The wonderful invitations of the Saviour. No 1 - An invitation to life. "Lazarus, Come Forth," John 11:43. (Preached in Tavistock FPC) The first recorded words of Christ after He began His public ministry are found in John 1:39. They are words of invitation. One of the first words he uttered was the word "Come". He was to repeat that word on many, many occasions. That word distinguished His ministry from that of the prophets. Moses was told not to come near to the bush that burned (Exodus 3:5) and none but Moses was permitted to come near to the mount where the law was given. All must keep their distance. The dispensation of the law set forth man's sin and separation from God. Christ is the way back to God. He therefore came with words of invitation. One day, in the future, He will say to those who rejected the gospel, "Depart", Luke 13:27. But now in mercy, in this day of grace, He says, "Come". We are going to look at some of the invitations He issued commencing with our text. Here the Saviour visits the grave of Lazarus 4 days after his death. His visit typifies His coming into the graveyard of this world 4000 years after the death of mankind through Adam's sin.