Peter Brandon preaches about finding the Lord amidst life's storms, using the story of Jesus walking on water to illustrate how faith can overcome fear. He emphasizes that the disciples faced a sudden storm, representing the unexpected challenges in life, and how Jesus, the seeking Savior, comes to us in our darkest moments. Brandon highlights Peter's faith in stepping out of the boat, which symbolizes the call to trust in Jesus despite overwhelming circumstances. The sermon concludes with the reminder that true salvation comes from recognizing our need for Christ and calling upon Him in faith, as He is always ready to save us from our storms.

Matthew 14 reading from verse 22. And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray, and when the evening was come he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea tossed with waves for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea, and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were troubled saying, it is a spirit and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying, be of good cheer it is I, or literally it is thee I am, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried saying, Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship the wind ceased, then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him saying, of a truth thou art the Son of God. Now the Lord will bless to us the reading of his word. The miracles of the Lord Jesus were absolutely genuine. If you read them carefully you will find they were always immediate with the exception of one. And secondly they were always complete. But if you look at the miracles of the Lord Jesus you will find that they were performed for a threefold reason. First of all to relieve those that were suffering with affliction. Secondly to relate to us that the doer was the Son of God. If you look at the miracles carefully you will find they are seen in a threefold sphere. There are miracles that relate to the earth. There are miracles that relate to the sea. And then there are miracles that relate to the air. To show that he was sovereign Lord over the earth, the sea and the air. And then if you look at the miracles carefully you will see that they were performed in order to demonstrate a deep spiritual lesson. For instance there were times when the Lord spiritualised his own miracles. Just after the multiplication of the five loaves and two small fishes he said I am the bread of life. Just before he was going to raise up Lazarus from the dead he says I am the resurrection and the life. You see we are materialistic people with a materialistic attitude and outlook. And therefore he uses a material fact like a miracle to explain to us a deep spiritual lesson. Now if you look at this particular miracle you will notice it is divided into three. First of all there is the drama of the sudden storm. Secondly you will notice that you see the seeking saviour the way he went after them in a storm. And then lastly you will see with the apostle Peter the very simple steps of salvation and there are six. And I want to finish on time at a quarter to eight. So the Lord commissions his disciples to get into a boat and cross the other side. He sends away the multitude fully satisfied. He ascends up into a mountain to pray and that is where the miracle begins or the story begins. The Lord praying in that high place. And I am sure of this when the disciples got into that boat they must have said one to another. We are going to have a tranquil crossing tonight. The master had commissioned them to get into a ship and to go to the other side. The other side. The human family has been in quest concerning the other side for thousands of years. Over and over again people have asked the question what happens after death? It was Colonel Ingersoll that brilliant Victorian infidel who actually said on the occasion of his brother's funeral. That he would give in those days twenty thousand pounds to anyone that could prove to him what was after death. Over and over again we hear the question. We do not know what is on the other side until some reliable person has gone into death. And come out of death with all the information. And that statement is perfectly true. For instance they used to believe that the world was square and flat. But there were two seamen that did not believe it. One was called Christopher Columbus and the other Vasco de Gama. One went west and the other east. And they brought samples back from India and from America. And so the theory was exploded that the world was not flat or square but round. But it took a breakthrough. Again I was taught at school by that brilliant astronomer Professor Jeans. That on moon there was atmosphere and vegetation. But since there has been a breakthrough we know that there is no atmosphere and there is certainly no vegetation. It's dust everywhere. But it took a breakthrough. Has there been a reliable person that has actually died and come alive and explained the details? Yes. The greatest person that has ever lived is Jesus Christ. The most reliable person that ever lived was Jesus Christ. He went right into the jaws of death. In fact tasted death for every man. Was realistically buried. And on the third day he was raised again from the dead. And when he was raised again from the dead he said to the Apostle John who was on the Isle of Patmos. I am he that liveth and became dead. And behold I am alive forevermore. And note this I have the keys of death and Hades. Ladies and gentlemen there has been a breakthrough. And that's why we know there is something on the other side. And we must all be ready. Every one of us. Now what about that sudden storm? It hit them by surprise. When they saw in the distance a flash of lightning. When they heard the rumbling of thunder. When they saw the winds roaring down those Galilean hills. They knew they were in serious trouble. But there would be this in their minds. But he told us the cross. What's gone wrong? A storm. A man came home from work the other day looking very white. And he threw his cards on the table. He was rendered unemployed. That's a storm. Especially when you have to pay a hundred pound a week for