Episode 05 | Matt 5:5 | Toby Dedden | 31/05/2026

In this sermon, part of the “Living Towards the Day” series on the Sermon on the Mount, Toby revisits the first three Beatitudes—poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek—set against Matthew 4–5’s context of downtrodden crowds longing for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Toby argues the Beatitudes are not a transaction (“do this to get that”) or advice, but an announcement of good news: the powerless belong to God’s kingdom, mourners will be comforted, and the gentle/humble who are taken advantage of will inherit the earth (drawing on Isaiah 41, Isaiah 40, Psalm 37, and John 11).

The message insists these promises are only good news if spoken by Jesus as king, and explains their fulfilment as “now but not yet”: immediate comfort through restored relationship with God via the cross and resurrection, ongoing comfort by the Holy Spirit and community, and complete comfort when Jesus returns.