Jean Protzman Funeral

Matt Horine

Funeral • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

John 14:1–3

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Song - “I Want To Stroll Over Heaven With You”

Scripture

Psalm 93:1–4 (ESV)

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!

Psalm 61:1–4 (ESV)

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Reading of Obituary & Prayer

Jean Ann Protzman of Normal passed away Wednesday, December 14, 2022 in Haines City, Florida.

Jean was born December 12, 1933 in Bradford, Illinois, the daughter of Lester & Burniece (Wilson) Taylor. She married William Protzman on July 17, 1955 in Bloomington, Illinois.

Jean is survived by two children: Cathleen (Kevin) Kelly and John (Deb) Protzman; two grandsons and their wives, and three great-grandchildren. She was proceeded in death by her parents and husband.

All those who knew and loved Jean will remember her as an upbeat person, despite the many challenges she faced during her life. She loved her family and many friends above all and found fun in anything she did, especially if it involved travel in any form. Many will recall Jean and Bill riding on their mopeds all over town and beyond. She laughed easily and will be missed greatly.

Prayer (Every moment holy - page 187)

Song - “Onward Christian Soldiers”

Scripture (Kevin Kelly)

Song - “Good Night & Good Morning”

Message

One of the most profound and life-changing statements ever made in history is found in John 11.

It’s here that Jesus said,

John 11:25 (ESV)

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jesus didn’t say these words just in passing. He didn’t say them flippantly. He actually said these words at a funeral for his friend named Lazarus who had been in a tomb for four days. And he directed these words to two grieving sisters who had just lost their brother.

Now, if you’re familiar with the story, you know that Jesus right after saying this raised Lazarus from the dead to show that not even death itself has any power over Him.

Now, these words from Jesus are the cornerstone of our faith and hope. And if what Jesus said is true, then it changes everything. If it’s not true, then there’s really no reason to listen to anything Jesus ever had to say.

But because we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, because we believe that Jesus is the one who reigns over both life and death and that those whose hope and belief is in him will live forever with Jesus in complete joy and wholeness, then we can endure suffering, listen, with joy and hope.

Jean lived a full life. One filled with joy and gladness and love. She loved her family, she loved the church, she loved Jesus and it was evident in her. It was clearly seen. And though, her absence is now causing a void, her impact in the lives of others will be felt and seen for years and years to come.

She lived with hope in Christ to the end. She lived a life that honored Jesus and she finished the race set before her well.

That’s a hope that only Jesus can give you. You don’t find that anywhere else.

I mean, even on the day Jean passed away when I talked with Cathi and John, they were grieving but at the same time they were filled with joy because their mom was with Jesus.

Jean’s life displayed the beauty and worth of Jesus. The way her family is walking through difficulty is displaying the worth of Jesus. Their desire is for the good news of Jesus to be proclaimed.

And so, yes, I’m the one with the mic on right now, yes, people are hearing my voice, and by God’s grace, I’ll proclaim the sufficiency and excellency of Christ above all. But what will give weight to these feeble words of mine and what will be speaking louder and remembered longer is Jean’s life and testimony of God’s steadfast love and grace. A life that showed that she believed that Jesus reigns over life and death. A life that showed that Jesus is good, that Jesus is better, and that God’s grace is sufficient. What will give weight to these words of mine is the testimony of the family and how you all have endured suffering and have shown that Jesus is enough.

I want to say to you all that how you have walked through this suffering together, resting in the goodness, in the sufficiency, in the sovereignty of God has spoken volumes. You have declared through your life that Jesus is enough, and that even in the face of loss, you have shown that if we still have Jesus, we’ve won and will walk in joy and peace. Jean showed that to the very end. She finished well. And so, thank you for your faithful and steadfast endurance through pain and suffering. Thank you for showing that Jesus is enough. That Jesus is beautiful. That Jesus is good.

What could be said about Jean? She loved her family. She loved her friends. If you were a friend of Jean, you were a lifelong friend. She still talked regularly with friends she went to high school with. She had a zeal for life. She loved to laugh, she loved to travel and experience God’s creation and goodness. She had a heart for people and a desire to see them come to know the Jesus that had given her so much joy.

Her heart had found it’s greatest delight in Christ and because of Jesus and the hope she had in him, through any and all circumstances she was able to endure and walk through it with joy. She believed that in Christ she was secure and hope-filled because Jesus would never leave her or forsake her. This is the hope we can have and do have in Christ.

A couple chapters after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead Jesus continued to talk with his disciples about the hope they can have in Him. They had seen Jesus raise someone from the dead. Clearly death has no power over Jesus. So, therefore, we can walk in confidence and joy in Christ through suffering because Jesus reigns over all and is making all things new.

Listen to these words, listen to this great promise made by Jesus in John 14.

John 14:1–3 (ESV)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

This here is probably the greatest promise ever made because it was,

Number one,

Made by the greatest person who ever lived.

Never has there ever been another person who has changed the course of human history as Jesus has.

