaking prophetically when He tells His disciples that they were “not of this world.” He was looking beyond the cross because after He is resurrected they would be like Him – having a new origin of heaven. At that point, they (and us) would have nothing that ties us to this world – our origin changed. This is important because in John 18 when Jesus says “My kingdom is not of this world…” He’s saying “My kingdom did not originate, did not have its beginnings, or come from, this fallen world.” Pilate knew something was unique about Jesus and in this one statement, Jesus confirmed it. He was not of this world! Then we get to First Corinthian chapter two where Paul tells us that we have received “the Spirit which is of God….” Paul is telling us who we are – our spiritual identity – which no longer comes from this world. Our spiritual identity has
Its beginnings in Heaven! This is what that Greek word “ek” is telling us – our origin changed! So the question we must answer this year is this: If we are not of this world, should the things of this world dominate how we think and live? I think you know the answer to this question.
There is a song that says, “This world is not my home; I am only passing through; if heaven is not my home, O Lord, what will I do. The angels are beckoning me, to heaven’s open doors; and I don’t feel at home, in this world anymore.” This song carries truth for us because when we accepted Christ, this world ceased to be our home – we changed our residence. And here is the problem that many Christians face today, they have a change of residence but they are still trying to visit and potentially occupy their old address. Imagine buying a new home and then trying to host a dinner party at your old address. You know what that would be called? It would be called trespassing. You no longer live there so you gave up your rights to be on their property. Do you know that some of us are trespassing in the world when we attempt to hold on to something that we gave up when we chose Christ? When we changed addresses, our old address became dead to us. We cannot enter the property any longer without permission. The same applies to this world – it should be dead to us. Paul wrote the following in Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Paul was basically saying that the world was dead to him and he was dead to it. The world no longer held any influence over him. He had changed addresses!
I want to show you your new address based on the Greek word “Ek” so that if you are trying to trespass at your old address you will find that your old address has nothing that you need when you realize what your new address has for you. Let’s begin with First John 4:4.
First John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” If you recall from our Bible study on the book of First John, John was dealing with false teachers who had worked their way into the Church and was deceiving some of the members with their false teaching. In this verse John reminds them of their “new” origin after they accepted Christ. He tells them that they were of a more honorable origin, of a more excellent lineage, and higher descendants than their false teachers. In other words, they were now “of”, or “from out of God” which was contrary to the origins of those false teachers. Because they had been regenerated by the Spirit of God and restored, they were now children of God and therefore they were overcomers. They had already overcome the false teachers simply by who they were as God’s children. John affirms that they were overcomers because they had resisted the temptations and withstood the seductions of the false teachers. They had been steadfast in their resistance despite all of the tactics the false teachers had used to attempt to corrupt them. They had held fast. Why? It was because they were now “of” God. And here is the second point John makes in this verse: John said that they were overcomers because “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” John wanted them to know with certainty that Christ, Who by His Spirit and doctrine, dwelt in them and was greater and more powerfully successful than the spirit of error, which influenced those false teachers that are operating in the world. John let them know that while they would face challenges, they were already overcomers. Look at verse thirteen.
First John 4:13 says, “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” This is clear evidence of sonship – that we are children of God and therefore have a new origin. Only sons and daughters of God are given the Holy Spirit! Romans 8:9 says, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Also verses fifteen through seventeen says, “(15) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ (16) The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:15-17) Because the spirit of God dwells within us, its proof positive that we are “of” God and that our minds should begin shifting to things of the spirit versus remaining in the confines of our flesh. This can only be accomplished with the spirit of God dwelling within us. Finally Paul writes that we have been adopted and therefore are heirs with Christ! We cannot be an heir with Christ if we are not born of God! Look at First John 5:4.
First John 5:4 says, “For whoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” You see that term “born of God”? It means something. In those three words it speaks to our new origin once we accept Christ as Lord and Savior. We are now born of God. If we are born “of” God, then our old sin nature was erased and we have no connection to it. Every born-again Christian is a victorious Christian, a conqueror and not only a conqueror, but more than a conqueror – he/she conquers the whole world. And what makes us overcomers and gives us the victory is our faith. There is nothing that we can do without faith as it took faith for us to accept Christ in the beginning and it takes faith in the midst of our darkest hour to not turn our backs on it. Our faith grows its strongest when it is tested and activated the most.
Ek, the primary preposition that denotes origin; the point from which a motion or action proceeds or the thing from which something develops; identifies where someone or something has its beginnings. This word in the Greek is often translated as “of” or “from out of.” When we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, spiritually our origin changed. When our origin changed, we were freed from all attachments that held us to this world. We became part of heaven’s citizens spiritually. So you may be wondering why we struggle so greatly with our flesh. Do you recall what I said earlier about changing address? If you have ever moved from one house to another one then you know what happens when you relocate. You were very comfortable with your old house because you had spent years getting it exactly the way you wanted it. You knew where everything was placed in the house and whenever you brought something new in, you had an idea of where you were going to place it.
But when you purchased a new home, there was a transition phase that you went through. You enter the house and maybe you want to paint some of the rooms. Some of your furniture might have been too old to make the move so you threw it out and brought new furniture. In your old house you might not have had room to store all of your belongings, but in your new house you have room to spare so you must decide what goes where. As you decorate each room and make decisions on placing the furnishings you make adjustments as you learn more about the new space you are occupying. Well think about your spiritual move in a similar fashion. Just like we might have to buy new furnisher for the new house, likewise we must “renew” our minds. Paul said in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” As we renew our minds we begin to get better control over our flesh which influences how we think.
We have a change of address spiritually. We are “ek” God! We are of God! We are out of God! We belong to Him and His Spirit dwells within us. If this is my new address, then I have no need to desire my old home. I have no rights to my old home. My old home does not belong to me. Although I might have a desire to visit my old home, spiritually that can lead me to trouble. My old home must be dead to me in order for me to enjoy my new home. What about you? Are you willing to take a step of faith and allow your old home to be dead to you so that you might fully enjoy your new home? Are you willing to change how you think? How you act? What you desire? What are you willing to do this year now that you have changed addresses?
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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