(Holiness Is the Ticket Home)
Introduction: All Aboard
Every station hums with movement.
Tracks stretch out like choices.
Announcements echo: “Train departing in five minutes…”
People are always going somewhere.
Life is just like that.
Every heart is en route—somewhere.
Every choice is a boarding pass.
Every desire is a direction.
Every day brings you closer to a destination.
There’s no standing still in life; even standing still moves you along a track.
Scripture puts it bluntly:
> “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads to destruction… but narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life.”
— Matthew 7:13–14 (AMP)
So let me ask you, friend:
What train are you boarding?
---
1 — WE’VE TURNED HEAVEN INTO A VACATION BROCHURE
When people talk about heaven, listen closely —
you’ll hear a travel commercial, not a testimony.
No stress.
No bills.
No sickness.
No pain.
All true — but incomplete.
Because heaven is not a spa retreat for tired souls.
It’s the home of God’s holiness.
And the joy of heaven is not that pain is gone —
it’s that God is there.
> If heaven had everything you love —
but God were missing —
would you still want to go?
Some want escape but not transformation.
Some want peace but not repentance.
Some want blessing but not the Blesser.
Heaven is not for people who just don’t want hell.
Heaven is for people who want God.
---
2 — HEAVEN DOESN’T CHANGE YOU; IT REVEALS YOU
A train only goes in one direction.
You can’t buy a ticket to heaven but keep your heart on the wrong track.
Heaven doesn’t change the heart — it reveals it.
Holiness is not perfection; it’s affection.
It’s what you crave when you’re free.
Hebrews 12:14 (AMP) says:
> “Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.”
That doesn’t mean we earn heaven.
It means heaven is joy only for those who love what heaven is —
the presence of God.
If God’s presence is not your joy here,
it won’t suddenly become your joy there.
---
3 — JESUS IS THE ONLY TRAIN THAT GOES HOME
Picture the station crowded with people.
Some read maps.
Some argue over schedules.
Some proudly say all tracks lead to the same place.
But the sign over the only platform that reaches home says:
> “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.” — John 14:6 (AMP)
The Gospel Train is not a denomination,
not a membership,
not a performance.
The Conductor is Jesus.
The ticket is grace.
The engine is the cross.
The power is the resurrection.
And the destination is the Father’s heart.
There are no express lines for self-righteousness.
No sleeper cars for indifference.
No round-trip tickets for backsliding.
There’s only one train—and it’s moving.
What train are you boarding?
---
4 — WHAT YOU PACK TELLS WHERE YOU’RE GOING
Every traveler decides what to carry.
But there are suitcases heaven won’t allow:
Pride
Bitterness
Lust
Greed
Self-rule
Unforgiveness
Grace doesn’t rip them from your hands —
grace changes what you love so much that you’re glad to leave them behind.
Holiness isn’t a burden; it’s baggage drop-off.
It’s God saying:
> “That can’t go where I’m taking you.”
“You won’t need that weight in glory.”
And the longer you walk with Him, the lighter you travel.
Holiness isn’t heaviness—it’s freedom.
It’s what it feels like when your soul finally breathes without sin choking it.
---
5 — THE TRAGEDY OF ALMOST
Some people love being near the train:
They love the music of worship.
They enjoy the community of believers.
They nod at the stories of Jesus.
They clap when others board.
But they never get on.
They say:
> “I’ll ride someday. After I settle down. After I fix a few things. After life slows down.”
But “someday” is Satan’s favorite word.
And “almost” is one of hell’s saddest songs.
Hell is filled with almost passengers.
Close enough to smell the smoke,
close enough to hear the whistle,
but never stepping aboard.
What train are you boarding?
---
6 — THE FINAL CALL
The Conductor is calling now.
Revelation 22:17 (AMP):
> “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ …
Whoever wishes, let him take the water of life without cost.”
You don’t need to buy a ticket.
You just need to say yes.
Grace has paid your fare in full.
Holiness is the atmosphere of your new destination.
And the Holy Spirit is whispering right now:
> “Don’t stand there admiring the train — step inside.”
The doors are open.
The engine is warm.
And the whistle is about to blow.
---
7 — A WORD ABOUT DIRECTION
Every train follows its tracks.
If you’re facing the wrong direction, you can’t arrive at the right destination.
