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Relationship Reset | Week 3 | Daniel Goulding | Echoes Church · Rewind

Echoes Church

41 min

Daniel Goulding · Feb 23, 2026 · 5 min read · 41 min listen

The big idea

God designed sex for two people, of two distinct genders, in one marriage, that produces life and abundant pleasure — and living outside that design leads to death, but Jesus can heal every kind of sexual brokenness.

In this message

The big idea
Point 1 of 7There's a way that seems right to a person but leads to death, and much of today's culturally accepted sexual ethic fits that pattern.
Point 2 of 7Sex was designed by God, so God gets to define it, and His design is good — physically and morally.

Point 3 of 7God's order for sex is two people, of two distinct genders, in one marriage, having frequent sex, that produces life.
Point 4 of 7Even setting aside the Old Testament, Jesus Himself reaffirmed this same design when He had the chance to say otherwise.
Point 5 of 7Sex is never just physical — it binds souls together, so it carries consequences, good or destructive, depending on the context.
Point 6 of 7Sin has broken sexuality, and Romans 7 names the internal war we all feel between wanting what's right and doing what we hate.
Point 7 of 7What sin broke, the cross can repair — identity is found in Jesus, not in sexual struggle or orientation.
Take it into your week
Transcript

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Scripture in this message

Proverbs 14:12
Genesis 1
Genesis 1:27
Genesis 1:31
Proverbs 5:18
Proverbs 5:19

Rewind AI drafted the Big Idea and some point headings shown here from the sermon transcript. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Daniel Goulding · Feb 23, 2026 · 41 min watch · 3 min read

Relationship Reset | Week 3 | Daniel Goulding | Echoes Church

In this message

Big Idea
Key points
Application

Scripture in this message

Proverbs 14:12
Genesis 1
Genesis 1:27
Genesis 1:31
Proverbs 5:18
Proverbs 5:19

Big Idea Key points Application

Big Idea

God designed sex for two people, of two distinct genders, in one marriage, that produces life and abundant pleasure — and living outside that design leads to death, but Jesus can heal every kind of sexual brokenness.

Sex is God's good gift, not a shameful topic the church should avoid or a free-for-all the culture defines. Pastor Daniel shows that Scripture is clear on God's design for sexuality, that sin has broken and distorted that design, and that Jesus can heal and restore anyone regardless of what they've done or struggled with.

Key points

1
1There's a way that seems right to a person but leads to death, and much of today's culturally accepted sexual ethic fits that pattern.
Pastor Daniel opens with Proverbs 14:12 to frame the whole message: things that make sense to us can still lead to death. He cites statistics on pornography use, child sexual abuse, and infidelity as divorce's leading cause to show the sexual revolution produced bondage instead of the liberation it promised.
2
2Sex was designed by God, so God gets to define it, and His design is good — physically and morally.
Walking through Genesis 1:27-31, he shows God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and called it very good, both physically pleasurable and morally good. He reads Proverbs 5:18-19 to make the point that Christians shouldn't be weird or ashamed about a gift God calls good, and stresses that pleasure isn't the goal — holiness is.
3
3God's order for sex is two people, of two distinct genders, in one marriage, having frequent sex, that produces life.
Using the analogy of PEMDAS order of operations, he argues good doesn't mean unrestricted, it means rightly ordered. He walks through each of the five elements — two people, two genders, one marriage, frequent intimacy, and openness to producing life — addressing gender ideology, cohabitation, and married couples who choose childlessness along the way.
4
4Even setting aside the Old Testament, Jesus Himself reaffirmed this same design when He had the chance to say otherwise.
He points to Mark 10:5-9, where Jesus, answering a question about divorce, quotes Genesis and doubles down on one man, one woman, for life, even though He was speaking into a first-century culture where homosexuality was rampant. He also cites a Wall Street Journal piece showing couples who avoid cohabitation before marriage have lower divorce rates, arguing data is catching up to what Scripture already said.
5
5Sex is never just physical — it binds souls together, so it carries consequences, good or destructive, depending on the context.
From Genesis 2:24-25, he unpacks the phrase 'united into one' as meaning glued together and made inseparable, arguing that's why sexual sin wounds differently than other sin: a piece of you goes with the person you were one with. Used inside marriage it produces connection and joy; used outside it produces guilt, shame, and fracturing.
6
6Sin has broken sexuality, and Romans 7 names the internal war we all feel between wanting what's right and doing what we hate.
He reads Paul's description of the split within himself — loving God's law yet feeling enslaved to sin — as an accurate picture of the sexual struggle many face today. He rejects both the purity-culture shame message and the world's answer of pure tolerance, insisting brokenness needs healing, not affirmation, whether the struggle is same-sex attraction, pornography, or infidelity.
7
7What sin broke, the cross can repair — identity is found in Jesus, not in sexual struggle or orientation.
He walks through 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, noting that Paul lists sins that would condemn everyone in the room, but verse 11 pivots to being cleansed and made holy through Jesus. He closes by urging that the most true thing about anyone is that Christ died for them, not their temptation, and points to Luke 9:23 as the ongoing invitation to deny yourself and follow Him.