For sure, there have been many who have come and gone who have made impacts in the world, but no one aside from Jesus has ever determined the course of history.

Jesus speaks and the wind and sea obey him.

Jesus speaks and the sick are healed.

Jesus speaks and those dead in sin are brought to life.

And yet, Jesus’ life was one marked with humility, gentleness, and compassion for the hurting and afflicted.

There’s been no one else quite like Jesus.

But this is also the greatest promise ever made because secondly,

It’s about the greatest place ever imagined.

Man’s greatest efforts pale in comparison to what God has for those who belong to him.

And yet, remember, what makes heaven, heaven is the presence of Jesus. Isn’t that what Jesus said in John 14? “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Remove Jesus from heaven and you don’t have heaven.

We were created to walk and live in relationship with God. It’s what we were designed for. To be with Him.

You see, what God is doing and working together through Jesus the Son is a life where all things are made new again. Life free from pain, free from suffering, free from hardships, free from death.

And this is what awaits those who belong to Christ.

This is the greatest promise ever made because, thirdly,

Its purpose is our eternal comfort.

Remember what Jesus said in John 14 to his disciples who were going to face intense suffering. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.”

For the person whose hope and trust are in Christ alone, death isn’t something to be feared. This is where Jean’s trust was and so for her, death wasn’t something she feared because of her hope in Christ. Eternal life with Jesus, free from pain, free from the bondage that we face in this world was something that brought her comfort.

And so, Jesus’ words to his disciples are words for us to hold fast to as well because the promise remains. “Don’t let your heart be troubled.” He is faithful and good.

This is the greatest promise ever made because, fourthly,

It rests on the greatest proposition.

Jesus said, “Listen, you believe in God, believe in me.”

You see, this promise is certain for all who believe. Well, believe what? Believe in Jesus.

The heart, the message, and the essence of the gospel is simply this.

God is holy, he is the creator and sustainer of all life. In fact, all life exists because he says so and all life exists for the glory of God.

But just as holy as God is, we are just as sinful and unholy. We’re rebels and traitors of God looking to find life, hope, and meaning in God’s creation rather than in God himself.

And because of that, we’ve brought upon ourselves his judgment and wrath for our sin and betrayal.

And our only hope of redemption and reconciliation and restoration with God is not in our good works, it’s not in our religious piety. It’s in resting completely and fully in the person and work of Jesus. Faith in his life, his death, and his resurrection.

And for those who turn from their sin, repent, and turn in faith to a God who loves them and died for them they find life, they find purpose, they find hope.

Jesus wasn’t saying here to believe certain facts about him, he said, believe in me, rest in me, hold fast to me, follow me and you’ll find what you were created for.

Jean is more alive today than she ever has been. How? Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Because she believed in him. Even though Jean’s physical body died, she lives because Jesus lives. She’s more alive and filled with joy than she has ever been! She’s healed. She’s restored. She’s whole. She’s in the presence of her Savior right now.

How is this hope possible?

Jesus willingly endured death on a cross himself so that death would no longer be our great enemy but that through Christ we would stand in victory and hope knowing that death does not any longer have the final say. On the cross Jesus took the shame, took our sin upon himself, became the curse, took the condemnation so that we would be set free to walk in joy and life.

Death does not have the final say in Jean’s life. It has no power over her anymore. There’s no sting to it anymore.

This is the hope we have in Christ. This is the change Jesus does in our hearts. It’s the change that took place in Jean’s life. It’s what has changed so many within her family so that they can say even through suffering that God is good and with every breath they have they plead with any who have not yet believed to believe in Jesus.

With every fiber of my being, God has called me to faithfully proclaim the good news that Jesus saves.

There is no sin or shame in your life that the cross of Christ is not powerful enough to overcome.

Conclusion

Dwight L. Moody is one of the greatest evangelists to ever live. He spent his life proclaiming the beauty and worth and joy of knowing Jesus. Knowing that one day his physical life would end he once said,

“Someday you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone higher, that is all — out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that sin cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned into His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837; I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die; that which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”

Years later, Moody was on his death bed. Within hours of his going to be with Jesus Moody said,

“Earth recedes. Heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go.” “This is my triumph; this is my coronation day! It is glorious!”

On Wednesday, December 14, Jean passed from this life on earth to life in heaven with Jesus. She had her coronation day. Crowned with the splendor and glory of knowing Christ and being found in Him. Crowned with the reality that sin no longer affects her, pain no longer has a hold on her, suffering for her is something in the past that she’ll never again endure. We do not grieve for Jean; she’s doing just fine. She’s filled to the brim with joy in Jesus. Overflowing.

We grieve for ourselves because we’re separated from someone dear to us. But at the same time long and yearn for the day when we will be reunited; when death will be no more; when God will wipe away every tear and we will forever be with our God.

This is the promise Jesus gives us in himself.

So, let us rest in that glorious hope and encourage one another in the goodness and faithfulness and sufficiency of Christ. He is all we need.

Prayer

Song - “Amazing Grace”

Closing Prayer

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