03/02/2026
Here are my notes for the Adult Sunday School class for March 1, 2026. If you don't have the book, you can read the book of Malachi and Psalm 66, to follow along. As always, if you disagree with my ideals please let me know but remember to include the Bible reference to back up your disagreement so we can learn together. Please share your comments (both positive and negative) and testimonies so we can all grow in God. God bless and keep you all! Unit 18 Session 4
03/01/2026
Stained Glass Masquerade
Song by Casting Crowns ‧
Lyrics
Is there anyone that fails?
Is there anyone that falls?
Am I the only one in church today
Feeling so small?
'Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong
So I tuck it all away like everything's okay
If I make 'em all believe it
Maybe I'll believe it, too
So with a painted grin
I play the part again
So everyone will see me
The way that I see them
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
The smiles to hide our pain?
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained-glass masquerade
Is there anyone who's been there?
Are there any hands who raise?
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage?
The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
Or would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be?
Or would your arms be open?
Or would you walk away?
Or would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay?
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
The smiles to hide our pain?
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On the stained-glass masquerade
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
The smiles that hide our pain?
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On the stained-glass masquerade
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On the stained-glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails?
Is there anyone that falls?
Am I the only one in church today
Feeling so small?
That song is about coming to church every Sunday and living a lie. It talks about preforming the formula but not the function. It talks about resisting the Sprit when it tries to move you because others might think you are weak or you think yourself weak because the Sprit doesn’t seem to move them very much, so they must be strong and faithful. But have you ever considered that maybe they are performing the same masquerade you are.
Matthew 25:21
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 7:23
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Between 85 to 100 years passed between the rebuilding of the Temple to the Prophet Malachi beginning his ministry. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. It is the last call for the people of Israel to repent, and the last prophecy given in the Old Testament. Malachi is the last prophet that will come to the people of Israel for 400 years when John the Baptist starts preaching from the wilderness.
At the time of Malachi, the Israelites are practicing the sacrifices God commanded in the Temple, “kinda”, and are following God’s commandments, “kinda”.
I use the word “kinda”, because they are offering sacrifices, but not the prefect animals and fruits of the land. They are following God’s commandments but are not doing it out of a love of God and a zeal to fear God and obey his word, but because it is what is expected of them. They are making these sacrifices and following these commandments in the performance of a masquerade. A show that says, “see, here I am the “good and faithful servant”, but they are really the “workers of iniquity”.
In the Bible, the Hebrew word used for iniquity is “`avon”, which refers to a premeditated, deep-seated, and often habitual twistedness or perversion of God’s law, going beyond a simple mistake or momentary sin.
Mark 1:2-3
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Page115 Question 1
How can you avoid falling into apathy toward God?
Isaiah 43:25
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
When God forgives you of your sin, He blots it out from his judgment of you, He forgets it, but He does not remove it from your memory. You should remember you sins but remember then as a fully forgiven child of God. You should remember your forgiven sin as a lesion on how not to live your life in Christ.
Remembering your failures so you do not repeat your failures is one way to not fall into apathy toward God. Remember what God has done for you and celebrate your salvation daily.
What are some other ways we can make out worship current and engaging?
Page 115 Question 2
Knowing that judgment is coming, how does that inspire you to share the gospel with those who don’t know Christ?
Matthew 4:19
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
This question should give you a great sense of urgency to act out of love and obedience toward rescuing souls from the eternal separation from God and the never-ending flams of hell.
It is estimated that more than three million people in the world today have never heard of Jesus Christ. And worse still, are the people who have heard of Christ but have not accepted Christ as their savior. Some of those people are very near and dear to you. Some of those people are “good” people who think that they do not need Christ because they are “good” people and that ”goodness” will get them into Hevan.
It is incumbent upon us as Christians to spread the Good News of the Risin Christ that has come to purify and save us, so we can be worthy of Hevan.
What can you do, as a personal mission, to spread the Good News of Christ?
Page 117 Question 1
Why do you think God is justified in destroying all the arrogant and the wicked?
James 4:6
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”[a]
Proverbs 16:5
5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:18
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
In Malachi, God is justified in destroying the arrogant and wicked because they persist in unrepentant sin, defy His covenant commands, and treating His patience as God not caring about the injustice of it all. Malachi 4:1 describes this judgment as a consuming fire—not malice, but a necessary purification that removes evil completely.
Can you give me an example of how you have seen God bring someone down who really deserves it? Did you see this as retaliation or the perseverance of God’s holy justice?
Page 117 Question 1
What would a spiritual revival look like for you today?
Psalm 85:6
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Revelation 2:4-5
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
A modern spiritual revival might look like a profound, inward and outward transformation: moving from stagnant routine (the Stained-Glass Masquerade) to a vibrant, daily, and tangible connection with God. It involves genuine repentance, intense hunger for scripture, fervent prayer, and sacrificial love that transforms homes, workplaces, and communities, not just church services.
A lifestyle of Worship, not a temporary event, but a lifestyle, where faith, obedience, and surrender define our daily habits. A community-wide impact, including, a, burden for the lost, an, increase in, conversions, and a unity in the body of Christ.
It could look like restored relationships, true repentance, and practical acts of service and justice that is driven by a renewed passion rather than just emotion, giving us a deeper awareness of God's presence.