A story from life

Pastor Daniel recalls an awkward childhood sex talk with his father, prompted by accidentally watching unexpected late-night content.

Application

Pastor Daniel frames it as making the greatest exchange of all time: trading your brokenness, mess, and shame for the freedom and healing only Jesus offers.

Bring your sexual brokenness to God for healing
Whether it's same-sex attraction, pornography, infidelity, or trauma from childhood, don't just accept it as unchangeable identity — seek healing and restoration from the Father rather than settling for tolerance.
Run from sexual sin rather than entertain it
Following 1 Corinthians 6, don't lean into or embrace sexual sin as an unchangeable part of your life; actively flee it because it uniquely affects your own body and soul.
Stop letting temptation define your identity
Remember that your sexual struggle or orientation is not the most true thing about you — you are who God says you are, loved and redeemed, so don't build your identity on feelings or cravings.
Raise your hand and receive prayer for freedom
If you're carrying the weight of sexual sin, respond in the moment by raising your hand as an act of faith so Pastor Daniel can pray for bondages and generational cycles to be broken.
Give your life to Jesus for the first time
If you've never trusted Christ, make the exchange today — hand over your mess and shame and ask Jesus to become Lord, Savior, and King of your life.

Take it into your week

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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Scripture in this message

From the transcript
“Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12, I think perfectly picked paints a picture of where we sit today culturally when it comes to sexual ethics. It says, there's a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death”
Read the whole chapter →
From the transcript
“Genesis chapter one, the creation story shows us God's original design for sexuality. It says that God created in verse 27, God created human beings in his own image”
From the transcript
“It says that God created in verse 27, God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them male and female, he created them”
From the transcript
“then in verse 31, he continues and says that God looked over all that he had made and he saw that it was very good”
From the transcript
“I want to read Proverbs chapter five verse 18 mostly to upset the religious people in the room. It says this, it says, let your wife be a fountain of blessing to you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth”
From the transcript
“Verse 19 says, she is a loving deer and a graceful doe. Gentlemen, if you're looking for a good pickup line by girl, you are a graceful doe”
From the transcript
“Jesus gives an answer about divorce and he talks about God's design for human sexuality in Mark chapter 10 and I wanna show you what he does”
From the transcript
“Mark chapter 10 verse five, Jesus responded to the question about divorce. He being Moses wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts”
From the transcript
“He says, verse six, but god God made them male and female from the beginning of creation. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife”
From the transcript
“He had an opportunity to say, we've misunderstood this forever. What we know for sure is that in first century Roman culture, homosexuality was rampant and what does Jesus do when given an opportunity? He doubles down on God's original design. He quotes Genesis chapter two”
Paraphrase of the transcript
Genesis chapter two, this is what Jesus just quoted in Mark chapter five. He says, this is what Jesus just quoted in Mark chapter five. He says in verse 24, this explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife.
From the transcript
“it says in verse 24, this explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united into one”
From the transcript
“He says verse 25, now the man and his wife were were both naked and they felt no shame”
From the transcript
“Paul says this in Romans chapter seven about this internal war that is raging within all of us. He says, don't really understand myself for I want to do what is right but I don't do it”
From the transcript
“He continues in verse 22 and says that, I love God's law with all of my heart, but there's another power within me that is at war with my mind”
From the transcript
“Paul says in first Corinthians chapter six, friends, we've got to run from sexual sin. Don't entertain it, don't lean into it, don't just embrace it as part of your life”
From the transcript
“Paul says in first Corinthians chapter six, don't you realize that those who do wrong, they're not gonna inherit the kingdom of God. Don't fool yourselves”
From the transcript
“But here's the good news. The Bible doesn't stop at verse 10. Verse 11 says, some of you, you were you were once like that, but you were cleansed. You were made holy”
From the transcript
“Luke chapter nine verse 23, last verse. It says, if any of you if you if any of you wanna be my follower, you must give up your own way. Take up your cross daily and follow me”

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

Sign in to track your progress through this devotional.

