Podcast Summary: CROSS TO COMMISSION | Beware: There Might Be A Judas Inside of You

2819 Church Podcast | Lonnell Williams | November 3, 2025
Passage: Matthew 26:17–25

Main Theme & Purpose

Episode Overview:
In this deeply introspective message, Executive Pastor Lonnell Dawson Williams unpacks the subtle yet serious dangers of harboring a “Judas” within ourselves. Using Matthew 26:17–25, Pastor Williams draws out the warning signs of drifting from authentic faith and spiritual intimacy with Christ—even while participating in religious life. Rather than a celebration, this sermon is a pointed call to repentance, self-examination, and re-commitment to Christ.

“Beware, there might be a Judas inside of you.”
— Lonnell Williams (01:45)

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Subtlety of Spiritual Drift

Timestamps: 04:00–14:30

• Personal Story as a Metaphor: Williams begins with a story about discovering a hidden leak beneath his home—a metaphor for unseen spiritual issues leaking into our lives.

  “Judas did not show up overnight. He grew quietly... The most dangerous Judas isn’t the Judas you know. It’s the Judas inside of you that you refuse to see.” (06:42)

• Drifting Defined: Drifting away from Jesus isn’t dramatic—it’s gradual and subtle. It happens when you stop intentionally following Jesus and let life’s “currents” pull you far from His will.

  “Drifting is not dramatic, it’s subtle. It happens when you stop intentionally following Jesus.” (07:30)

• Obedience Without Understanding: The disciples obediently prepared the Passover without full knowledge.

  “Their compliance under confusion exposes the difference between followers and drifters. Followers obey God even when the plan is vague, and drifters delay until it makes sense.” (09:40)

• Unseen Faithfulness: God uses unnamed, unseen people ready to obey.

  “Your name doesn’t need to be known for your obedience to matter... God can use a no name with a yes more than a big name with a maybe.” (11:27)

2. Symptoms and Evidence of Drifting

Timestamps: 14:30–22:00

• Loss of Sincerity: Drifting is a sincerity issue, not just a schedule issue—spiritual busyness is not the same as spiritual hunger.

  “Busyness doesn’t kill devotion. Comfort does. It’s not that you ran out of time, it’s that you ran out of hunger. Listen, we will make time for what’s truly loyal to us. Our schedule never lies—our heart does.” (18:33)

• Spiritual Audit: Williams calls for a heart audit, likening it to IRS tax audits.

  “Some of us need to do an audit—not of our money, but of our obedience.” (19:45)

• Don’t Mistake Being Chosen for Being Changed: Spiritual activity isn’t a substitute for spiritual transformation.
• Western Christianity's Flaw: Waiting for details or clarity before obeying is symptomatic of drifting.

  “You don’t need more information; you need discipline. Stop waiting for clarity when he’s already gave you a command.” (21:32)

3. Managing Distance from Jesus

Timestamps: 22:00–28:30

• Physical Proximity ≠ Spiritual Closeness: Being in the room with Jesus doesn’t guarantee closeness of heart.

  “You can sit at his table and still be far from his heart.” (25:00)

• Peace Amidst Betrayal: Jesus reclines at the table in peace, modeling true surrender and trust even when betrayal is near.

  “You can fake happiness, but you cannot fake peace. Peace is not pretending, it is surrendering.” (24:15)

• The Table as Mirror: The Last Supper table reflects the true spiritual condition of those present.
• God’s Mercy:

  "God will let you stay at the table long enough to reveal to yourself who you really are. He will expose you to save you." (27:45)

4. The Power of Our Dialogue

Timestamps: 28:30–36:00

• Words Reveal Heart Allegiances:

  “Language reveals lordship. What you call Jesus determines how you follow him. ‘Is it I, Lord?’ is the sentence that pride refuses to speak.” (31:21)

• Contrition vs. Defensiveness: True disciples respond to Jesus’ announcement of betrayal with sorrow and self-examination—not accusation.

  “They didn’t look around the table; they looked in their hearts. And this is called contrition. Contrition is not self-hatred, it’s holy suspicion of oneself.” (33:10)

• Danger of Justifying Disobedience:

  “When did you start calling disobedience ‘processing’?” (23:52)

• Repentance: Real repentance means fearing hidden sin more than public scandal.

