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Foundations | Week 3 | Daniel Goulding | Echoes Church · Rewind

Echoes Church

Pastor Daniel Goulding · Dec 1, 2025 · 41 min watch · 3 min read

Foundations | Week 3 | Daniel Goulding | Echoes Church

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In this message

Big Idea
Key points
Application

Scripture in this message

Luke 10
Luke 10:30
John 10:10
2 Corinthians 5:20
Luke 10:33
Matthew 9

Big Idea Key points Application

Big Idea

People are not our problem — they are our purpose, and followers of Jesus are called to pursue them with compassion, action, and investment.

Drawing from the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, this sermon argues that one of the church's core values — 'people are our pursuit' — is not merely an institutional slogan but a personal, costly calling. Every believer has been left on earth after salvation because God intends to reach lost and broken people through them. Like the Samaritan, followers of Jesus must move beyond sympathy to deliberate action and sacrificial investment, crossing every social and cultural barrier to bring hope to those the enemy has left beaten on the side of the road.

Key points

1
1There is a real spiritual enemy whose goal is to kill, steal, and destroy every person's life — and people around us are desperate for the hope only Jesus provides.
2
2God has chosen His people — not programs or institutions — as the primary instrument of hope and change in the world.
3
3People deserve our compassion — followers of Jesus must ask God to break their hearts for the things that broke His, seeing lost people as confused and helpless rather than as enemies.
4
4People deserve our action — compassion that does not lead to tangible, costly involvement is insufficient; believers are called to be the light of the world through good deeds.
5
5Failing to act on what God has called us to do is itself sin — the divide between us and God is sometimes caused not by what we are doing wrong but by what we are refusing to do.
6
6People deserve our investment — following Jesus is costly, and God invites believers to trust Him with their resources as part of participating in His mission.

A story from life

Pastor Daniel tells the story of Ethan, a traveling pest-control salesman who broke down at his front door, eventually accepted an invitation to church, and experienced God's care through that conversation.

Application

The sermon's 'so what' is both personal and immediate. First, ask God to restore genuine compassion for people who are different from you — politically, culturally, spiritually — and pray specifically for those you find it hardest to care about. Second, stop waiting for a pastor or ministry professional to meet the needs in your sphere; you are already an ambassador, already on assignment. Third, identify one practical, costly act of service or generosity you have been putting off and take the first step this week. And concretely for this season: pray and ask God to name one person in your life who needs hope, then hand them a Christmas-service invitation. Watch what God does when you are simply willing.

Take it into your week

Made by Rewind AI from the sermon transcript. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Scripture in this message

From the transcript
“grab them, open them up to Luke chapter 10. We're gonna be looking at a story today, in Luke chapter 10 as we continue in a series we started”
From the transcript
“So Luke chapter 10, the parable, the story is found in in verse 30 here. It says, Jesus replied with a story”
From the transcript
“John chapter 10 verse 10, it actually starts as Jesus saying that there's a thief that wants to kill, steal, and destroy”
From the transcript
“I'm thankful that John chapter 10 verse 10 doesn't end with just a promise that there's an enemy that's trying to destroy your life, but it actually ends with Jesus saying, but I have come that they may have life and life to the full”
From the transcript
“Remember what Paul says in second Corinthians chapter five verse 20. He says that you and I, we are Christ's ambassadors. God is making his appeal through us”
From the transcript
“If you go back to Luke chapter 10 verse 33, here's how the Samaritan person started. Then Jesus says, the despised Samaritan came along and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him”
From the transcript
“I love in Matthew chapter nine, we see this is the motivation of Jesus. It says that when he saw the crowds again, this is Jesus”
From the transcript
“Look at Luke chapter 10 verse 34. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine, and he bandaged them”
From the transcript
“Because remember what Jesus said, Matthew chapter five verse 14. You, friends, sitting here this morning, you are the light of the world”
From the transcript
“James chapter four verse 17, this is what he's talking about. He says, remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it”
From the transcript
“Last verse in the story, Luke chapter 10 verse 35. The next day, the Samaritan man, he handed the innkeeper 2 silver coins, and he told him, take care of this man”

Made by Rewind AI from the sermon transcript. 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.