Heaven is not a feeling; it’s a direction of life.
And Jesus changes that direction when you surrender.
That’s why repentance matters.
It’s not God saying, “Behave better.”
It’s God saying, “Turn around. You’re headed toward Me now.”
The Gospel Train doesn’t change its path to please us;
it changes our hearts so we finally want where it’s going.
What train are you boarding?
---
8 — THE BRATISLAVA MOMENT (HUMOR TURN)
I’m reminded of a scene from that wild travel comedy EuroTrip.
A group of backpackers wanders into a rundown station in Bratislava.
They ask the local man behind the counter,
> “Do you have a train to Berlin?”
And the man beams with confidence:
> “Oh yes! Very soon… we’ll build one!”
The audience laughs every time.
No train. No tracks. No plan. Just a promise — “Very soon we’ll build one.”
And yet — that’s how many people treat eternity.
“Are you right with God?”
“Oh yes… very soon I’ll build one.”
“Have you given Jesus your heart?”
“Soon… when life slows down.”
“Are you on the train?”
“Oh yes — I’ll build one someday.”
Friend… hear me in love:
> Hell is full of sincere people who meant to catch the next train.
They weren’t mockers — just procrastinators.
They believed the train existed. They admired it. They even planned to ride it “later.”
But “later” never came.
---
9 — THE ENGINE FUMES
And here’s the truth: if you stand too close to a train that’s pulling out of the station, you don’t go anywhere — you just choke on the engine fumes.
Some people live their whole spiritual lives that way.
They come close enough to smell God moving…
close enough to feel the heat of revival…
close enough to hear the whistle…
…but never close enough to step inside.
Instead of the fresh wind of the Spirit, they inhale the fumes of almost.
Almost surrendered.
Almost believed.
Almost followed.
Almost boarded.
The Gospel Train is not a spectacle to admire — it is a rescue to climb inside.
Don’t cough on the exhaust of a grace you never fully receive.
The doors are open.
The Conductor is calling.
The engine is running.
> All aboard! This train is bound for glory!
What train are you boarding?
---
10 — THE FINAL BOARDING CALL
Revelation 22:17 (AMP) says,
> “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ … Whoever wishes, let him take the water of life without cost.”
That’s your call today.
The Conductor is not asking for your money, your achievements, or your perfection.
He’s asking for your heart.
Grace has already bought your ticket.
Holiness is the atmosphere you were made to breathe.
And the Gospel Train is departing.
---
11 — WHEN HOLINESS BECOMES JOY
Holiness is not heaven’s price tag — it’s heaven’s delight.
It’s what happens when your heart finally matches your destination.
If you still think of holiness as loss, you haven’t yet seen it as love.
It’s the Spirit whispering, “This is what you were born for.”
When you walk in forgiveness instead of bitterness, you’re already riding.
When you worship instead of worry, you’re already on board.
When you choose Jesus over every idol, you feel the rails hum beneath your feet.
Heaven is the home of the God-centered heart.
---
12 — CHECK YOUR TICKET
Standing in church isn’t boarding the train.
Singing songs isn’t boarding the train.
Knowing Bible facts isn’t boarding the train.
Boarding happens when you say, “Lord Jesus, I give You everything.”
That’s when the ticket is punched — and the journey begins.
Direction changes.
Desire changes.
Destination changes.
What train are you boarding?
---
13 — ALTAR CALL (DECISION MOMENT)
If you feel that tug in your spirit — that’s your boarding call.
Don’t wait for the next departure.
Don’t stand on the platform of “Almost.”
The Conductor is calling your name right now.
Stand to your feet.
Lift your hands if you need grace.
Step forward if you’re ready to ride.
> “Lord Jesus, punch my ticket. Change my heart. Make holiness my joy. I want You more than anything. I’m boarding the Gospel Train today.”
Let that be your prayer.
Let that be your moment.
Let that be your yes.
---
14 — CLOSING PRAYER
> Jesus, we hear Your whistle in the distance.
Thank You for stopping for us one more time.
Thank You for paying our fare with Your blood.
We lay down our baggage — our sin, our fear, our delay — and we step on board.
Make holiness our happiness.
Make Your presence our destination.
And when that final trumpet sounds, may we already be riding with You.
In Your precious name, Amen
