The Judas In Me (2026)
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Introduction
Introduction
As we prepare our hearts for God's Word on this glorious Resurrection morning, I summon your senses and invite your intellect to the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 26 and 27.
It is there that the Holy Spirit has highlighted our context for our sermonic time together this morning.
But before I read, I need to tell you preparing this message was not easy.
Not because of the facts and figures involved,
but because when I examined this biblical character
Judas Iscariot
I was confronted with something uncomfortable.
I was confronted with myself.
See, it's easy to point fingers at Judas
Judas the betrayer,
Judas the traitor,
Judas, the one who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
But this morning, the Holy Ghost won't let allow us to stay comfortable.
This morning, the Spirit is asking a hard question:
What about the Judas in you?
Scripture
Scripture
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Context
Context
In the text before us, we encounter one of the most tragic figures in all of Scripture
His name is Judas Iscariot.
His name means "praise"
His parents had high hopes for this boy.
But somewhere between his calling and his ending, something went terribly wrong.
Here is a man who walked with Jesus for three years.
He heard the Sermon on the Mount with his own ears.
He watched water turn to wine with his own eyes.
He saw the lame walk, the blind see, the dead rise!
He ate with Jesus, traveled with Jesus, ministered with Jesus.
He cast out demons in Jesus' name—and the demons obeyed!
Yet this same man
this insider,
this chosen one
became the instrument of the greatest betrayal in human history.
And the church wants to distance themselves from Judas.
We as people of God want to say, "I would never!"
But I came to tell somebody this Resurrection weekend—before you point at Judas, you better examine yourself!
I. The Proximity of Judas—Close, But Not Changed
I. The Proximity of Judas—Close, But Not Changed
Walk with me through the Word.
Judas was one of the twelve.
Jesus prayed all night before He chose His disciples—Luke 6:12 tells us so.
This was not a mistake
Judas was a deliberate choice.
He was handpicked by the Son of God!
He was chosen to be WITH Jesus
to live with Him,
eat with Him,
learn His ways.
In Acts 1:17, the Bible says Judas "shared in this ministry."
He wasn't just around Jesus
he was IN the ministry!
He prayed for the sick, and people were healed.
He preached the Kingdom, and lives were changed.
He was so trusted, they gave him the money bag!
Out of twelve disciples, eleven were from Galilee and were looked down upon as second-class citizens.
But Judas?
He was from Judea
they were the elite, the educated, and the respected.
They trusted him with the treasury!
At the Last Supper, where was Judas sitting?
Not in the back.
Not on the outskirts.
He was sitting right next to Jesu
close enough for Jesus to hand him the bread!
Let me make it plain this morning:
You can be close to Jesus and still not be changed by Jesus!
You can sit in the front pew every Sabbath and still have a Judas heart!
You can sing in the choir, serve on the board, teach the bible class, and still betray the Lord with your lifestyle!
Proximity does not equal transformation!
Being near the fire doesn't mean the fire is in you!
II. The Problem of Judas—Greed, Self-Interest, and Hidden Sin
II. The Problem of Judas—Greed, Self-Interest, and Hidden Sin
Now watch the text—Matthew 26:14-15 tells us
Judas goes to the chief priests and asks, "What will ye give me?"
Not "What is right?"
Not "What does God want?"
But "What's in it for me?"
The Gospel of John tells us Judas was a thief,
he stole from the money bag!
He had been secretly serving himself while publicly serving Jesus.
He had a ministry title but a mercenary heart!
And here's the danger: Judas looked like everybody else!
The other disciples didn't suspect him.
When Jesus said, "One of you will betray me," they didn't all point at Judas.
They asked, "Lord, is it I?"
Judas had mastered the art of appearance.
He knew how to look anointed while being empty!
He knew how to shout "Hallelujah" while his heart was far from God!
Let me step on some toes this morning: Some of us have perfected the Judas act!
We know how to raise our hands in worship while holding onto secret sin.
We know how to say "Amen" to the Word while ignoring the Word in our lives.
We've got the religious routine down, but our hearts are asking, "What's in it for me?"
The Judas in you shows up when you serve for recognition instead of revelation.
The Judas in you shows up when you worship for applause instead of adoration.
The Judas in you shows up when you follow Jesus for what He can give you, not for who He is!
III. The Kiss of Judas—Betrayal Wrapped in Affection
III. The Kiss of Judas—Betrayal Wrapped in Affection
Now, now, now, go with me to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:48-49 says Judas gave them a sign:
"Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he."
He betrayed Jesus with a kiss!
Not a slap.
Not a curse.
Not a public accusation.
But a kiss
the symbol of love, intimacy, and friendship.
This is the cruelty of the Judas spirit: It betrays in the disguise of devotion!
It wounds with words of worship!
It stabs while smiling!
How many of us have betrayed Jesus with our lips?
We sing "I Surrender All" but won't surrender our pride.
We pray "Thy will be done" but only do our own will.
We call Him "Lord, Lord" but don't do what He says!
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."
You can kiss Jesus with your mouth and betray Him with your life!
The Judas in you betrays Christ every time you choose the world over the Word.
The Judas in you betrays Christ every time you compromise your convictions for comfort.
The Judas in you shows up every time you sell out your purpose for temporary pleasure!
