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Thankful
1:15-16. Paul blesses God in 1:3 for every spiritual blessing, which is enumerated in 1:3-14. And then Paul thanks God in 1:15, once again for what will be enumerated in the following verses. But specifically, he is thanking God for what has happened to the Ephesians.
Enlightenment
1:17-19. Paul describes what he is praying for when he prays for the Ephesians–a spirit of wisdom and revelation, enlightened understanding, and to know the hope, riches and glory that God has in store for us. This all describes a new frame of mind, a realization of what God has already done, not a set of steps in order to get God to do something
The Power Which God Worked in Christ
1:20-23. This power, which Paul says is at work in the Ephesians, is the same power that was at work in Christ, when he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven. That the Messiah would conquer his enemies and then be enthroned, everyone knew. The Old Testament foretold it – Ps. 110:1.
Jesus conquered sin and death. That this is why he took on flesh, so that he could fight this fight on our behalf. He rose from the dead and then he ascended into heaven. And in heaven he now sits, with all of his enemies under his feet – Heb. 2:7-12.
What happened to Jesus is what happened to you (1:19-20). The power that was on display when Jesus rose from the dead (the Holy Spirit) is the power that is working in you now. The great victory that he won, you have won.
In the incarnation, when Jesus took on a body, he connected himself to us. Because of this union that we have with him, we are considered to be “in him.” This means that what Jesus has received, we receive, because we are in him. Everything that Jesus now has, you now have. That is why Paul has been saying that you were chosen, adopted, accepted, and beloved. The Son has come so that all the bless ings that he has from the Father are now yours.
And this is why Paul wants us to meditate on these things. The news is far, far better than what you think.