Jodie Johnson

Gospel Presentation Manuscript – Celebration of Life for Jodie Johnson

(Take a brief pause before speaking, looking around at the people gathered)

Today, we’ve gathered to celebrate an extraordinary life—the life of Jodie Johnson. We’ve heard about her generosity, her love for others, her sacrificial heart, and her deep faith. It’s been said that we don’t measure life by the number of years we live, but by the impact we make. And Jodie’s life—though not as long as we would have wished—was truly full of meaning and purpose.

Hearing all the stories of how she served others reminds us that she didn’t just live for herself. She lived for something greater. She lived with eternity in mind. And today, as we honor her life, I want to take a few minutes to talk about the hope she held onto—the hope she would want each of us to know.

This morning I want to share with you a gospel message in four simple points:

Accountable to God

Bad News (sin)

Good New (gospel)

How are you going to respond?

1. Accountable to God

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27:

Hebrews 9:27 NKJV

27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

That verse is both sobering and hopeful. It reminds us that each one of us will one day stand before God. We’ll give an account of our lives—not just for the things we did, but for whether we knew Him.

Jodie understood this. She lived her life in the light of eternity. Her kindness, her sacrifices, her love for her family and friends, and the way she poured herself out for others—those weren’t just random good deeds. They flowed from a heart that knew she was accountable to a loving and holy God.

Genesis 1:1 NKJV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

None of you are an accident, you are:

Psalm 139:14 NKJV

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

And if we’re honest, we all want our lives to matter. We want to make a difference. But the truth is, none of us measures up perfectly to God’s standard.

2. The Bad News (Our Sin)

Romans 3:23 says

Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

That includes me. That includes you. Sin isn’t just about the obvious wrongs like lying or hurting someone—it’s any way that we fall short of God’s perfect love and holiness.

Jodie wasn’t perfect, she too had fallen short of the glory of God.

And Romans 6:23a tells us,

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death,

Sin brings separation from God, both in this life and the life to come. Left on our own, we’re helpless to fix that gap between us and God.

The wage for our sin before God is death, and judgement.

That’s the bad news—but it sets the stage for the best news the world has ever known. Just as a jeweler pulls out the black velvet cloth to better show of his diamonds, so to does this bad news of sin and death, further enhance the good news in my next point.

3. The Good News (Jesus Christ’s Death, Burial, and Resurrection)

Because even though we couldn’t fix the problem of sin, God made a way. The same verse that says, ‘The wages of sin is death,’ goes on to say, ‘but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world. Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn’t live. And then He willingly died on the cross, taking the punishment we deserved. Three days later, He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death once for all.

That’s the gospel—the good news that we can be forgiven, made right with God, and have eternal life—not by earning it, but by trusting in what Jesus did for us.

Jodie knew this. Her life wasn’t just about good works—it was about a Savior who changed her heart. Her faith wasn’t just words; it shaped how she loved, how she served, how she raised her children, and how she poured herself out for others.

And today, we can have confidence that Jodie is in the presence of Jesus—not because she lived a perfect life, but because she trusted in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV

8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

4. How Will You Respond?

Jesus said in John 11:25-26,

John 11:25–26 NKJV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

That’s the question for every one of us today: Do you believe this?

God isn’t asking us to clean ourselves up first. He’s not asking us to prove ourselves worthy. He’s inviting us to receive His forgiveness and grace through faith in Jesus.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 NKJV

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

That’s what Jodie believed. And that’s the hope she clung to. Today, she’s experiencing the promise of eternal life with Christ. And I believe if she could say one thing to us right now, it would be: ‘Make sure you know Jesus. Make sure you’ve placed your trust in Him. Nothing else matters more.’

So let me ask you gently but directly: Are you ready to meet God? Have you placed your trust in Jesus?

If not, you can do that today. You can you can submit to His Lordship, by believing and confessing, to forgive your sins, to be your Savior, and to give you new life. And He promises He will.

Closing Invitation (Optional Prayer)

“Let’s take a quiet moment together. If you’re here today and you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus, I invite you to do that right where you’re sitting. You don’t need fancy words—just a sincere heart before God.

You might pray something like this:

‘God, I know I’ve sinned and fallen short. But I believe that Jesus died for me and rose again. I ask You to forgive me. I trust in Jesus alone to save me. Please give me eternal life, and help me follow You from this day forward. Amen.’

It isn’t a prayer that saves a person but a belief and confession that Christ is Lord and a willingness to faithfully follow Him. If you prayed to receive Christ or would like to talk with someone, there are wonderful Christians here this morning who would love to.

Friends, the greatest way we can honor Jodie’s life is by knowing the Savior she loved, by receiving the hope she held onto, and by living for eternity, just like she did.

Thank you for letting me share.