mortgage. He shook with fear. A lady went to see a doctor. And the doctor had to explain to the lady that her child would live only for two months. Died with cancer. That's a storm. After a very serious operation. A man was called in to see the surgeon. And with tears in his eyes he said this. I'm sorry. Your wife has six months to live. That's a storm. But here's another storm. A man came home the other day and there was a letter on the table. And when he read it he nearly fainted. His wife had fallen in love with another man. And left him. And he was paralyzed with grief. That's a storm. But here's another one. A person comes into a building like this. And then the preacher lovingly and carefully explains. That every one of us have broken the ten commandments. And therefore we have all sinned. And then very carefully he tells the congregation. Because we have broken those commandments. And he uses the words of scripture. The whole world is guilty before God. And suddenly the storm of conviction hits that person. And that person says something like this. If I had a heart attack tonight. And died. I would be guilty before God. And that's the storm that everyone must have. Before they can become a Christian. You see dear friends. We shall never understand the cross. Until we understand our guilt. Can I repeat that? We shall never understand the cross. It will be a mystery. Until we understand our personal guilt. In that storm we watch these men. And you must remember this. They were seamen. And they were men with massive muscles. They weren't the office type. Roughing, tough, aggressive men. And when they saw that flash of lightning. And heard the rumbling of thunder. The news was given. Bend on the oars. And they weren't little oars that we have today. They were massive oars. And you can see these men. Bending on the oars. And then the scripture says. The wind was contrary. What was happening? They were trying to fight against the wind. Trying to fight against the elements. And the wind was laughing at them. You see muscle power. Can never defeat wind power. And wave power. And they were totally beaten. Do you know dear friends. The moment you begin to feel that you are guilty before God. You will say something like this. I must live a different life. Good. If you are a married man. I must be better to the wife and the children. Splendid. If you are a religious person. You will say. Well I will have to go to church more. Good. We in this local church. Never throw stones at good works. We never throw stones at pure religion. But we must say this. Good works will never remove one sin. And going to a place of worship. And even singing beautiful hymns. Will never save a soul. The Bible says this. For by grace are ye saved through faith. And that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. Not of works. Lest any man should burst. You will never get to the other side. To the haven of rest. By trying to do good works. You cannot come up to God's standard. And that's keeping all the commandments. Without breaking one. Secondly there is another predicament. And it's marked by nautical law. They were tossed by the waves. Now what does that mean? In the vortex of the storm. They were hit by a wave on the starboard side. And thrown right over to the port. And that would bruise a person. Then because the ship was angling. They would be hit by a starboard wave. And knock them right over on the other side. Again to the port. And then the ship's aft would dip. So that what would happen would be this. Instead of cutting through the waves. The waves were cutting through them. It's a good thing when you put a boat in the sea. But when you put the sea in the boat. You're in trouble. They were tossed. By the waves. No direction. You know there was a man by the name of Tennyson. A beautiful poet. And he tried to get to heaven by good works. And do you know what he wrote? Oh for a man to rise in me. That the man that I am might cease to be. He was beaten. Furthermore. There was only one man in biblical history. Apart from our Lord that had some moral muscles. And they were small. There was only one man that could say with sincerity. Touching the law meaning the externals of the law. But when that man became a Christian. He saw the finer points of the Ten Commandments. And do you know what he wrote? You just listen. The good that I would I do not. The evil that I hate that I do. I find a law that when I would do good. Evil is present with me. The law of my mind says that I must do good. But the law of this evil nature. Prevents me from doing good. And then he blurted out this prayer. Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me. Now dear friends. Would you mind if I brought that right down to the nitty gritty of life. Every one of us in this room has a besetting sin. Whether you are a believer or not a believer. And you haven't got the power to overcome it. Some people it's bad temper. Some people it's lying. Some people it's lust. Some people it's blasphemy. Some people it's irritation. Some people it's gossip. But we've all got one. And we are tossed by the waves. Beaten by the strength of sin. And we need a saviour. And then I want you to note. There was not only no headway, no control. There was no assistance. Those seamen looked for another seaman that could help them. And they were all beaten. They looked outside the boat. And they were in the midst of the sea. And the wind was howling. The waves were roaring. And they couldn't even call for help. So what do you do? When all in the boat helpless. When there's no one outside the boat to help you. Where can you look? You can only look up. And that's when the Lord blesses us. Is there someone here tonight and you're in a storm. You're sitting there quietly. And you've got a broken hand. You think that no one cares. The Lord's got his eye on you. And when we come to the end of ourselves. So that we are beaten. And we say something like this. Lord I can't save myself. Lord my religion will not save me. There's no one else that can save me. Then we have to look up. And you know what the word says. Salvation. Salvation. Is of the Lord. Now let's turn away from the