Iranian Christian Fellowship, 158, Sutton Court Road, Chiswick, London, W4 3HR
This sermon explores Jeremiah 17:5-8, contrasting the “cursed” life of human reliance with the “blessed” life of divine trust. Using the analogy of a sponge and a desert shrub, Hovan argues that only a deep, rooted connection to Jesus Christ ensures fruitfulness and resilience during life’s droughts.
This sermon encourages believers to maintain peace amidst life’s storms. Using the examples of Moses at the Red Sea and King Jehoshaphat, Vazken illustrates that victory comes through looking upward to God rather than focusing on overwhelming circumstances, concluding with the hymn “Because He Lives.”
The sermon defines true freedom not as political democracy, but as a five-fold spiritual liberation: from internal conflict, past bitterness, future anxiety, negative relationships, and resentment toward God. By knowing the “Truth” (the Word), believers are empowered to move from slavery to a life of love and service.
The sermon exhorts the congregation to build their lives on the unwavering Word of God rather than the “three enemies of faith”: physical appearances, deceptive feelings, and human logic. Through personal anecdotes of healing and ministry, Brother Edward demonstrates that God’s power operates independently of human moods or intellectual understanding.