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Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

Jesus opens His parable with a man left half-dead on a dangerous road. He had been robbed, beaten, and abandoned — not because of anything he did, but because someone meant him harm. The sermon reminded us that this scene is not just ancient history; it is a snapshot of the world we walk through every day. People all around us have been wounded by life and, more than that, by a real enemy who is at work. Before we rush to the heroes of the story, it helps to sit with the man in the ditch. Have we walked past people like him without really seeing them? The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was familiar to Jesus' hearers — they knew its dangers. Our own roads — neighborhoods, workplaces, scroll feeds — are crowded with people who are hurting in ways we rarely slow down to notice. The first step of compassion is simply to look, and to let what we see register in our hearts. God does not ask us to fix everyone, but He does ask us to stop pretending the ditch is empty.

For reflection

Who have I been walking past lately without really seeing them?

Pray

Ask God to open your eyes this week to the people you usually pass by.

The sermon was honest about something we often soften: there is a real enemy, and his aim is to kill, steal, and destroy. The man beaten on the road did not get there by accident. Jesus names the thief plainly so that we will not mistake brokenness for the way things are simply meant to be. But notice the second half of the verse — Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. The same world the enemy wants to wreck is the world Jesus came to redeem. This changes how we see the people around us. When someone is angry, addicted, exhausted, or far from God, we are not looking at the enemy; we are looking at someone the enemy has been working on. That shift matters. It moves us from contempt toward compassion. The hope we carry is not a self-help slogan or a better attitude — it is the abundant life Jesus offers. And He has chosen, astonishingly, to bring that life to people through ordinary followers like us. The question is whether we believe the stakes are as real as Jesus says they are.

For reflection

Where have I mistaken someone's brokenness for who they really are?

Pray

Pray for one person you find hard to love, asking God to help you see them as someone Jesus came to rescue.

Paul calls us Christ's ambassadors — as though God were making His appeal through us. The sermon landed hard on this point: God has chosen His people, not programs or institutions, as His primary instrument of hope in the world. That is both an honor and a quiet rebuke to the way many of us live. We tend to wait for a pastor, a ministry, or a more qualified person to step in where there is need. But an ambassador does not wait for the embassy to act; an ambassador already carries the authority and message of the One who sent them. If you belong to Jesus, you have not been left here by accident. You are on assignment in your own neighborhood, family, and workplace. This is not a burden meant to crush you — it is an invitation to participate in the most important work there is. The needs in your sphere were placed within your reach for a reason. You may feel ordinary and unprepared. So did most of the people God has used. Willingness, not credentials, is what He is after.

For reflection

What need in my own sphere have I been waiting for someone else to meet?

Pray

Ask God to show you the assignment He has already given you right where you are.

When Jesus saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The sermon urged us to ask God to break our hearts for the things that broke His. That is harder than it sounds, because our hearts often default to suspicion rather than compassion — especially toward people who are different from us politically, culturally, or spiritually. It is easy to see such people as opponents. Jesus saw them as harassed and helpless. Notice that His compassion did not depend on whether the crowds deserved it or had their lives together; it flowed from how He saw them. We cannot manufacture that kind of heart on our own. It is something we have to ask God for, honestly admitting where ours has grown cold. The Samaritan in the parable felt compassion before he did anything else — it was the engine of his action. If our hearts are not moved, our hands rarely will be. So the work begins inside, asking God to soften us toward the very people we find easiest to write off.

For reflection

Whom do I most often treat as an opponent rather than as someone harassed and helpless?

Pray

Ask God to break your heart for the things that break His, and to name one person you've been treating as an enemy.

