The Marvel of a Bird's Nest

I'd like to start with a question. What is there that there are dozens around us and yet are hiding in the trees above? Anybody want to answer? Birds? Birds? Birds? Birds? Birds? What are you doing? What are hiding in the trees? Birds. Birds. It's where they live. Oh, nests. Nests. Bird nests. That's what we're going to talk about today. So it's important for you to get it right, okay? Because God points out that one of His proofs as a Creator is bird nests. If you examine them carefully, you will see that it is a work of art. We think they're just twigs that have been just put haphazardly around. They're not. They're very carefully designed because if they're not placed in the right place, they'll fall. The eggs will break. There won't be any reproduction. Also, it has to be able to sustain heavy rains. It has to help warm the eggs. It's a place for the birds to live in, protection, and it's camouflaged. So you don't see any red nests around here, do you? Something that you can detect. By the way, as a challenge, any child who's here that's able to find a bird nest will get a gift. So if any of you can discover, there are dozens of nests, but they're very carefully camouflaged. So it's going to take a little bit of an adventure. The ones who find it are going to receive a monetary gift.

No, adults cannot participate. It's only kids. But if adults find them, they can tell a kid. Notice, as we actually found a nest in our yard, some months back. It's a sparrow's nest. We found it unoccupied now. And I just want to show you what it looks like. Mike, can you go ahead and present that and just go from one side to the other. And just go ahead and pass it. Just grab the wood, please. So just to be able to look at it very carefully. And this shows here how carefully it is done, because twigs are not easily bent. And each bird species has its own type of nest. And in laboratory experiments, they've taken birds and breed them four generations. They've never seen a nest. They've never seen material for the nest. And then they're loosed in this special bird environment, and they're watched by the scientists. And that fifth generation will build the same nest as its ancestors. It is not something that they learn. It is inbred. And each species has its own type of nest, because they're different sizes. There are different chicks that need different protection. So it is the wonder of nature. When you look at just how their scientists are puzzled, they don't know how these birds evolved the ability to create its nest. Is that right, little birdie? Yeah, it's saying yes! And by the way, God gives us a challenge. Let's go to Job. Let's go to Job.

It says here in Job 12, verse 7 through 10. I'm going to read it from the voice translation. It says, However, call on the animals to teach you. The birds that sail through the air are not afraid to tell you the truth. Engage the earth in conversation. In other words, examine. It's happy to share what it knows. Even the fish of the sea are wise enough to explain it to you. In fact, which part of creation isn't aware? Which doesn't know? The eternal's hand has done this. His hand cradles the life of every creature on the face of the earth. His breath fills the nostrils of humans everywhere. So animals can teach you. We're going to focus on the wonder of the bird's nest.

Notice in Job 38.

Verse 1 and 2.

And as Enrique brought out in his sermonette about imagination, we want to put images in what we're reading in the Bible so we can really go and dive deep into this. It says in Job 38, verse 1 and 2. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Notice God's presence. You can't see God directly. But out of this whirlwind, the voice of God spoke to Job, who thought he knew a lot more than anyone else.

And he says, Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge in comparison to God? Now prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me. Man likes to question God. Well, here's God questioning man. See how much greater God is. In chapter 39, verse 27, he starts showing him nature. Did some scientist invent the bird? Did it come out of...

or was it already here? It's already here. He says in verse 27, Does the eagle mount up at your command? Are you the one that designed it? That gave it the command to fly, to know how to do it? And make its nest on high. On the rock it dwells and resides. On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. From there it spies out the prey. Its eyes observe from afar.

Scientists have discovered that the eagle's eyes are far better than a human eye. They can see a rabbit two miles away. They can see eight times better than a human being. That's why God says, well, did you make it? To be able to do this? It observes from afar. Its young ones suck up blood. And of course, they're meat eaters.

And where the slain are, there it is. And I'd like to show you here the first evidence. This is the platform nest. This is one of the main types that birds do. Eagles, hawks, they build these very large. The eagle builds nests that can be eight feet across and twelve feet deep.

