Why Our Streets Are Broken: Lawlessness

Introduction: People Don’t Like Rules

We don’t have to look very far to see that our community is falling apart. The shootings. The drug use. The broken homes. The disrespect for parents. The hatred for authority. The lawlessness. There’s people fighting against this. That’s why we’re here. There’s others too.

Why are our streets broken? Because people hate rules. They don’t want to be told what to do. They don’t want authority in their lives. They want to live however they please. But when there are no rules, there is chaos. Many people who have no place to live are in that situation because they don’t want anyone telling them what to do. We have to fix that mindset.

From the beginning, God designed this world to run by order and boundaries. I want to show you in the text we just read that Job had been questioning God—not cursing Him, but questioning, wondering why he was suffering.

And God finally breaks in, not with a whisper, but out of the whirlwind. God puts Job in His place. You need to know your place. I need to know my place.

Job 38:1-3
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,  2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?  3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

God is THE authority. Let me say this again so you understand. You are not THE authority. God is THE authority. If you won’t get that right in your life, you’re going to have major problems. Kids, teenagers, young men and women, older men and women, you should listen and focus in today.

God shows up to Job who is just a man. Job wanted an answer from God. God shows up and gives him one. God says, “Who is this?” He is darkening counsel by words without knowledge. You don’t know everything. Make sure you hear me. You don’t know better than God. As young men and women, you might think you know how everything is going to go. You don’t.

God says to Job, “Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” Job was doing the same thing to God, questioning God, questioning authority. God is “THE” authority. Not us. Not even close. Make sure you understand that.

Why is God THE AUTHORITY? Watch what God says to Job.

Job 38:4-6
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.  5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?  6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

Hey, where were you when the foundations of the earth were laid. Who do you think you are? You weren’t there. GOD IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS. He sets the rules. You obey. If you don’t like that, you’re running right there with Satan who didn’t like God’s rules.

All of God’s creation is bound by rules that God set. But God gave humans free will to make their own choices. The sun doesn’t get a choice. The sun does what God says. The stars don’t get a choice. They do what God says to do. The sea stays where God told it to stay. But you get choices. And you can choose to follow the rules or not follow the rules.

As children, many times, we don’t like to follow rules. In our flesh, we don’t like to be told what to do. “Are you telling me what to do?” Yeah. When your Dad tells you to do something that is not sin, you do it or you sin. When your Mom tells you to do something that is not sin, you do it or you sin. Why? Because God made that rule.

We all have rules to follow in our life. You can follow them OR you can go against God.

The oceans have rules. The sun rises and sets by God’s rule. Creation itself obeys God’s order. But man is the only part of creation that rebels against the rules of God. And that rebellion is destroying our homes, our streets, and our nation. YOU HAVE RULES TO FOLLOW.

The word God means good, Supreme Being, Creator, the Almighty, Strong One, Mighty One, the Supreme Ruler. He rules over all things and sustains life. He is the reason for living things here on this great planet. He sets the rules for you to follow. And He gives authority to people within the Bible. He gives authority to parents. He gives authority to churches.

We will have rules here because we need order here just as God has order. If there are children  causing distractions, and a woman here tells you to stop, do you know what you do? You STOP. And you have respect for that woman. Do you understand me? And you don’t punch a woman. You don’t punch anyone. As an adult, you can’t punch anyone or you’ll go to jail. As a child, don’t be punching anyone.

Point 1: Rules Are Built Into Creation

Genesis 1:9
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

God divided, God ordered, God gave boundaries. Creation itself runs on rules.

Imagine if gravity stopped working tomorrow. Imagine if the Ohio River decided it didn’t want to stay in its banks anymore. Louisville would be wiped out. That’s what happens when rules are broken—chaos follows. Make sure you hear me and understand me. Rules bring peace and order.

But people today don’t want rules. They despise authority. They don’t want anyone telling them what to do. You have to change that attitude. Our streets are broken because homes are broken, and homes are broken because rules are despised.

Example: We live in a world where children tell their parents what to do. That’s backwards.

Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

When children run the home, when parents won’t stand up and set rules, the house is broken—and eventually the street is broken. As a parent, YOU SET THE RULES. The kids don’t set the rules. God said so. Imagine us telling God what to do. Same concept. God gave the parents the authority—not the children. Understand me.

If even nature itself must follow God’s order, how much more should man? But when man throws off God’s rules, he doesn’t gain freedom—he loses it. If you won’t set rules for your children and make them follow the rules, FREEDOM WILL BE LOST.

That child will end up in prison without freedom or even dead or even in hell. I am serious here. Please hear me. I don’t want your children in prison, dead, or in hell. I don’t want your children out in the streets.

Point 2: Lawlessness Brings Bondage

Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

When there are no rules, people perish. That’s why our streets are broken.

• Kids are out at 2 AM with no parents, no rules, and no future.
• Mothers are crying because their sons are either in the ground or behind bars.
• Families are destroyed because nobody wanted to follow the rules of God.

Example: A police officer tells you what to do. Unless he tells you to do something sinful, you need to obey. Don’t fight him. Don’t resist him. Don’t argue. You’re not going to win in the street. Too many young men have ended up dead because they hated rules and authority.

Example: Walk through our city and you’ll see it: kids running the streets, stealing, looting, skipping school, fighting, disrespecting authority. They think they’re free. But they’re not. They’re slaves to sin. And in the end, they’ll be slaves to prison walls.

They may even end up killing your mom, your dad, your sister, your brother, your family. We need to work together to fix these problems. It’s starts right there in your own family. Get this right.

That’s exactly what happened in Israel.

Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

They hated rules. They rejected authority. And the nation fell into chaos, violence, and oppression. You can see this happening here. But we have a choice. We can start right here. We can learn to follow rules starting right here in this church.

For example, you might not like one of our rules. You might not like the no smoking policy. Is that a good rule or a bad rule? That’s a good rule because smoking is killing you. What if I made a rule: “No reading your Bible on the premises.” That’s a bad rule. You can complain and get mad about that one, but don’t get mad about good rules.

Lawlessness is not freedom—it is bondage. When rules are good, follow them.

For example, if this city tells us we can’t have church together any more, that is a bad rule—an evil rule. That is a rule that breaks God’s rule. I will follow God’s rule, and I will have church. The city will have to do what the city will have to do. And God is watching—fear God and not man.

God didn’t leave us hopeless. He sent His Son to set us free—not to break God’s rules, but to empower us to live righteously. Since we’re saved, we are not to break God’s rules. That doesn’t give us the freedom to break His rules. GOD FORBID.

Point 3: Liberty in Christ Is Freedom to Do Good

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

True freedom isn’t doing whatever you want. That’s the lie the world believes, and it’s why our streets are broken. True freedom is the power to do right. God has no rules against doing good.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

There are laws against drugs. Laws against theft. Laws against killing. Laws against drunkenness. But there are no laws against love, joy, peace, and goodness. God didn’t set a limit on the amount of soul winning you can do.

Do you want real liberty? Then walk in the Spirit. You’ll never go to prison for loving people, being faithful to your spouse, working hard, raising your kids right, and telling the truth. Liberty is the freedom to do good. Not freedom to do evil.

Christ sets us free to obey God. That’s real freedom. And that’s when your life is good, calm, peaceful, and brings you joy. When there is the breaking of rules and things are completely out of order, this is when you have great troubles.

When you embrace God’s boundaries, you don’t lose freedom—you find blessing.

Point 4: Boundaries Bring Blessing

Psalm 119:45
And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

The Bible says liberty comes through God’s rules, not against them. That’s the opposite of what the world tells you.

• The boundaries of marriage bring joy to the home.
• The boundaries of law bring peace to a community.
• The boundaries of God’s Word bring eternal life to His people.

Think of traffic laws. If everybody ignored stop signs and red lights, you couldn’t even drive to church without fearing death. But because there are boundaries, you can travel safely. The same is true for life. Ignore the boundaries, and you crash. Respect the boundaries, and you live.

Example: Think of a basketball court. The game is only fun because there are boundaries. If there were no rules, no fouls, no lines, no limits—it wouldn’t be a game at all. It would be chaos. Life is the same way.

