A Path to Faithful Preaching

We preach that people might glorify and enjoy God. That fact has many implications for preaching. The first implication for preaching for the glorification and enjoyment of God is that we must preach according to authorial intent. Those whom God inspired to write Scripture did so with a purpose in mind. The biblical authors wrote every verse to inform and transform the readers. What the author sought to convey to his readers and change in his readers in a text is the authorial intent of that text. Since God is the ultimate author of all Scripture, the human author's intent will be consistent with the intent of the divine author. For this discussion, authorial intent refers to the intent of both the divine and human author.
God created humanity with the intent that we glorify and enjoy Him. That is the ultimate purpose for which He has given us the written Word of God. If we desire to preach His Word and accomplish His purpose, we must preach according to authorial intent. We must use God's Word as He intended to achieve His purpose. That means when you preach a text of Scripture, your goal is to communicate what the divine/human author sought to communicate and accomplish what He/he sought to achieve.
Let me give an example. Philippians 4:13 is a beloved verse. "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Athletes have often quoted this verse as inspiration for their achievements on the field or court. That use of Philippians 4:13 is not consistent with the author's intent. The Apostle Paul said that Christ gave him the strength to be content in all circumstances as he served Him. If our goal is to preach that verse to achieve God's purpose, we have to use that verse in the way God/Paul intended. We say to the hearers, "As you serve Christ, He will give you the strength to be content in any circumstance." That is preaching according to authorial intent. That kind of preaching promotes the glorification and enjoyment of God in those who hear. The message of faithful preaching is the author's intended meaning of the text of Scripture, which is the basis of the sermon.