2. Thank you for coming to Samsbiblestories.com and for taking a look at the lessons I have added. These lessons are the result of years of teaching Sunday school at an Elementary level. God has richly blessed me in being able to share His Word with thousands of young people. It is now my privilege to share them with you. Please feel free to use them with your class, wherever God has planted you. The only think I ask is that you drop me a line and let me know who you are and how the lessons are working for you. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. samueldselby@gmail God Bless you, Sam God Bless

3. Bible Story-time The BEST Laid Plan Mark 11:1-11; 14:43–15:47

4. I want you guys to think back with me. I mean way, way, way back, all the way to the beginning of time… The BEST Laid Plan

5. When God created a Magnificent Paradise on this Earth, and everything was good. The BEST Laid Plan

6. But then, the first people (Adam and Eve) broke God’s rule—they sinned—and the world was broken… The BEST Laid Plan Because of their sin, they were thrown out of the very garden that God had created for them.

7. But right from the beginning, God promised to send a Savior, a Messiah, a Deliverer to show men and women the way back to his Kingdom. The BEST Laid Plan And finally, after waiting many hundreds of years, God’s Messiah was finally here and God’s people (the Jews) had a plan for him…

8. You see, at this time in History, the Jewish people were living under the heavy hand of the Roman Empire! The BEST Laid Plan The Romans occupied their land and controlled them as a conquered people.

9. What was it like to live under the rule of Rome? The BEST Laid Plan. If you were POOR. Your life was miserable. Unless you were chosen to join the Roman army, you lived in poverty and you and your family were the property of Rome. If you were RICH. Times were good and you pretty much came and went as you pleased… as long as you paid a heavy tribute to Rome. However…

10. And now, their Savior was finally here, and it was only natural, I suppose, that the Jewish people would expect that the ONE thing they needed saving from the most, was the Roman Empire! The BEST Laid Plan This was their PLAN… 1.The Savior (Jesus) would grow up and become a man 2.When the time was right, he would recruit a large army 3.He would train this army and prepare them for war 4.He would go to battle with the Roman army and eventually overthrow them and take their land back 5.He would establish His Kingdom and become their King! Sounds like a good plan right?? There was just one little problem…

11. IT WASN’T GOD’S PLAN! What was God’s plan? The Perfect had to die so that sin could be forgiven.

12. God knew that it wasn’t enough to deliver His people from the Roman Empire. They would still be enslaved to their sin. The BEST Laid Plan His plan was to provide a way to know God forever in His Kingdom, and that could only happen if our sin was covered by that perfect payment. God’s own Son. Stand by for the rest of God’s plan which we will discuss next week!