1. The book of Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon (cf. 1:1, 12), apparently in his old age (cf. 11:9).
2. Here in chapter 12, King Solomon comes to his conclusion (cf. 12:13, 14).
3. Consider the end of verse 13 -- "for this is the whole duty of man."
4. The word "duty" is in italics, meaning it was added by the King James translators for clarity.
5. Miles Coverdale Bible (1535) and Matthew's Bible (1537) and Taverner's Bible (1551): "Let us hear the conclusion of all things: Fear God, and keep his commandments, for that toucheth all men."
6. The Geneva Bible was translated in 1560. It reads: "Let us hear the end of all: fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
7. "Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." That is word for word how the King James translators translated it in their 1611 translation.
8. I do not think it can ever be improved.
9. Albert Barnes said verse 13 means, "To revere God and to obey Him is the whole man, constitutes man's whole being."
10. This morning we will consider "the whole duty of man." First and foremost, verse 13 says, "Fear God."

I. FEAR GOD (12:13).

1. All throughout the Bible we see these words -- "Fear God." But we seldom hear them spoken these days. Sadly, most of our leaders today do not fear God.
2. Even many church members, and many preachers do not fear God.
3. The Lord Jesus said, "Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him" (Luke 12:4, 5).
4. Acts 9:31 says, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."
5. The churches were "edified" (built up).
6. And they were "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost."
7. Therefore, they "multiplied."
8. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Therefore, fools do not fear God.
9. Psalm 110:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."
10. Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
11. Even many intelligent and well-educated people lack wisdom and knowledge because they do not fear God, and the Bible says, "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Psalm 110:10).
12. Recently many people were exposed in the Ashley Madison scandal. 
13. Ashley Madison is a web site for cheating spouses looking to commit adultery.  They reportedly have over 37 million paid customers.
14. The database was hacked and the names and personal (some quite nasty and embarrasing) information were put out on the Internet.
15. A few celebrities were exposed including Josh Duggar, from the reality television show "19 Kids and Counting."  He is a professed Christian who has supposedly repented and apologized.
16. Hunter Biden, the son of Vice-President Joe Biden, was on the naughty list, and he has not repented nor apologized.  In fact, he has tried to blame Russian spies! 
17. Another prominent adulterer exposed was an Islamic preacher named Hamza Andreas Tzortzis. He has also tried to put the blame on others.
18. Many of the adulterers had e-mail addresses ending with "gov" and "edu," indicating they worked for a government agency or a university or college, etc.
19. The GPS coordinators for Hunter Biden's account trace directly to Georgetown University where he works.
20. The list includes at least two assistant US attorneys, a technology administrator in the White House’s support staff, a Justice Department investigator, a division chief, and employees at the Homeland Security Department. Several others were from networks operated by the Pentagon.
21. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Pentagon was looking into the list of people who used military email addresses. Adultery can be a criminal offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
22. “I’m aware it,” Carter said. “Of course it’s an issue because conduct is very important. And we expect good conduct on the part of our people."
23. It is hard to take Ash Carter seriously when he says, "We expect good conduct on the part of our people," because it is well-known that Ash Carter and the Department of Defense are aggressively promoting homosexuality in the military!
24. The Associated Press said the list encompassed more than two dozen federal agencies, such as the departments of State, Justice, Energy, Treasury and Transportation.
25. Others came from House or Senate computer networks.
26. Records also reveal subscribers signed up using state and municipal government networks nationwide, including those run by the New York Police Department.
27. By the way, it has been reported that there are only 12,000 women listed on the website.  The rest, over 37 million, are all men, which would indicate that men are much more foolish than women!
28. Romans 3:18 says, "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
29. Proverbs 16:6 says, "By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."
30. America needs to repent.
31. America needs to get right with God.
32. America needs to get back to the Bible.
33. As they lowered the body of John Knox into the grave, a minister said, “Here lies one who feared God so much, that he never feared the face of man.”
34. That is why Mary Queen of Scots, also known as "Bloody Mary," said, "I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of ten thousand men."

II. KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS (12:13).

1. Deuteronomy 6:17 says, "Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God."
2. One of God's commandments (the third) is, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).
3. And yet we continually hear people taking the Lord's name in vain. On the street, at work, in school, on the television, etc.
4. William Newell was a beloved pastor and Bible teacher. In addition to writing many helpful Bible commentaries and other Christian books, Mr. Newell wrote the well-known hymn, “At Calvary.”
5. One day, a friend pointed out a famous prize-fighter to William Newell, and Newell overheard a man in the crowd say, “I’d hate to be hit by him!”
6. Yet William Newell heard this same man curse God, use profanity, and take our Lord’s name in vain.
7. William Newell said, “He could fear a fellow-man. But in a few moments the same man’s mouth was using the name of God, and even of Jesus Christ, in profanity! There was ‘no fear of God before his eyes.’ It meant nothing to him that God had said, ‘The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.’"
8. Newell said, “In these last days, God-consciousness is dying out. It is no kindness, but a terrible wrong, to hide from a criminal the sentence that must surely overtake him unless pardoned; for a physician to conceal from a patient a cancer that will destroy him unless quickly removed; for one acquainted with the hidden pitfalls of a path he beholds someone taking, not to warn him of his danger!” (Romans).
9. King Solomon said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:13, 14).
10. The Lord Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).
11. First John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
12. "His commandments are not grievous." Sinners think God's commandments are "grievous" or burdensome, but God says they are not grievous and they are not burdensome.
13. These adulterers who looked for opportunities to sin through Ashley Madison thought God's commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14), was grievous.
14. But now we read in the newspapers that many lives have been shattered, many wives have been devastated, many children hurt, and families torn apart.
15. Crimes of extortion have been reported, and at least two men have committed suicide after being exposed.
16. Sin often looks attractive, but there is a very big price tag (cf. Eccl. 12:14).

III. PREPARE FOR GOD'S JUDGMENT (12:14).

1. The words "judge" and "judgment" are not popular these days. Consequently, most pastors avoid talking about sin and the judgment of God.
2. But the Bible has much to say about it (Eccl. 12:14).
3. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
4. "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4).
5. In Romans chapter 1, the apostle Paul mentions many wicked sins, including homosexuality, idolatry, fornication, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, hating God, pride, and disobeying parents, etc.
6. Then Paul wraps it up by saying, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death."
7. Psalm 9:7 says the LORD "hath prepared his throne for judgment."
8. In Matthew 11:21, our Lord pronounced woe upon the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida because they refused to repent.
9. He said, "But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you" (Matt. 11:22).
10. Then He said that Capernaum, His adopted home town, would be brought down to hell. "But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee" (Matt. 11:23, 24).
11. Romans 2:2 says, "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things."
12. Romans 2:3 says sinners shall not escape the judgment of God.
13. Romans 2:5 and II Thessalonians 1:5 describe it as "the righteous judgment of God."
14. Hebrews 6:2 says it is an "eternal judgment."
15. Second Peter 3:7 refers to "the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
16. Revelation 14:7 says, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come."
17. J. Wilbur Chapman told a true story about of a man who committed a terrible crime. A friend of Chapman's happened to be in the courtroom when the man stood before the judge.
18. The judge looked him in the eye and said, "Are you guilty, or not guilty?"
19. The criminal raised his right hand and said, "Your honor, may God strike me dead if I am guilty of this crime!"
20. At that very moment, the man's hands began to tremble, his face turned white, his lips turned blue, his eyes became glassy, and he dropped dead right there in the courtroom!
21. A shocking story.
22. Criminals are accused and exposed and condemned in our courtrooms every day, but there is coming a day when every sinner will have to stand before God (Eccl. 12:14; cf. Revelation 20:12-15).
23. Some sinners take comfort in the fact that they have done some "good" things (Eccl. 12:14). Even that wicked homosexual who murdered those two news reporters down in Virginia probably did some good thing in his miserable life.
24. But when God opens up His books, good works will not do not any good if a person is not saved. Revelation 20:15 says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

CONCLUSION:

THE HORRORS OF HELL

Hell, the prison house of despair:
Here are some things that won't be there:
No flowers will bloom on the banks of hell,
No beauties of nature we love so well.
No comforts of home, music or song;
No friendship or joy will be in that throng.

No children to brighten the long weary night;
No love, nor peace, nor one ray of light.
No mercy nor pity, pardon nor grace;
No water, O God, what a terrible place!
The pangs of the lost no human can tell;
No moment of ease --- there's no rest in Hell.

Hell, the prison house of despair;
Here are some things that will be there:
Fire and brimstone are there we know;
For God in His word has told us so.
Memory, remorse, suffering and pain;
Weeping and wailing, but all in vain.

Blasphemers, swearers, haters of God,
Christ-rejectors while on earth they trod;
Murderers, gamblers, drunkards and liars,
Will have their part in the lake of fire.
The filthy, the vile, the cruel and mean;
What a terrible mob in hell will be seen.

Yes, more than humans on earth can tell
Are the torments and woes of Eternal Hell.

— Author Unknown.