IV. The Tragedy of Judas—Remorse Without Repentance
IV. The Tragedy of Judas—Remorse Without Repentance
Now watch what happens next—Matthew 27:3-5.
When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, the Bible says he "repented himself."
He felt bad.
He felt guilty.
He even returned the money!
He confessed, "I have sinned! I have betrayed innocent blood!"
But here's the tragedy: Judas had remorse, but he didn't have repentance!
He felt sorry for what he did, but he didn't return to Jesus!
He went back to the priests
the same people who used him!
And they said, "What is that to us? See thou to that."
The very people he sinned WITH wouldn't help him when he was broken!
The world will USE you to betray your purpose, but it won't HEAL you when you're hurting!
Sin will take you further than you wanted to go,
keep you longer than you wanted to stay,
and cost you more than you wanted to pay!
Judas threw down the silver,
walked out,
and hanged himself.
He ended his own life because he couldn't see past his failure!
But here's what Judas missed
& here's what you cannot miss this Resurrection Weekend:
The same Jesus he betrayed was about to be crucified for the very sin of betrayal!
If Judas had just waited until Sunday, he would have seen that there is forgiveness for every sin!
If Judas had just held on, he would have witnessed the Resurrection!
But Judas let his guilt take him to the grave before grace could give him a chance at glory!
V. The Contrast—Peter Fell Too, But Peter Got Back Up!
V. The Contrast—Peter Fell Too, But Peter Got Back Up!
Now let me show you something powerful.
On that same night, another disciple fell.
His name was Peter.
Peter denied Jesus three times
he cursed and swore, "I don't know the man!"
Peter's failure was PUBLIC.
Peter's failure was REPEATED.
Peter's failure happened while Jesus was watching!
So what's the difference between Peter and Judas?
Both failed.
Both fell.
Both sinned against Jesus.
But Peter did something Judas didn't do
Peter went back to Jesus!
After the Resurrection, in John 21, Jesus found Peter fishing.
He had gone back to his old life,
his old nets,
and his old ways.
But Jesus came to the shore and asked him three times, "Peter, do you love me?"
Three denials.
Three restorations.
Jesus wasn't rubbing it in
He was rooting it out!
He was pulling the guilt out of Peter's heart and replacing it with grace!
Peter fell, but Peter got back up because Peter ran TO Jesus, not FROM Jesus!
The difference between Judas and Peter is not the size of their sin
it's the direction of their steps!
Judas ran to the world.
Peter ran to the Word!
Judas ran to his guilt.
Peter ran to his God!
VI. The Resurrection Kills the Judas in You!
VI. The Resurrection Kills the Judas in You!
Now let me bring this home!
Why am I preaching about Judas on Resurrection Weekend?
Because the power of the Resurrection is not just that Jesus got up
it's that He can raise YOU up from your Judas moments!
Romans 6:4-6 says:
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Did you catch that?
The OLD MAN is crucified!
That means the Judas in you
the betrayer,
the self-seeker,
the secret sinner
he was nailed to the cross!
When Jesus died, your old nature died with Him!
When Jesus rose, you rose to walk in NEWNESS of life!
2 Corinthians 5:17 declares:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The Judas in you doesn't have to win!
The betrayer in you doesn't have to have the final word!
The greed,
the selfishness,
the hidden sin
it can DIE today because JESUS LIVES!
Application
Application
Church, let me tell you something right now—
Every one of us has had a Judas moment.
Every one of us has betrayed Jesus with our choices.
Every one of us has sold out for something less than His purpose.
But this is Resurrection Weekend!
This is the moment that declares death doesn't have the final word!
This is the moment that announces the tomb is empty and so is every accusation against you!
Galatians 2:20 says:
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
You don't have to hang yourself on the tree of guilt when Jesus already hung on the tree for your redemption!
You don't have to be defined by your betrayal when the Resurrection offers you a new identity!
The Judas in you can die today
right now
if you let the power of the Resurrection flow through your life!
Closing
Closing
As I close, I came to tell somebody this morning:
Stop running from Jesus and run TO Him!
Stop hiding your sin and bring it to the cross!
Stop letting guilt write your ending when grace has already rewritten your story!
The tomb is empty!
The grave couldn't hold Him!
Death couldn't keep Him!
Hell couldn't contain Him!
And if Jesus can walk out of a sealed tomb—
He can walk you out of your shame!
He can walk you out of your guilt!
He can walk you out of your past!
He can walk you out of your Judas moments!
Tell your neighbor, "The Judas in me is DEAD!"
The old man is crucified!
The betrayer is buried!
The sinner is slain!
And the NEW MAN is rising!
Rising in righteousness!
Rising in holiness!
Rising in power!
Rising in purpose!
Because He got up
I can get up!
Because He rose
I can rise!
Because the tomb is empty
my future is FULL!
On Friday they crucified Him
but Sunday, He got up!
On Friday guilt said it's over
but Sunday, grace said it's just beginning!
On Friday Judas thought death was the answer
but Sunday, JESUS proved LIFE is the answer!
Somebody ought to praise Him like the Judas in you is dying!
Praise Him like the old man is being crucified!
Praise Him like you're walking out of the tomb of your past!
You are not defined by your betrayal!
You are not limited by your failures!
You are RESURRECTED by His power!
HE IS RISEN!
HE IS RISEN!
Somebody Shout Hallelujah!