So the real question is not whether you’ll have rules. The question is: whose rules will you follow—God’s rules or your own? Will you not go get a job because you know you’ll have rules to follow? Be there at 7 am or be fired. You don’t like that rule. There’s a reason for that rule. It’s a good rule. If you break that rule, you lose your job.

There are rules everywhere. We must learn to follow the rules and the authority in our life. You can go along with that, or you can go against it.

Point 5: Breaking God’s Commands Brings Broken Lives

Romans 1:28-29
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers.

The reason our streets are broken is because our homes are broken.

• God commands purity, but fornication fills our city. Children are born outside of marriage, without fathers in the home. That leads to instability, insecurity, and brokenness.
• God commands marriage to be honorable, but people despise it, living together without commitment, jumping from partner to partner. No stability means no example for the children.
• God commands children to obey their parents, but parents don’t parent. The kids run the home. Parents set no rules, so the children learn that rules don’t matter.
• God commands us to teach our children diligently, but schooling and training have collapsed. Instead of parents teaching truth, kids are trained by TikTok, video games, and gangs on the corner. You need to have your kids at church where they are learning the truth. Without that, they are going to be in big trouble.
• God commands us to work, but laziness, government handouts, and idleness fill the neighborhood. Idleness breeds temptation, and temptation leads to sin.
• God commands us to be sober, but drugs and alcohol dominate. People escape reality instead of confronting it. And when you’re not sober, you’re not in control — sin and Satan are.

Here’s the problem: when adults break God’s commands, they show the children that rules don’t matter. The children grow up thinking there are no consequences. And so the cycle gets worse.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

We’re seeing the fruit of that right now. That’s why kids can walk up to a mother holding her child at a bus stop and shoot her without thinking twice. They don’t care about rules, because nobody ever made them care. They don’t believe in consequences, because nobody ever showed them consequences. CHASTEN THEM QUICKLY WHEN THEY DO WRONG.

Lawlessness multiplies. It starts with one generation breaking God’s rules, and it ends with the next generation destroying itself.

Conclusion To Lawlessness

Church, this is why our streets are broken. Because people hate rules. Kids don’t want parents telling them what to do. Adults don’t want police telling them what to do. Sinners don’t want God telling them what to do. And when you reject rules, you destroy your home, your family, your community, and your future.

But Jesus Christ came to set us free. Not free to sin. Not free to rebel. But free to walk in righteousness. Free to love, to live, and to serve without bondage.

So here’s the call today:

• Parents, set rules in your homes and expect your children to obey.
• Children, honor your father and mother.
• Citizens, respect authority. Respect the leaders. You can disagree but still honor them.
• Christians, embrace God’s Word and His commandments.
• Parents come to church. Children come to church. My rule is my kids come to church.
• Get married or don’t have a sexual relationship outside of marriage.
• Don’t do drugs. Don’t drink alcohol. Don’t smoke. Be sober.
• Don’t overeat. Don’t be a glutton. Take care of your body.
• Get a job, if you are able—don’t let the government tell you that you aren’t.
• Teach your children right—that starts here at church and continues into everyday life.
• Don’t waste your money on vain things like hair, nails, expensive clothes and shoes.
• Save the money you are receiving. Spend it on good things—don’t waste it.
• Don’t lust after things like restaurants, food, movies, video games, cars, clothing.

These are rules in the Bible. Look, rules don’t bind you—they bless you. Boundaries don’t ruin your life—they save your life.

Yes, God gave us free will to make our own choices—but free will doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. Every choice you make has consequences. Adam had free will in the garden, and he chose to sin. He didn’t get to choose the penalty. The penalty was set by God.

Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

As an example, when you choose fornication versus marriage, you’ll pay. And I am not going to help you out of it either. There comes an end when you won’t decide to do things the right way. The church is on God’s side, and you breaking the rules will come to an end here at church too.

Let’s not be another broken street in another broken city. Let’s be a people who live by God’s rules. Because lawlessness is death—but God’s order is life.

Let’s pray.