Because as the eaglets grow, they spread their wings. They can have a wingspan of six feet. And maybe they'll have two. So they need a big nest. And God designed it. The eagle doesn't know what it's doing, but it knows how to make the right nest. Just go ahead and hand it out there as we go through and see how they do it. But each bird knows how to build its particular nest for the size of its young. And so, what did Job reply after God said, look at all these wonders.

Were you the one that set it up? And you're asking me whether I know what I'm doing or not? God knows what he's doing. And we should trust him and have faith in this plan of salvation that he's carrying out. Notice what Job said at the end, and that's what we should say also. Job 42, verses 5 and 6, Job said, I have heard of you by hearing of the ear.

Many times people hear about God, maybe in church. You read certain things, but it's all intellectual. It's not emotional. It's not heartfelt. And Job said, yeah, I know about you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you. Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Now, who are we to question our Creator and think we can outwit God? Scientists think they're smarter than God. Remember that famous joke that the scientists said, well, if I had God in front, I would show them all that we have done, especially now with artificial intelligence and all these things.

And so in this joke, God appears before him. He said, oh, so you think science can do better than I can? And he says, yes, we can. And God said, well, okay, here, why don't you make this certain dog? And the scientists said, oh, well, okay, we can make a dog like you can. And God said, yes, but you start out with your own dirt. You can't use my dirt. And so that's the problem.

God's the one that creates, Enrique said, everything around us. And so I know when I was 17 and came into the church, I was a committed evolutionist. My dad was a medical doctor. I thought, oh, I'm going to be a doctor and science can answer. And then I came into the church and I realized I'd only learned one side of the story.

You know, the biology books, when they talked about evolution, I didn't know the Bible had its own scientific explanation, which made a lot more sense when you put it side by side. And there in Genesis, Chapter one, God created everything according to its species and kind. And that's what we find. Dogs make dogs. They don't make cats. They don't make wolves. They don't make birds. Everything has a genetic barrier. They don't pass on to other types of creatures.

And so at the age of 17, I realized how haughty I had been. I actually had a friend who I still communicate, came into the church through the conversation I had in high school. They're in Murphy, North Carolina, in the backwoods of that area of Carolina.

And a month before, he had talked to me about God creating things. And I said, well, haven't you studied enough your biology books and things have evolved? I was a Catholic and Catholics teach the theory of evolution. And so I thought that was fine. And then after a month, I came into the church and I saw the other side.

And so I had to come to him and I said, you know what? I apologize to you. I was wrong. I'd never seen that other side. And he was speechless. I did my job. Never saw him again until he came into the church. And he was here in the Pasadena area. And I met him. I said, you know, he said that little conversation. I said, how can a person change overnight? What's he reading?

And he started reading the Plain Truth magazine and started attending church. And so at 17, I realized I, like Mr. Armstrong has said so many times, I am a burnout hunk of junk. I repent and abhor myself and repent and dust and ashes as the beginning of the new person.

Most people think that bird nests are very elementary, but they are an engineering wonder. And that's just carefully layered. I asked in Google, are bird nests an engineering wonder? So you hear just a little pause, you know, billions of computing power, and it comes out. It says, are you ready? Yes. Bird nests are often considered a testament to engineering ingenuity. Birds using natural materials create structures that are both functional and in some cases remarkably strong for their size and the materials used.

Here's why they're considered engineering marbles. Number one, structural integrity. Many bird nests are designed to withstand various forces, including wind, rain, and the weight of the birds themselves and their young. Number two, material selection. Birds use a variety of natural materials like twigs, leaves, fibers, and even mud, skillfully weaving or arranging them to create strong and stable structures.

Three, adaptation to environment. Nest designs vary greatly depending on the bird species and their habitat, showcasing adaptability to different environmental conditions. Number four, camouflage and protection. Some nests are cleverly camouflaged to protect the eggs and nestlings from predators, further demonstrating the bird's understanding of their surroundings. Well, all of this is inbred. It's part of the software, what's called Instinct, that has been programmed in the animals already. They don't have to think. They already have a program. There's a structural program, a blueprint that they follow.