Jesus says we are the light of the world, and He tells us not to hide that light but to let it shine through good deeds, so that people will see and give glory to our Father. The sermon was blunt here: compassion that never becomes costly action is insufficient. The priest and the Levite in the parable likely felt something when they saw the wounded man — but feeling is where their story ended. They crossed to the other side. The Samaritan crossed every barrier instead, and got close enough to get blood on his hands. Light is not an emotion; it is visible action that others can see. This is where many of us get stuck. We pray, we sympathize, we share an article — and we call it enough. But Jesus ties our light to our deeds, to the tangible help we actually offer. The point is not to perform good works for applause; it is that real love costs something and looks like something. Today the invitation is simple and concrete: think of one practical, costly act of service you have been putting off, and take the first step.

For reflection

What is one good deed I have been feeling but not doing?

Pray

Ask God for the courage to take the first step on one act of service you've been delaying.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. The sermon pressed on this verse in a way that is uncomfortable but freeing. We usually think of sin as the wrong things we do. James names another kind — the good we know to do and refuse. Sometimes the distance we feel from God is not caused by some obvious failure, but by a quiet, ongoing no to something He has clearly placed in front of us. The Samaritan's neighbors were not condemned for cruelty; they simply passed by. That is the temptation for most of us — not active harm, but polite avoidance. This is not meant to load us with guilt. It is meant to wake us up to grace and to act. God is not standing over us with a scorecard; He is inviting us into the joy of obedience and the abundant life Jesus promised. When you sense Him nudging you toward a person or a need, that nudge is worth taking seriously. Saying yes to even one thing this week may be the very step that closes a gap you have been feeling.

For reflection

What good thing do I already know I ought to do but keep putting off?

Pray

Ask God to bring to mind the one good thing you've been avoiding, and for grace to say yes to it.

Today we step back and take in the whole parable. A man is left for dead. The respectable, religious people pass by. The outsider — the one least expected to care — stops, binds the wounds, carries the man to safety, and pays out of his own pocket, promising to cover whatever more it costs. Then Jesus turns to us with the question that has run through this whole week: Go and do the same. The sermon's heart was that people are our pursuit — not as a slogan, but as a personal, costly calling. We were left on this earth after salvation because God intends to reach broken people through us. That calling becomes real not in grand gestures but in one willing step. So make it concrete this season: ask God to name one person in your life who needs hope. Then do something simple — invite them to a Christmas service, share a meal, offer help. You do not need a title or a perfect plan; you need willingness. Watch what God does when an ordinary follower of Jesus simply stops, crosses the road, and gets involved.

For reflection

Who is the one person God is putting on my heart to pursue this season, and what is my first step toward them?

Pray

Ask God to name one person who needs hope, and for the willingness to take a real step toward them this week.

Made by Rewind AI from the sermon transcript. 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

Most of us know the story of the Good Samaritan well enough to picture it — the road, the wounded man, the people who passed by. Before we dig in, take a moment to share one detail in that scene that stands out to you when you slow down and really look at it.

Discussion questions

1
In Luke 10, both the priest and the Levite see the wounded man and still pass by on the other side. What might keep people from stopping, even when they clearly notice a need?
2
The sermon described a real enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. How does seeing the people around us as targets of that enemy — rather than as enemies themselves — change the way we might respond to them?
3
Matthew tells us Jesus looked at the crowds and felt compassion because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. What does it look like for us to see people through that same lens, especially people who are very different from us?
4
The Samaritan moved past feeling sorry for the man into bandaging wounds, carrying him, and paying for his care. Where do we tend to stop at sympathy, and what would it look like for compassion to turn into action in our everyday circles?
5
James says that when we know the good we ought to do and fail to do it, that itself is sin. How does this reframe the way we usually think about what comes between us and God?
6
Paul calls believers Christ's ambassadors, and the message pointed out that God has chosen His people — not programs or pastors — as His instrument of hope. How might really believing we are already 'on assignment' change the way we view the people in our own spheres?

Pray together

Ask God to restore genuine compassion for people who are different from us and to bring one specific person who needs hope to mind, then for the willingness and courage to take a real first step toward them.

Made by Rewind AI from the sermon transcript. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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Foundations

Week 3 · 5 messages

Where these passages are preached

Luke 10 John 10 2 Corinthians 5 Matthew 9

Explore related topics

Compassion in Action Costly Discipleship Personal Mission Serving the Broken The Good Samaritan

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