Day 1

Pastor Daniel began where God begins — with creation. Before sin ever entered the picture, God made us male and female in His own image, and when He looked at everything He had made, including our bodies and the gift of sexuality, He called it "very good." That word matters. Sex is not a dirty topic the church should blush past, nor a leftover from a fallen world. It was God's good idea before it was anything else. And because He designed it, He alone gets to define its purpose and its boundaries. That truth is freeing rather than restrictive. We don't have to guess at what we are for or pretend culture's shifting opinions can tell us. The One who knit us together knows what makes us flourish. Today, before we talk about brokenness or boundaries, it's worth simply receiving this: you are made in God's image, on purpose, and called good. Whatever you bring into this week, you come as His creation, not His afterthought. Letting God define the gift is the first step toward enjoying it the way He intended.

For reflection

Where have I been letting someone other than God define what is good for me?

Pray

Thank God for the goodness of His design, and ask Him for fresh eyes to see yourself as His image-bearer.

Day 2

When the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a debate about divorce, He didn't argue policy — He took them back to the beginning. "God made them male and female," He said, and a man and woman become "one flesh," joined by God Himself. Pastor Daniel pointed here to show that God's plan for sexuality has always been clear and consistent: two people of distinct genders, united in one lifelong marriage. Jesus treats this not as one option among many but as the design woven into creation. What strikes me is that Jesus answered a question about brokenness by pointing to the original good. He didn't lower the standard to meet the culture; He lifted people's eyes back to what God intended. That's an invitation, not a verdict. Whatever your story holds, the point of returning to God's design is never to shame but to reorient — to anchor our lives to His Word rather than drift with whatever the current is carrying. If you feel far from this picture, that distance is exactly the kind of thing Jesus came to heal, not to hold against you.

For reflection

In what area of my life am I drifting with the cultural current instead of anchoring to God's Word?

Pray

Ask God to help you trust that His design is good even where it costs you something.

Day 3

"The two are united into one." Pastor Daniel reminded us that sex is never merely physical. When God joins two people, something deeper happens — souls become entangled, emotionally and spiritually, in a way our culture badly underestimates. This is why context and covenant matter so much. The same act that, inside a lifelong marriage, builds intimacy and trust can, outside of it, leave wounds and confusion that linger long after the moment is gone. The verse notes that the man and woman were "naked" and "felt no shame." That nakedness wasn't only physical; it was the freedom of being fully known and fully safe. That's the kind of intimacy God designed marriage to protect — not to ration out joy, but to guard something precious from being torn apart. If you're unmarried, this is why fighting for purity isn't prudishness; it's protecting a foundation you're trying to build. If you're married, it's a call to keep tending that closeness rather than letting it quietly fade. Either way, God's boundaries exist because He understands how deeply we're made to bond — and He wants that bonding to flourish, not to scar.

For reflection

Do I treat sex and intimacy as something casual, or as the soul-deep bond God says it is?

Pray

Pray for God to protect the intimacy He's designed for you — present or future — and to help you honor its weight.

Day 4

Paul writes with raw honesty: "I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind." Then comes the cry every honest believer recognizes — "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?" Pastor Daniel located our sexual brokenness right here. The problem isn't that God's design is flawed; it's that sin has fractured every one of us, and we feel that fracture in our desires and our failures. What I find merciful about this passage is that Paul doesn't pretend to have it all together. He names the war honestly. But he doesn't stop at despair, and he doesn't take the world's path of redefining the brokenness as the new normal. He answers his own anguished question: "Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." The healing of what's broken in us isn't found in acceptance of the brokenness — it's found in a Person. Wherever you feel the war today, you're not disqualified. You're exactly the kind of person Jesus came to rescue.

For reflection

What broken place have I been tempted to call "just who I am" instead of bringing it to Jesus for healing?

Pray

Be honest with God about the war you feel inside, and thank Him that the answer is found in Jesus.