Number five, complex design. Some birds, like weavers, build intricate hanging nests that defy easy explanation, showcasing their advanced construction skills. And then, this is the sixth inspiration for science. Scientists are studying bird nests to understand how they stay together, how materials are used, and to potentially inspire new materials and structural designs. So, they learn from God's design. And God, in the Bible, shows his remarkable concern for what we call today ecology, the science of the conservation and balance of nature through taking care of the environment. I had one of the first classes in ecology back in high school days, where we finally used the term and studied it. Now, it's widely spread. Notice in Deuteronomy 22, verse 6. Now, here's part of God's law, the conservation of nature. It says, If a bird's nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with a mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall surely let the mother go and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days. So here's a law where God says, take into account that if you take the mother bird along with the baby bird, and basically you use it later for eating, you have killed the mother that is the reproductive source for many more eggs. That's why when people have chickens and have hens that lay eggs, you keep the hens because they will continue to produce eggs. You can take those eggs, but here there's the principle that you need to conserve what reproduces in nature to be able to multiply it. The mother bird actually provides up to 60 different insects and worms to a baby chick. And so if you kill the mother, then you're going to have insects multiply, and you're going to throw the balance of nature out of whack.

Now, birds don't build their nests at any time of the year, but at springtime. So we want to show you here about bird nests. When do you think they start building their nests? In the springtime, because of course during winter it's basically hibernation period, everything slows down, but then in the spring with the increased sunlight, it triggers the hormones in birds to start preparing a nest because they're going to have young. So sometimes for marriage counseling and young couples that are going to be married, I say, well, do you think birds begin by having chicks and then later having nests? Or do you have nests first and then you have the eggs and the chicks?

And that's the way life has to be. You prepare yourself to have a nest. Be sure to have an economic foundation to be able then to grow your chicks in a protected and nourished place and not begin, Oh, let's have babies. We'll worry about where we'll feed them later. It doesn't work out very well.

So the purpose of a nest is to provide a warm and protected place to incubate eggs and raise the young once they hatch. And there are five major types of nests that birds build. The cavity where they make a hole, the cup, which looks just like the one I passed around, the pendulum, which hangs by a branch, the platform, which is the one the eagles make, and the ground nests. And so here this can be handed out. That's okay. You can sleep a little longer.

Sorry, it's okay. No, just kidding. Okay, so how do birds build their nests? Do birds have fingers and hands? No. The birds use three parts of their bodies to build nests. Can you guess which is the first one? The beaks. The beaks act like the needle that can sew, that can weave, that can tie knots. Do you know that some of the elaborate bird nests actually have knots in them to be able to hold together?

We're going to see an example of that pretty soon. The beak also acts like a tweezer, so it can stitch, weave, and tie knots. And the other two are its two legs, which are used as anchors and for clasping. But that's all, because it can't use its wings.

And so you can imagine how long it takes them to make these elaborate nests. I'm going to give you four examples. First of all, the amazing woodpecker. How many here woodpeckers during the morning? Quite a number. I do, too. It's unforgettable. It's unmistakable. He's making holes. Knock on wood. And actually, they build their nests inside the trunk of a tree. So these are called cavity nests. Just pass it out there. You see woodpeckers and others use the same nest. This is from the book, it's an oldie, but a boy, it's a goldie.

It's by Fred Meldaw. It's called Why We Believe in Creation and Not Evolution. How many have that book? Anybody? Okay, well, it's in Amazon, if you ever want to go. It says about the woodpecker. He chisels out a hole in solid wood, and he has a beak to do it. Believe me, it's like a jackhammer. The hole is as round as if measured with a compass. Just perfectly round. How many have seen woodpecker nests at all? A couple. Okay. First he goes downward at an angle about six inches, and then directly down for about ten inches more.

So you see, no predator can go in and snatch the young. And the next generation will follow the same pattern. One can readily see that the woodpecker was made to dig a nest in wood. Why not accept the simple, obvious fact that where there is clear evidence of design for an intended purpose, a designer did the designing. This didn't evolve. The woodpecker didn't start saying, well, maybe I can make a hole here. Ended up with a giant headache. But no, it can do it. The only designer who could create such an involved system of life as we find is the Almighty God.