storm. Let's have a look at that Saviour. Notice now the time of his coming. The fourth watch. As you know there are four dog watches. And if you've ever been at sea. And especially you've ever been in the Merchant Navy. Or the Royal Navy. Or the Australian Navy. You will know that the worst dog watch is the last. From four o'clock to six. It's the darkest part of the night. Now what was happening. The Lord was praying for these men at the same time. Because he was the omnipotent God. He knew their situation. And you could almost imagine him rising in the first dog watch. And looking at those men battling with the elements. And saying they're not ready yet. Then he went back to prayer. And then he would rise in the second dog watch. And he would look through the gloom. And he would see them struggling with the elements. And he would say they're not ready yet. Then came the third dog watch. And he would look. And he could see some of the oars in. And their heads down. But some were struggling. He says they're not even ready yet. Then came the last dog watch. The darkest part of the night. And he looked through the gloom. And all the oars are in. Now have you ever watched on your TV. The Cambridge and the Oxford boat race. You will know that the crew that loses the race. When you see them. The oars are in. The heads are down. And they're beaten. Now that's their position. And when they were absolutely beaten and finished. That's when Jesus came. Now I know this is very sacred. And I don't want anyone to raise their hand. But is there someone here tonight. And you're totally beaten. You've tried everything and it's failed. You're sitting there tonight. And you know that your sins are still there in your heart. And your soul is not right with God. And you've tried everything. The Lord is coming to you tonight. Just as you sit there. Now notice the manner in which he comes. Because he is the divine son of God. And may I say this with great care. Totally infinite. Not limited. He had the right to say on that mountain peak. Peace be still. And there would be a great calm. But he didn't do that. Because he was the son of God. Co-equal with God. He had the power of levitation. To move from A to B. And come straight into the boat. But he didn't do that. He did something that was beautiful. He left the tranquility of communion with his father. And there was no lightning there. He came right down to that troubled scene. He came down to that terrible dark vortex of water. And he took a step. And stepped on the waves. And endured the storm. And what shook them shook him. The wind that was against them was against him. And he endured the storm. That's the Easter message. You know dear friends. You can look at the cross. And when you look at the cross. You can weep. Because you see the wickedness of man. Putting the Lord Jesus on the cross. But may I say this lovingly. You haven't seen it. You may look at the cross. And see the Lord Jesus between the 6th and the 9th hour. Experiencing darkness. And then hear old John the Baptist saying. Behold the Lamb of God. That taketh away the sin of the world. And you can see the sin of the world. Laid upon the Lord Jesus. What a storm. But you haven't seen it yet. You can look at the cross. And as you look upon the cross. You can see sin being gathered by the Almighty God. And then the Almighty God measuring it's judgment. And then bringing that judgment upon the Son. You say what love. That he was prepared to not only bear sin. But endure it's wrath from God. But you haven't seen it yet. There comes a time when you see the cross. You see the Saviour dying upon the cross. You see sin being laid upon Him. And it's judgment. And then you see yourself. A lonely spectator. Looking at the cross. And you say this. He loved me. And gave himself for me. And you say this with drama. My sins put Him there. What dreadful things they must be. My guilt He endured. But He loved me. Unto death. He passed through the storm. For you. But there's a difference. He not only endured the storm. He mastered it. Forgive my emotion here. But it's so great. Words really baffle me. These men were being mastered. They were being swallowed up by the ocean. But look at Him. The wind was defeating at them but not Him. The storm was rocking them. But He passed through it. He mastered what mastered them. He conquered what conquered them. That's the resurrection. On the cross He tasted death for every man. But when God raised Him from the dead. He was raising from the dead the mighty conqueror. Friends just before He went back to heaven. He was heard to say. All power is given unto me. Both in heaven and on earth. And the great power that's given to Him now. Is the power of a universal savior. And He can save to the uttermost. All that come unto God by Him. But there's one sorry fact. I work in the western world. I was hearing missionaries. That work behind the old fashioned iron curtain. Work in areas that we do not call the west. And I was hearing this afternoon. Of hundreds turning to the Lord. But I feel there's someone here. That needs the savior tonight. And then lastly. What was the purpose of His coming? His purpose was simple. It was direct. It was unmistakable. It was to save them. Dear friends. I believe this with all my heart now. The Lord is in this room. And He's coming to someone right now. I don't know who it is. But there's someone that needs forgiveness. There's someone that needs salvation. And the Lord in His love is coming to you. Just where you sit. Right now. Coming to you. When the disciples saw Him. They cried out for fear. Now that's very tame in our authorized. If you look at a good lexicon. You will notice that the word is they shrieked. Now when you see at least six or seven men. Tough and strong. Mighty seaman. Whose faces are reddened by the elements. And you see them shrieking. That's the epitome of human weakness. Can't get anything weaker than that. And as they are crying out for fear. He meets all their fear. With these amazing words. Listen friends. Fear of good cheer. It's I. The word is the I am. And it's the greatest claim of divinity in scripture. And therefore. He meets human