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Always, Live a Grateful Life!

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[Colossians 3:15]

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

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Those who believe in Jesus and become children of God are called Christians.
In the words of Colossians 3, it is recorded about the new life that a Christian must live.
Today, let's look at the words of Colossians 3 and see what kind of new attitude we should have in life.

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The Bible says that Christians are those who have been raised with Jesus Christ.

[You have risen with Christ.]

The moment we accept Jesus, who died on the cross for us and rose again, as our Savior, we are born again with new life.

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Those who have a new life because of Jesus must have a completely different attitude to life than before. The first is to live with your heart in heaven.

[You have been raised with Christ. So set your mind on what is in heaven.
There Christ sits at the right hand of God.]

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Heaven is where Jesus, who saved us, is at the right hand of God. Those who have new life are those who are permitted to live eternal life in the heavenly kingdom of Jesus.
To set your heart on heaven is to live with the hope of heaven where you will always live with Jesus forever. Those who live in hope for the kingdom of heaven where Jesus resides will not be disappointed no matter what they encounter.

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Second, we must cast away the sinful things in our lives. The Bible records in detail the sins that must be forsaken by those who have a new life.
[Forsake all the sinful things in your life. Sexual sin, evil behavior, bad thoughts, and excessive greed are attitudes that value things other than God. In particular, covetousness is idolatry.]

Those who believe in Jesus and are saved must cast away all the sins that God hates in their lives.

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In the continuation of the Word, we specifically record the things we should strive to throw away.

[Try to get these things out of your life. The same goes for resentful thoughts, anger, words or actions that hurt others, or bad words. Don't lie to each other.]

Those who become children of God must not sin in their thoughts and feelings.

You must not say or do anything that hurts the heart of others.
You must not even deceive others with lies.

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Those who do not believe in Jesus have no power to defeat sin. However, if you believe in Jesus and receive new life, you will have the strength to overcome sin.
The Holy Spirit within us helps us overcome sin. God hates people who continue to sin despite receiving the power to overcome sin.

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A new identity is given to those who believe in Jesus and receive a new life.
[and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.(Colossians 3:10)]
The person's status changes from that of a sinner to a righteous person.
A person's nature, corrupted by sin, will be restored to the original form that God created, and he will be able to properly know and do God's will.

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The Bible explains that the righteous who have a new life should live by practicing what God has given us. First, we must love others as much as we have received God's love.
[Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)]

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With great love, God has made us a holy people of God. The person who has received this great love should treat others with a heart of love, just as God has loved me.
We are to be generous with others, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

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Second, we must live a life of forgiving others as God has forgiven us.
[Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.(Colossians 3:13)]

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God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in order to forgive our sins that have no choice but to go to hell. God forgave our sins by paying the price of killing His Son.
Having received such a great forgiveness, we must become those who forgive the wrongs that others do to us.

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Third, always, be a grateful person.
[Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.] (Colossians 3:15)
[Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.] (Colossians 3:16)

[And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.] (Colossians 3:17)
What the three verses have in common is the word to give thanks.

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A life of gratitude is an important evidence for those who believe in Jesus and are saved.
We should always strive to live a life of gratitude. We should always live a life of praise and honor to God with a grateful heart. We should be grateful to our Heavenly Father in our speech, our work, and whatever we do.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 of the Bible, a grateful life is expressed as God's will for us.
[give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.]
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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We learned from the words of Colossians that those who believe in Jesus and have a new life must live a new life. As we have learned today, we must strive not to imitate the sinful life that we must throw away. We must become a person who loves and forgives others through the great love and forgiveness we have received from God. Lastly, I hope that you will become all people of faith who can fully fulfill God's will for us by always practicing a life of gratitude.

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