Another example is the incredible nest of the Emperor Penguin. How many saw the movie March of the Penguins? Boy, that's an unforgettable movie. Let me give you because here are birds without nests because their nests are in their feet. This is what Fred Meldahl mentions. He says, the single egg rests on top of the bird's feet, tucked under a feather flap that hangs down from the lower belly. So they got this flap. And before going to the ocean to feed, the incubating bird stands close to its mate. The egg is transferred to the mate's feet and tucked under a flap there. And you saw in the March of the Penguins, sometimes as they transfer it, if the egg falls, that's it. It dies. And they start weeping. It's such a tragedy for them. Not be able to transfer it that way. And here it's freezing weather. It's like 30 below zero in Antarctica where they live. Who put that flap on both father and mother penguin that they might take turns going to the sea to feed? It takes over a month to come back. This is only one of a million evidences that God provides for all his creatures. Notice what it says in Matthew 6, verse 26, and verses 33 and 34. Christ said, look at the birds. They do not plant seeds, gather a harvest, and put it in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth more than birds? Instead, be concerned above everything else with the kingdom of God and with what he requires of you. And he will provide you with all these other things. So do not worry about tomorrow. It will have enough worries on its own. There is no need to add to the troubles every day brings. Just solve the problems today.

Now, I'd like to show you one of the most remarkable birds. They live out in the east area of the United States. It's a Baltimore Oreo. Of course, any Oreo fans here? Not too many. Okay. But these are...they take the name from this bird. It is one of the most elaborate nests you can ever imagine.

You can see here the Baltimore Oreo, and it actually weaves and stitches. And it has knots. It can last for years. With winter, spring, whatever it is, the nest is so well made, it withstands all the inclement weather.

It hangs from a branch. It has to have the right bearing of weight when the chicks are done. And it is a wonder of nature. Anybody ever seen one of those Oreo nests? Okay. Where did you see it, Mike? Video game. See? That's where the youth get their information nowadays.

Whatever it takes. Doesn't matter. One of our nature shows. Yes. And here's the last one. This one is around us all the time. And that's the remarkable hummingbird. It makes a cup nest. And one remarkable thing is that the size of the nest can be as small as the shell of a walnut. Just a tiny little nest. But it's very deep. And it lays its eggs. How many have seen hummingbird nests? Quite a few. Do you know that it actually uses spider webs to be able to coat it? So as the chicks grow, the nest expands. Now, how brilliant is the hummingbird who figured out, well, I have to think ahead and use spider webs to be able to expand that tiny little nest. So here's a cup nest. So as we read in Job 12, 7-10, you can learn more about God by studying nature, by studying science. The wonders that we have around us to appreciate birds can teach us a lot. And bird nests, in particular, are a sign that somebody thought ahead, planned everything so carefully. And as a gift to everybody, what would it look like for human beings to have built a nest? Let's hand that out to everybody.

One per family, please. This is what would happen if human beings had to design a nest. Looking at an instruction manual, and it says, there's always one annoying piece left over. Reminds me when I tried to fix my uncle's truck that he lent to me. And I was so happy. I was a young high school, never had, it was an old truck. It was like 1950s. I was so happy I could drive to high school. And going up the hill to my house one day, it started shaking. And I just barely got it into the house there, the driveway. And I'm thinking, oh, my uncle is coming in two weeks, and the car's not working. I went into panic mode, because I didn't have money to take it to a mechanic. I had a friend, and I said, well, maybe we can figure it out. So we laid all of these parts, took the engine, and then realized we had a bent rod. And so we got the new rod, and we finally put the thing together. I was a nervous wreck, because my uncle was coming in a few days. And we spent all the way into the night. And so then we finally said, well, we got it all fixed. And I came in the morning, and I looked, and we had like 20 pieces left. And that's when I humbly went to the mechanic, and basically just threw myself at his mercy. And when he came, and he saw that, he started laughing. And he did fix it for me in time. But this is what happens. You always have annoying pieces that are left. And so, brethren, I hope we can appreciate a little more by looking around and appreciating what our Creator God has done for all of us.