Ferguson on the Wrath of God

It was a privilege to attend Rick Phillips’s installation service last night at the Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville (South Carolina).  Sinclair Ferguson preached from 1 Thessalonians 1 on “Becoming a Model Church” and was in his usual good form. 

In the light of a previous post on J.I. Packer and penal substitution, one of Ferguson’s comments seems especially notable.  He observed that as a matter of history, churches that do not take the wrath of God seriously quickly lose their influence and do not make any lasting difference for the kingdom of God.