Day 5

"Run from sexual sin!" Paul doesn't say negotiate with it, manage it, or stand your ground against it. He says run. Pastor Daniel was direct here: when it comes to sexual temptation, the path to freedom is flight, not flirtation. We tend to overestimate our willpower in the moment and underestimate how quickly small compromises erode the foundation we're trying to build. Running isn't cowardice — it's wisdom. It's admitting that some battles are won by distance, by the practical decisions we make long before temptation arrives. What you watch, who you're alone with, where your phone goes at night, what you've quietly told yourself is harmless — these are the places where running gets real. But notice Paul isn't only telling us to flee something; the deeper invitation is to run toward Someone. We don't just escape the old; we pursue Christ, who offers a freedom the world can't sell. Running from sin and chasing after Jesus are two motions of the same step. Today might be the day to set up one concrete guardrail — and to ask a trusted brother or sister at church to help you keep it.

For reflection

What is one practical guardrail I can set up this week to run from temptation rather than negotiate with it?

Pray

Ask God for the courage to flee what entangles you and the desire to run toward Him instead.

Day 6

After Paul lists a sobering catalog of sins — including sexual ones — he lands on three words that change everything: "Some of you were once like that." Were. Past tense. "But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Pastor Daniel built the whole message toward this hope: what sin broke, the cross can still repair. Every form of sexual brokenness named in this passage and in our own lives — pornography, infidelity, same-sex attraction, the wounds of trauma — none of it is beyond the reach of Jesus. This is the heart of the gospel. Not that we clean ourselves up and then come to God, but that we come as we are and He does the cleansing. No one is too far gone, and no struggle gets the last word. If shame has been telling you that your story disqualifies you, this verse answers back: you can be washed, made holy, made right — not by trying harder, but by calling on Jesus and trusting the Spirit to do what you cannot do for yourself.

For reflection

Where do I need to believe that the cross can repair what I assumed was permanent?

Pray

Pray for someone you know — or yourself — to believe that no brokenness is beyond the cleansing of Jesus.

Day 7

Jesus said it plainly: "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me." Pastor Daniel ended the week here because this is where it all gets lived out. The whole message — God's good design, the reality of our brokenness, the healing found in Christ — comes down to a daily decision. Not a one-time vow we make and forget, but a fresh surrender each morning: my way or His. That word "daily" is honest about how this actually goes. We don't conquer sexual brokenness, or any brokenness, in a single dramatic moment. We follow Jesus one day at a time, choosing His way again when we'd rather take our own. It's costly — taking up a cross always is. But Pastor Daniel reminded us that the life Jesus offers is far greater than anything the world is selling. This isn't surrender to a list of rules; it's surrender to a Person who loves us and walks with us. So today, what's the one thing He's asking you to lay down? Lay it down, take His hand, and follow. Tomorrow, do it again.

For reflection

What is the one thing Jesus is inviting me to give up today so I can follow Him more freely?

Pray

Pray a simple, daily surrender — naming what you'll lay down today to follow Jesus.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

Few topics get talked about more loudly and clearly than sex, yet this message invited us to step back and ask a different question: who actually gets to define what it's for? Let's start there together.

Discussion questions

1
In Genesis 1, God looks at what He has made — including human beings as male and female — and calls it very good. What does it change about the conversation around sexuality when we begin from the idea that it was God's good gift before it was anything else?
2
When the Pharisees question Jesus about marriage in Mark 10, He points them back to the beginning. What do you notice about how Jesus grounds His answer, and why might that matter for how we think about God's design?
3
Pastor Daniel emphasized that sex is not merely physical but spiritually and emotionally joins two people together. Looking at Genesis 2:24-25, what does the language of becoming "one flesh" suggest about why covenant and context are essential?
4
In Romans 7, Paul names the war he feels between the desire to do good and the brokenness still at work in him. How does this passage help us talk honestly about sexual brokenness without either excusing it or treating people as beyond hope?
5
The message made a distinction between bringing our brokenness to Jesus for healing and redefining that brokenness as identity. Reading 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, what stands out about how Paul describes people the cross has cleansed and changed?
6
Pastor Daniel summed up the daily practice as giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. Drawing on Luke 9:23, how might this kind of daily surrender shape the way we encourage and walk alongside one another in this area?

Pray together

Thank God for the goodness of His design, and ask Him for the courage to anchor our lives to His Word and to bring whatever is broken to Jesus, trusting that what sin broke the cross can still repair.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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Relationship Reset

Week 3 · 5 messages

Where these passages are preached

Proverbs 14 Genesis 1 Proverbs 5 Mark 10

Explore related topics

Discipleship Freedom from Sin God's Design for Marriage Purity and Faithfulness Sexual Brokenness and Healing Sexual Ethics

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