Most of the teachings of Jesus were applicable specifically to the nation of Israel. This is not surprising considering that His primary mission on earth was to the Jews. The Kingdom of Heaven parables of Matthew 13 are a rare exception, containing explicit instruction on the Church Age, or the Age of Grace. Christ's purpose in teaching these parables was to prepare His disciples to understand that the Kingdom of Heaven was not to be an "outward, visible" kingdom, at least not at first, but rather an "internal", "mystery" kingdom. He needed them to understand that the Church would face opposition, both from without and from within, and that they should not be surprised to see such opposition arise. These parables are also important in that Christ was explicitly revealing "things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world"; that is, things that had not been seen by any of the Old Testament prophets.
Our teacher conducts a comprehensive, in-depth study of these parables, comparing them to the texts of the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches of Revelation chapters 2 and 3. We examine the history of the church, from apostolic times through the present, in terms of how what Christ said would happen is what actually did happen. We also look at how we, as modern believers, can avoid the pitfalls represented by the "tares" and the "leaven".
NOTE: This series is now complete. It ran from December 2006 through July 2009. It was an "expanded" study of Matt. 13, part of the overall Study of Matthew. The sermon series is continued there.