weakness with omnipotent strength. It's the I am. Now I'm sure of this. There must be someone here tonight. And you're saying. Well how could I possibly live this Christian life. He comes to you and says I'm the I am. All power. Is given unto him. And he can save you and keep you. And then Peter. Leaned over the camel of the boat. And in that Galilean roar. He said this. Listen. Lord if it's thou the I am. Let me come. Notice what he didn't say. If it's the I am. Stop the storm. That's what we say. Make all our moments calm and bright. Chase the dark night of sin away. Oh no. What was he saying. Don't stop the storm. Make me victorious in the storm. Got it. You see when you become a Christian. He doesn't remove your sins. In a way a dentist removes an aching tooth. He forgives your sins once and for all. Because he died for sin once and for all. But he lets the storms roar. But he gives you power to live the Christian life. In the storm. Which you'll see in a moment. And so he said to Peter one word. Come. What a problem. Can you see Peter in that boat. With seasick seamen saying I'll test him. Listen to this boys. If it's so bid me come. So the Lord says quietly. Come. What a problem. When he looked at that rocking boat. And when he saw the turbulent waves. They said something like this to him. If you step on that water you'll sink like a brick. That's the law of gravity. But the law of faith is in opposition to it. It says all things are possible only believe. You know I believe he had a struggle. I'm quite sure of this. He got one foot over. And there he was straggled. And then a wave would hit it. And back went little. And then you can see him holding on. So you could see the weight of his knuckles. Then he would hear come. And then he would get one foot over. And then a wave would hit it. And back he would go. Then he would hear come. And then he did it. And when he stepped out he was saying something like this. Lord I'm stepping out. But when I step out it's not this nodding of the head belief. I shall be totally and absolutely abandoned to thee. And if I sink it will be your responsibility. Total abandonment. And I'm sure of this if he had a hymn book he would be singing. Just as I am without one plea. But that thy blood was shed for me. And that thou bidst me come to thee. O Lamb of God I come. And he stepped out. Now I'm absolutely sure this is spot on. There's someone here and you've heard that word come to monks. Right? And you were coming but you brought it back. You were going to step out. But things went wrong. Now here's the time to take the plunge. And say Lord I'm coming right now. Now switch right off. Don't wait till the end of the service. If God has spoken to you. Switch off from me. And just come to the Lord Jesus right now. And receive him as your Saviour. And when he got out what did he do? He certainly didn't look at himself. He fixed his eye completely upon the Lord. And the step of faith lived the life of faith. Or led to the life of faith. Now scores have put this to me and I must share it with you. One man actually said to me there in Brisbane. I would love to be a Christian. I've heard the call come and I would love to come. But he said have you ever worked in an Australian factory? I said no. Have you ever seen the pictures on the lockers? I said no. Have you ever heard the language? I said no. He said here tonight I could trust the Saviour. But how could I live it in the factory? I said you can't. But how can I become a Christian? I said you listen. You take one step of faith and trust the Lord. And then you live the life of faith. And it's day by day trusting him. So you'll trust him on Sunday. And then trust him on Monday. And then on Tuesday. And it's a step of faith that leads you into the life of faith. You see my dear friends it's not getting saved and then say oh it's all up to me. Not a bit of it. It's all up to the Lord. And a Christian life is the simple life of faith and obedience to the Lord. But then he saw the wind boisterous. Now again this is a nautical term. In a storm there is one wave that sinks the ship. For instance a ship may be in a storm and may be battling with the elements. Parts of the boat may be broken off especially if it's a sailing boat. But then there comes this mighty wave that swamps the ship. Now that's what he saw. What they call the haymaker. And when he saw this mighty wave he took his eyes off the Lord. And he got that sinking feeling. And he started to sink. Now I do not know my congregation tonight but I believe there's a backslider here. I'm sure of it. And you've been sinking. You've taken your eye off the Lord. The storm has come and confused you. And in that storm you've moved away from the Lord and you're beginning to sink. Now listen to this man's language. Lord save me. I'm glad he didn't pray a long prayer like our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Why? He would have been gurgling at the bottom of the sea. And probably singing I'm ever blowing bubbles. I shouldn't say that but you know what I mean. But you see the moment he felt that sinking ship. Or felt that he was sinking. He cried out three words. Lord save me. And the word of God says. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And what did the Lord do? Let him sink now. He took him it must have been the right hand and lifted him up. And probably there was a smile on his face. And he said. Oh thou of little faith. Why did you die? Now let's see the beautiful part of the story. How many people stepped out of the boat? One. The one who stepped out of the boat brought Christ into the boat. And there was a great calm isn't that lovely. I believe there's a lady here. And God wants you to take Christ to your home tonight. So that your family maybe your husband get saved. I believe there might be a husband here tonight. And God has spoken to you. And you know you should be saved tonight. He wants you to go home as a saved man. And bring Christ into your family. So that there's a great calm. And the secret is this. It's the word come. Would you mind if I pointed. And you on this Easter Sunday night. May God help you to take that step. And trust Christ tonight.