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Precious faith than life

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[Esther 4:16]

"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me.

Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do.

When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

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There was a king named Xerxes among the kings of the Persian Empire. Esther, the queen of this king, was a Jewish. But the king did not know that Queen Esther was a Jew.

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King Xerxes appointed a man named Haman as prime minister.

Haman was an Amalekite man and hated the Jews very much. Haman was conspiring to get his permission to kill all the Jews to strengthen the kingdom of King Xerxes.

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Mordecai, who raised Esther the queen, asked Esther to save the Jewish people by telling the king this plot. It was custom at the time that the king would not be called even if it was a queen, but it could have been killed. Queen Esther initially said she was afraid and could not do it.

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Mordecai told Esther: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

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Esther, who heard this, took the risk and went out to the king to save her people.

So she asked him Jewish people to fast and pray for the queen for three days.

The queen also fasted and prayed to God.

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Esther went to the king with a determination to die when she died to save the Jewish people. King Xerxes said of Esther, a beautiful queen.

“What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request?

Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.” God has listened to Esther's prayer.

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Esther spoke to the king about all the schemes Haman had embellished. The king was greatly angry when he found out that Haman had tried to kill all the Jewish peoples.

And ordered to kill Haman who plotted the plot right away.

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When Haman came to kill the Jews, he created a high pole to hang the Mordecai

he hated the most. But He was killed by his own pole.

Esther saved the Jewish people with the courage to go to the king with a willingness to lose her life in understanding the will of God to save the Jewish nation.

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Even before this time, the Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had built a giant gold statue on the Dura plain in order that all the people would serve him as gods.

After the gold statue was completed, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gathered

all the servants in the whole country.

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Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

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However, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who serve God, did not bow before the golden statue. Because they knew it was an idolatry that God hated most.

They kept their faith even though they could be thrown into the blazing furnace and die.

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They did not bow to the golden statue, so they were thrown into the furnace fire.

However, a miracle happened to them that were thrown into the furnace fire. Because in the hot fire they were walking with an angel. God has kept them from burning in them.

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Nebuchadnezzar king who watched this sight realized his fault.

And he gave the following statement to all the people.

“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

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Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who did not give up their lives and worship idols, made a great achievement that enabled them to experience the miracles God has made and the king to acknowledge God. Esther and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego These people cherished God's word over their most important life.

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Our salvation is also the grace that Jesus, the Son of God, has given his life to us as human beings. Jesus died for me and gave me salvation as a gift.

We must be a man who knows how gracious the grace of salvation we have received is, and knows that grace is more precious than any value in this world, and lives in remembrance of God's grace.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)