  “Real repentance is fearing the sin no one sees more than the scandal everybody will talk about.” (34:30)

5. Desires and Unmet Expectations

Timestamps: 36:00–41:00

• Unchecked Desires:

  “Desires are an unchecked appetite of the heart that if not surrendered, will eventually make betrayal look like an opportunity instead of sin.” (36:14)

• Judas’s Heart: Judas calls Jesus “Rabbi” not “Lord”—he wants a teacher, not a master. He is motivated by unmet personal expectations (possibly political disappointment) rather than true devotion.

  “You don't have to hate Jesus to betray him. You just have to love something more than him.” (39:40)

• Rabbi vs. Lord: Many live “rabbi Christianity”—selecting the wisdom of Christ without submitting to his authority.

  “We admire his wisdom, but we avoid his authority. We want his blessings without the boundaries.” (41:15)

• Mercy Before Judgment:

  “Sovereignty guarantees that God’s plan will go forward. But mercy still asks, will you go with it? ... Judas was not condemned because of his selfish desires. He was condemned because mercy sat across from him and he walked away.” (41:55)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Hidden Leaks and Hidden Betrayals:

  “Judas didn’t wake up a traitor. He drifted into one.” (13:45)

• The Heart’s Audit:

  “We make time for everything except auditing if our heart is right with God. We post the verse, but we ignore his voice.” (19:30)

• Serving vs. Seeking:

  “When did serving God replace actually seeking God?” (30:20)

• Grace Can’t Be an Excuse:

  “We want the benefits of being near Jesus without bearing the weight of belonging to him… Spiritualized avoidance will justify disobedience and still ask him to co-sign it with favor.” (41:20)

• Mercy’s Final Invitation:

  “Sovereignty says the plan will not fail. But mercy says, you do not have to be the one who fails in it.” (42:47)

• Closing Call:

  “Woe unto us if we stay close to his table but far from his heart. Woe unto us if we know the songs and we read the Word and we rock the cross on our neck and the shirts on our back and we call him a teacher and not worship him as Lord. Beware of the drift. Beware of your distance. Beware of your dialogue. Beware of your desires.” (46:00)

Final Illustration & Invitation to Repentance

Timestamps: 43:55–52:11

• Personal Story—Letting the Expert In: Williams further illustrates the message by telling how, when searching for the leak, the repairman needed access to the most private part of the house—his prayer room. This act of trust symbolizes letting Jesus into the hidden, private places of our spiritual lives for true inspection and repair.

  “I had to trust the expert, Jesus. ... I had prepared a place for the King, a place where I could go to repent and say, ‘Lord, I didn’t get it right today.’” (45:00)

• Communal Repentance: The congregation is gently led to admit drift, disordered desires, or misplaced dialogue, and to pray together for cleansing and renewal.

  “Lord, I repent and I’m sorry... I surrender. My will, my way, my emotions, my thoughts. I will not look like Judas. I will only look like you.” (48:04)

• Song of Surrender: The episode closes with a corporate sung prayer of deep surrender to Jesus.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Intro / Theme announcement: 00:00–02:00
• Personal Leak Story & Metaphor: 02:30–06:22
• Drifting & Obedience Discussion: 06:22–14:30
• Distance from Jesus: 22:00–28:30
• Dialogue & Contrition: 28:30–36:00
• Desires & Judas’s Heart: 36:00–41:00
• Final Illustration and Call to Repentance: 43:55–47:00
• Song—“I Surrender”: 49:33–52:11

Actionable Reflection

Listeners are encouraged to:

• Audit their heart for hidden leaks—areas of drift, distance, self-deception.
• Surrender their desires, dialogue, and deeds honestly before Christ.
• Move from “Rabbi” Christianity to true Lordship, marked by humble repentance and obedience, even when clarity or comfort aren’t present.

Closing Thought:

“The same Jesus who sits at the table to reveal the true you is the same Jesus who hung on the cross to redeem you.” (42:29)

A powerful call not just to recognize the “Judas” tendencies that can creep into any believer’s life, but to let Christ’s mercy draw us afresh to repentance, surrender, and restored intimacy with Him.